The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1908-07-23

Dear SIR ran the letter. lowing to
the fact that ne are making consider
able reductions Ia our Office stat. we
regrei TO inform you that we shall not
require your services after this day
month. the q prox. We shall q
course be- pleased 10 give you any tes-
rlnioniais you may desire IN the fu-
turc. and you have our bcsf wishes for
your subsequent career
kimhor Rad the note three times
before he was able 70 realize exactly
what Il meant. Amnrst. be had be-
lieyed that Il was aSes@S u Joke on the
part ~ the correspondents clerk: the
fellows Wcrr always having what they
called a game with him. because be
happened 10 Be The oldest man IN the
oslicr lie had reached the critical age
% g. and the Inverted values q the
twentieth century demand that the
last thing GA earth 70 b. respected
shall b. the dignity OF age.
Bui although. IN the beginning. be
had been inclined to regard the letter
a. q iest. further observation proved
that be was quite wrong. Tho note
bore the signature Of James skinner
the head OF the iirin. and even Dixon.
tie correspondence clerk. would hard
y have had the nndacliy 70 forge that
august gcsiilcmnn's name
$50 I'm 20 be kicked OUT he muir
murcd. -and can guess the reason.
I'm TOO old. That's L. Too old!
I'm punctuai. I'm quick. I'm every
thing they want. but my hair Is going
gray. and people don't refer 10 me any
longer a. that young fellow"
A feeling OF violent resentment
seized his soul. shutting out the mildcr
sensation Of sorrow. That would come
later. of course. but Just now he could
only feel enragcd II was scandnlous
brutal. altogether unjusfifiable. he re
nected. what right had they TO use
the best years Of mans life. and
then ding him away on 20 the dust
heap when the within seized themf
he glanced round the deserted Office.
whence the clerks had departed 20
their Saturday afternoon football or
muslc.hall. Jovc. how attached be
had become 10 the place, The clock.
the dlngy desks. the ricketty stools
all these things were part Of his life.
and had twined themselves into tae
routine OF his days. Somehow. he
could not Imagine himself working In
any other room. II was true that be
had often dlslikcd the moDotony OF his
toll. but now that there was the pros
pect OF something now and strange. he
shrunk back into the memory Of that
happy monotony with something like
the grntined SILVER with which the dis
turbei sleeper returns to the warmth
OF the sheets.
IL was SINNERS doing. Of course.
The manager had always liked him
(Klmber). and would never have sug-
gested his removal. Skinner, however.
was prcjudlced IN favor OF young men !;
doubtless that trip 10 New York last
year had developed his prejudices.
often had he heard skinner say that
young blood was what the modern
business man wanted. les, IL was
SINNERS doing. and n feeling OF pas
slonate resentment againts the smooth.
faced. brutal head Of the firm rose In
KImber's soul. n skinner had enter
Cd the Office at that moment. be would
not have been answerablc for what
happened.
Suddenly he conceived the idea OF
going round to his chiefs private
house and demanding an Interview.
on Monday. at the Office, It would be
impossible. for the stream OF callers
was lnccssant. and at most he would
be able 20 snatch a few minutes only
OF the busy man's time. But II he
went to the house, he could say has
say undlsturbed.
ayes, IN do IT, he resolved, and,