The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-11-07


worth keeping. Oh. was reformed.
all right. good and plenty.
Well. I went back 10 Bronsonville
and went to work And | made good.
| The old man offered to let me start
In the ONCE. No. | said. plenty OF
time for that after I've gone through
the works So went in the works,
worked in the foundry department
| the machine room. the assembly de-
partment. paint shop-all through the
placs-for one solid year. l made
good. felt had to. The old man
was proud OF me. He didn't know
what II was that was driving me TO
make good.
Then I went into the once and In
q few months I was treasurer. and a
| good one, too-for a few months. You
see. these people who held my l. o..
! US were smart. They held OF while
I wss working In the works. But the
minute they heard I'd got to be treas
ursr OF the company, down they came
on me. They began to squeeze. Cad!
gentlemen, you have no idea what |
went through for the next six months.
There I was, working my head OF,
making good, the pride of my father,
an exemplary young man, and there,
| over my head, hung those awful l. o.
| US that would make me an outcast
! the minute they were dropped.
II couldn't raise $4,000 without
giving some explanation for 1t. /
couldn't explain why l wanted 1t.
suppose you can guess what Is COM
| ing? I was treasurer Of the company.
| / had all its funds under my control
without any supervision from any
body. Ny father trusted me as he did
himself. Nobody to know it-and l
always figured l would be able to
slip 1t back before its absence was
worth OF the firms money and paid
up those I. o. US that were driving
me crazy.
II came near getting away with 1t.
I would have done it but for old Car
| berry. Carberry is the manager of
| our office. He started in as an office
boy for my father when father was
|
That was 45 years ago. He's been
there ever since, Carberry has. He's
fathers confidential man.
"He never had the brains to get in
to the firm. He had hoped to become
manager some day, but he didn't have
the ability to force himself into the
| Job. That soured him, but he didn't
let father see it.
well, Carberry got next to my TAX
| ing the $4,000. There wasn't any
thing in the Office that he wasn't next
to. And just as soon as he got next
to 1t, he had club over me that he
could brain me with.
When I was made manager of the
company two years ago, Carberry
saw his chance. He would have been
made manager himself, probably, IL it
hadn't been for me, and 1t was his
ambition to get that Job before he
died. He had me by the horns now.
of course. He could make me whistle
to his tune, and whenever he wanted
to. He went about 1t in a foxy man.
ner; he Is making me fall down on
my job as manager"
Bronson stopped and sat back in
his chair, the moisture standing out
upon his forehead. The manager and
looked at one another In surprise.
Well" said Bronson, what do you
think of it,"
Smooth work." said the manager
But how does he do it?''
| Easiest thing In the world. Comes
into my private omce-my private Of
fee as manager Of the company-and
makes suggestions. Suggests that we
handle such and such a matter so and
50. know perfectly well that the
suggestion Is hopelessly rotten, but
what can do? Every once in while
the old ghoul will come in and remind
me Of what he knows. Yes, sir; hs
throws 1t right up to my face that ht
Is in possession Of the secret tina,
could ruin my life and break ny
fathers heart So I've got to act OF
his suggestions-put them through a,
my own ideas, you understandings
then things go wrong. and then ",
, got to stand the blame for It, O
l
> scene, puts In his oar and straighten,
!, things out BY doing just what or an,
|, intelligent man would have done IL
the first place II I'd been free, ant
when things are Strengthened out it
This place would be up against 1t 1
> We didn't have old Carberry t
straighten out young Bronson's bull
headed mistakes
I'm being discredited, absolutel,
and hopelessly. I'm made to appea
as sort Of an idiot who sits in tn
> managers chair because my fathe
. owns the works; but Carberry-CaI
> berry is the fellow who keeps tn
, plant from going on the rocks. Ca
. you beat that for a pleasant little stt
. uadon9 I'm beginning to under
. stand why some men commit murder.
Getting desperate?" said the mar
ager easily.
"WeIl wnuIdrf vou 90