Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-03-16
THE JAIL BIRD BOSS

II be ever got another chance, to
show what he was made Of. Many
other J. BIS have made similar re-
solves. After he got out most every
body gave him the Icy Mitt, but finally
he Accepted Position Tor, as some
might say, Found Job in Factory.
BE started In at 81 a week, working
with the boys, for jail birds cannot af-
ford to be either fastIdious or finicky.
They have to take whatever offers.
So the ]. b. started to work.
Now, In every shop or store there
IL always some one-man, boy or girl
who knows where Things are.
II you set ten girls at work In
room, you VIII find by the third day
that nine Of those girls are asking the
tenth girl these questions:
Is this ali right?
Where is the thread?
What shall do next?
And the tenth girl tells the others
whether the work is right and where
to ind things and what they had better
do next. In one week this tenth girl
VIII be on hand a little earlier in the
morning in order to lay out the work
FOR the day, and at night she will stay
little later In order to put things
away.
And she will show in various ways
that she thinks Of the work outside Of
working hours-between the time she
goes home at night and the time ahe
returns In the morning.
Of aOIra0 fba unlbhIn- Iii
terpose an objection to the effect that
the probabilities are that the ten girls
will be equally stupid and one and all
be absolutely listless unless inspired
by fear Of the Blue Envelope or the
coming footsteps of the Boss. think.
however. that the objection need not
be seriously considered, for the fact Is
that at least one person out Of ten is
not only loyal. but has a goodly grain
Of executive ability that can be cult
waited through exercise. Responsible
ties gravitate to the person who can
shoulder them, and power flows to the
man who knows how.
And 1t so happened that before the
]. b. was IN that factory a month the
boys were going to him, asking him
where things were. When they ran out
of one kind of work they would ask
him what they should do next. And
he, knowing the sequence Of the work,
would advise them.
Now, there be employers who are
Proud and Overbearing, but others
there be who have Common Sense.
And 1t so happened that the man who
owned the factory where the ]. B.
worked had modicum of Common
Sense. Seeing that the J. B. knew
where things were and what should
be done next and that the j. B. put
the work away at night and got It out
In the morning and planned things at
home and picked things up instead Of
walking over them or kicking them
aside, why, the Boss encouraged the
]. b. and Raised his Wages.
So the ]. B. evolved into a Right
Hand Man and in time came to know
deal more about the details Of the
business than the Boss and believe
eventually married the daughter of the
Boss, inherited his money and became
sole owner Of the Factory, but Of
these things am not certain, so l do
not record them. But the little incl
dent I am about to record really hap
pened One day the Boss saw two
girls who worked in the factory COM
ing In with a basket OF wild clematls.
These girls proceeded to festoon the
pillars of the big room with the beau
tiful plant. "Who told you to do
thatp' demanded the Boss.
"Why. Mr.. So-and-so," said the girls,
referring to the ]. B.
Ibid you send those girls away dur
ing working hours after weedsr' ask
ed the Boss shortly after of the ]. B.
Certainly" was the answer. you
see. noticed those particular girls
seemed very white and not very strong
and sort of nervous and worn-they
say they have things tough at home
and just thought l would try to Inn
prove their compilations and spirits by
giving them a run out In the sun
shine"
"ohol You thought they were get
ting Prison Pallor, did your?
Eyes. you guessed 1t. was thinking
OF Prison Pallor"
And so contrived an excuse to send
the girls ON two mile walk out across
the fleldsY'
Yes"
Had. Prison Pallor yourself, ehF'
YES"
Used to look into a pocket mirror
and thought 1t was a GhostP'
Possibly"
'Never saw the blue sky except
through grating or when walking
lOckstep across a stone paved court
wayT'
"You have 1t"
swell, look here. J. B.; don't stand
around here keeping me from work. /
wish { Lord could find a few more
]. BIS to help run this shebang. And,
say. make little list OF the pale, nerv-
Gus. yellow and scared girls and send
them out by turn for elAmnffa wvhonav-