The Springfield herald., 1912-09-06
PLUGGING A LEAK
Tho Story Of Faithful Old Employee
Who Was Faithless


A good looking young fellow OF per-
haps thirty-fiv we'll dressed and pros
pffice of the Burns Agency one day
lust as the office manager and myself
were going to lunch.
81 want some help in a queer Stu
alton, and came here, though what
have got is probably a, little out OF
your line" he said.
what is it," asked the manager.
''Well, 1t isn't anything that would
care to talk about here where any
body who entered might hear me,
said the stranger emphatically. IF
you can give me few minutes OF
your time in a private, secluded Of
hce. out of sight and hearing of every
body. / may convince you that I've
got case you can take. and If don't
I'll pay you gladly for the time spent
In hearing my story"
The manager promptly led the way
to an ante room, and shutting the
door. sat down and said: well, let's
have it,
The man looked at me question
lngly.
"One of our men," said the manager.
Go to your story"
We'll" said the man, my name Is
Hilary Bronson of Bronsonviile. Pa.
You've heard OF the Bronson Chems
lcal engines? Well we make them
the BRONSON Chemical Engine COM
pany. My father started the busi-
ress before I was born. He made a
great success with 1t. as you know.
He invented the Bronson engine, and
net only invented 1t, but made u sue
cess at manufacturing and selling 1t.
Two years ago, when he was seventy
two years old, he retired from bust
ness and turned the company-the
management OF it-over to me-"
Mr.. Bronson paused and looked
nervously around the office and at us.
Gentlemen. are you sure that no.
body can hear us? And have your
word that. what tell you will be
secret between us?"
He regarded us both suspiciously.
WELL" said the manager, III you
can't trust us absolutely it wouldn't
be- good sense on your part to tell us
your story. But you know the repu-
tation that this agency has. 1t never
could have gained such a reputation.
Mr.. Bronson. ii 1t ever-even once
had violated clients confidence
mo. certainly not" said Bronson,
relieved. But you understand, what
I've got to unburden is something
that absolutely puts me in your pow
err. You could ruin me, understand.
If you cared to use my story against
me. So you see how careful I've got
to be-
MIR. Bronson" said the manager.
every day in the gear we are en-
trusted with that same kind OF story.
You think you are an exception.
Everybody does. You can trust us as
fully as you can trust yourself"
THANK you" said Bronson. You'll
pardon my caution, I'm sure"
Mere common sense" we said to-
gether. Go on"
Bronson crossed his legs and be-
gan.
ITS long story, but I'll make it
as short as | can. l have told you
that two years ago my father retired
from business and turned the man
CINE works over to me. But the
story goes n long time further back
than that 1t goes way back to the
time I was in college. IL was bad
boy, mighty bad boy, at school,
had been a sort of village pet at home
you know: son of the man who
made 3ronsonville and heir to the
big factory, and all that. l came to
school spoiled. completely spoiled. My
father thought | was little wild;
but he didn't know what bad kid it
IVES he'd been raising.
well, when I came to college some
of the prestige that l had gained
among bartenders and gamblers in
small towns around Bronsonville
came with me. There was a bunch
in. school that was of about the same
breed. and they hailed my arrival
with considerable joy. L don't need
to go into details; l suppose you know
what these stories sound like too well
to need to have them repeated. But,
anyhow, IL came out of school ow
ing $4,000. and owing 1t to the kind
OF people that l couldn't possibly tell
my father about. Couldn't speak
about them even.
There were other debts that he
squared when I graduated. plenty of
them But this $4,000 I couldn't pos
siply mention to him. He would have
kicked me out on my head. and right
ly so, If he had known OF them.
Nov. I'd got pretty sick of the
Wild young goat sort of existence by
this time. The knowledge of those
$4,000 worth of l. o. us hanging
over my head had sobered me up
good and plenty. All / wanted to do
was to get back to the big works
there in Bronsonville and work like
slave trying to make good the way a
Bronson should. Oh, l was reformed,
all right. You know how good black
coffee tastes after night of 1t. Well.
/ had had all the nights OF 1t that l
wanted in my life. and l WIS certain
ly hungering for the black coffee. 1