The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-18

for him to swap horses at his time of
life. Hc offered Smith just twice as
| much as he was getting, and Smith at
last accepted
Smith had an invalid wife. I think
| 1t was on her account, and because he
| thought he could provide better for his
| mother and father who spent most oil
their time in sanitarium, that he con-
scntcd to go with Jones.
TT was in 1907 that Smith went with
Jones. For a few weeks Smith was
happy. 1t was good to feel that at
his siIne OF life he was of SO much
value that he was sought after ana
urged to accept salary twice as large
as he ever had received before. He
went after orders daily and buoyant-
~. And he got them But suddenly
| there came a change. There were
symptoms OF storm and disaster ap-
preaching In the business world and
prudent men began TO shorten sail, and
seek places of refuge. No ono would
buy goods.
When Smith returned from trip
after trip with empty orderbook Joness
manner changed. He no longer found
pleasuren In Smiths company. He be-
came critical, captious. When Smith
/ arrived at the Office . A NJ, Jones
wanted to know why he was not there
at s. It was idle for Smith to explain
he could do no business by getting
/ around at the earlier hour, and that
! he had been accustomed to arrive at
4 Q O'clock all his business life. Jones
was q stickler for punctuality. The
= hour in his office was s. He had waved
the matter the first few months OF
Smiths employment, but now he insist
led that he conform to the rules OF the
establishment. He nagged Smith con-
stantly on the order question. Why did
. he not get business? Why did he not
go to his brother-in-law and get him
in lineo 1t was poppycock, he declared,
to say nothing was being ordered. II
Smith was not 50 stupidity slow he
:, could do something to earn portion
of his salary at least.
Jones was worrying deeply about
4 Smiths salary 1t became nightmare
to him.. AS months passed and the
!, business situation got worse and worse
he got to hate Smith. He found fault
:, woth him on every score, insulting him
4 time after time, and almost drove him
to distraction. Smith, gentleman
always. would have resigned in a
minute, and never looked upon him
again, but his wife was getting worse
. steadily. and to be out OF work would
Z, bring woo TO the old folks Smith
never had saved and now when he
!, ployment there was no chance to get
back. He was not only a prisoner.
|but was fettered heavily
"What that poor man suffered dur.
ing that period no ono knows. No
!, Idoubt Jones suffered, too. for no moro
. devoted man to his business could be
II found than he. That was why, hay-
:ng made mistake in enlisting Smith
he visited on Smith all the wrath due
to that error
smith, egged on by Jones, haunted
tho offices of the railroads, begging
for orders for supplies. TO his brother.
], Eln-law TO make a confession of his
desperation and pleaded for anything
he could give In the way of an order
I ITO appease Jones. The brother-in-laW
q could promise that Just so soon az
the skies Frightened and the railroad
!! loosened its purse strings he would
give everything possible to help Smith
out, but until then there was not a
II penny being spent
!, ut was useless for Smith to report,
Jones knew it was true, but that only
, added to his wrath, 1t was Smith and
1.-the money being wasted through him
I7,ha. Jones had before him all the
time Nothing that Smith could do or
sjondeaYor to do could please him,
~ and when Smith. tramping through
4 railroad yard one day, in a
vain effort to get some business, by
ovcrtalsins the general manager Of the
!, road got his shoe caught in a switch
ana wrechcd his heel so badly that hf
; Ilimped painfully Jones laughed at him
/ The idea that a man should 80 lame
= limiting business when he had not
! hroulht in Il dollars worth of bus
!, ,ness in siN month had Il sardonic touch
!. Of hulnor that appealed to him partic-
. ularlT. ~.
! linn about tho office, He even walked
nlato the window TO keep Smith longel
Z n view wien smith started away from
I'll tho building no Jones that imp wa:
ro,ribution slight to be sure, but 4
! COM, Of retributian neyerthcless-t'
/ smith for the MAY he had imposet
! on Jones IS 5concern, ,liy this time Jones
v had como 10 consider that Smith ha'