The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-11-07
PLUGGING A LEAK
The stcsy CT : Fslshful Old Employee
Who Was FaIthIsas

haps thirty-five, we'll dressed and pros
porous IN appearance. came into ths
once Of the Burns Agency one dal
Just as the ONCE manager and myself
were going to lunch
II want some help in q queer stu
alton, and | came here, though what
have got Is probably a little out o.
your line," he said.
"What is it?" asked the manager.
s'Well, II isn't anything that would
care to talk about here where any
body who entered might hear me-
said the stranger emphatically. II
yoU can give me few minutes 81
your time in q private. secluded Of
aice, out or sight and hearing OF every
body, / may convince you that I've
got a case you can take. and If don't
Ill pay you gladly for the time spent
IL hearing my story"
The manager promptly led the way
70 an ante room, and shutting the
door, sat down and said: We'll, let's
have. It."
The man looked at me question.
ingly
zone OF our men, said the manager.
"Go to your story"
WELL said the man, my name Is
Hilary Bronson Of BronsonYille, Pa.
You've heard Of the Bronson Chem
ical engines? Well, we make them
the Bronson Chemical Engine COM
pany. My father started the busi-
ness before / was born. He made q
great success with it, as you know.
He invented the Bronson engine, and
not only invented It, but made sue
cess at manufacturing and selling 1t.
Two years ago, when he was seventy
two years old, he retired from busi-
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 mo-
body can hear US? And haYesI your
word that what tell you will be a
secret between us?s
He regarded Us both suspiciousIy
''Well," said the manager, IF you
can't trust us absolutely 1t 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 reputation,
Mr.. Bronson, If 1t ever-even once
had violated a 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,
a. you cared to use my story against
me. So you see how careful I've got
70 be-"
"Mr. 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. youth
pardon my caution, Pm sure"
Mere common sense" we said to-
gether. go on"
Bronson crossed his legs and be-
gan.
TITS a long story, but III make 1t
as short as / can. have told you
that two years ago my father retired
from business and turned the man
agement OF the Bronson Chemical En-
CINE works over to me. But the
story goes a long time further back
than that. It goes way back to the
time was IN college. III was bad
boy, a mighty bad boy, at school, !
had been a sort OF village pet at home
You know: son Of the man who
made Bronsonville and heir to the
big factory, and all that. came to
school spoiled, completely spoiled. MY
father thought | was little wild;
but he didn't know what q bad. kid 1t
was he'd been raising,
well, when came to college some
of the prestige that I had gained
among bartenders and gamblers in
small towns around Bronsonville
came with me. There was bunch
in school that was OF about the same
breed. and they hailed my arrival
with considerable joy. don't need
to 60 into details; suppose YOU know
what these stories sound like too we'll
to need to have them repeated. But,
anyhow, III came out OF school ow-
ing $4,000, and owing 1t to the kind
Of people that I 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
sibly mention to him. He would have
kicked me out on my head, and right
" so, If be had known OF them.
Now, 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 q
Bronson should. Oh, I was reformed,
all right You know how good black
coffee tastes after q night Of t. Well,
had had all the nights Of It that
wanted IN my life, and vas certain.
v hungering for the black coaee. J