Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-08

e AWAW Well, it's mighty little attention he
NVAV pays to what any boy in the store does
~ ~ he Just tells em all to do everything
in sight and that if they do they'll gel
. a better job and then he forgets they're
any a,ve It's just because he wants to get all he car
: Little Joe Brent and Tommy Murry sat together
over their lunch in sheltered corner of one great
moor IN tlernming's big department store Joe hat
3 peen talking very earnestly: He was very much
his life that hard work and faifhfuness the service
: whom he was working 20 help, had always told him
that hard work and faithfulness and willingness dc
pay always and everywhere and because Mr.. Penfeld
who had hired him, had said the same, he was very
much puzzled and worried besides being discouraged
5 over the way things looked to him And now what
Tommy was saying adding his trouble for
Tommy had been in Trimmings longer than Joe and
was supposed to know.
How long have you been here?" asked Tommy
rive rive months replied Joe
Didn't Mr.. Penheld tell you that you'd get better
{ yourself useful?'"
Joe nodded He couldn't deny it, though he didn't
fields words
And haven't you worked hard?" pursued Tommy
why every fellow on the floor says you're fool TO
people where to gothats the floor walkers business,
not doorboy,s You're always helpin' those ribbon
counter girls NIX their boxes and on, after hours
that's clerks business, but they just think you're
easy"
Well there isn't anything else to do" said Joe un-
You got your own work as door-boy: Amt that
don't get paid for those othef things ans
know but that's the way to get up to better job"
..easyl Say don't you believe that There's no1hing
10 IT. You do Just what you get paid for and you're
lucky II you don't get fired, that's all don't work
either 10 Gnu '"' ''i''- ie"'"S u0"
Tommy had finished his lunch He swung himself
off the Packing-case which he had been sitting and
walked indifterenty away to Join group of other
Wieh he had been eating but he f felt to that his appetite
gone. He laid it down and looked after Tommy
angry
Part of what Tommy said was true anyway, he
thought-the part about the other boys not working
any harder than they had There of
them all who had worked hard he had he knew.
and though he had never talked about it before he had
thought much and often of II. And it seemed
that all the rest of what Tommy said might be
Mother had said exactly the opposite but perhaps
perhaps mothers couldn't always quite know. And Mr..
Penfeld-well, as Tommy had said, Mr.. Penfed prob
ably did to get all he could out of everybody in
the Almost all these boys had been at the store
longer than he and of them had been promoted,
and those who oafed and "soldered" got along just
be be T he t 4s about da al %o w5 g could r'
The hands the big clock pointed to the hour
mark and Joe climbed off the box to return to work.
He not happy Indeed he was very far from 1t.
and it was rather an unusual mood for him But he
very, very much afraid that Tommy might be
right, and if he were, why, that spoiled all OF Joes
Joe was doorboy at F1ernmirg's It was his stated
duty to attend one of the big revolving doors that
opened upon the street.
in store like Flemmings IN winter weather have
not seen revolving door 1t is device like turn,
fastened by edge central pivot, which is set
in sockets in the floor and upper casing The four are
braced by steel bars to stand at right angles
10 each other. They swing together circle, fol-
lowing each other around the pivot toward the right
like great paddlewheel, and they are enclosed IN
big circular boxke structure set in the place of the
store door, with openings inside and out, through
which the people pass. enters from one side,
pushes right-hand door ahead of him, 1t. turns
the central pivot and lets him the other side,
while another door follows right around after him
and closes up to the opening behind him. The purpose
the time so that cold drafts and rain and cannot
sweep into the they would through ordinary
doors constantly used
Joes task easy one. IT was surprising how
many people wanted go to the left through the big
door, which meant to turn that way. 1t was
men and boys particularly, would push the door
hard that it would whrl far too rapidly after they
had left it for timd women to enter at once It re-
quired strength stop its mad spinning at such times
that part of Joes duty too. Sometimes people
Potp provoked because the door turning too fast
for them when they wished to pass one would
stop or move so slowly that the door would bump
was passing at the moment And often people looked
against him ard STOP and bump every one else who
Toe spoke to him as If they thought 1t was his
fault that they annoyed.
So the work not the easiest in the world and
Ia Toe on this afternoon when his courage had sunk
rather low and Encouragement and doubt were heavy,
Ii hard for him breathe it seemed that he couldn't
do it much longer And when, late in the afternoon,
The hoor-walber gave him sharp reprlmand tor a
moments absence from his post, when he had run
after ady shopper restore to her glove she had
Ironned near him unnoticed he too angry and
9-oi,d and hurt to explain and Just walked back to
sis door and nursed the feeling bitterly