The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-19
by FRANK ii. WILLIAMS.
Copyright. 1912, by the Associated
Literary press)

oGH IRiN FsE AItr< ME WILL
NOMINAL
what you want furnished when
you want It. Give us a trial.
! UNIVERSAL FURNISHES UNCD
That's the ad that'll bring EN-"
sam Cuibertson, the aged president
! and practically sole owner OF Uni
! vefsai Furnisheys Unc)," spread the
! morning paper before him on his
handsome new desk and leaned back
/ In his richly upholstered new chair.
He ran his hands through his scant
locks, screwed mp his far from hand
some face and winked at Sallle Jor-
dan, his pretty stenographer.
''rhts.fi be the best little graft L
! ever worked"
sallie looked far from pleased at
this announcement. Sam laughed
| loudly at her expression.
My dear girl there was vast con-
! descension In his voice. Il call every
! thing do graft There's MOTH
ing wrong about this scheme, You
! needn't feel at all worried, even IL
! YOU have got one share of stock
J and even If you arc one Of the ince
| porators. Neither does Bill, the Of
! Ace hoy, need TO feel worried though
| he's got share and Is also one OF
the incorporators. No one need feel
| worried, because this business Is going
J to be fair and aboyeboard, and it'll
| be about the only square thing We
been In for twenty years
! But why do you call 1t graft
them" Sallie spoke timidly. She was
fresh from business college and this
was her first position.
II call everything a graft, but that
word Is good in this case. because IT
will be something of il graft In the
! hs You
see, people who are so anxious to get
! things that they will employ pro-
, ressioual getter to get them Will pay
t almost any prfce If tf1r gcttef rs size
1 re.sftt4 That's where the graft comes
In. All SalIie, II viii be wonderful
what prices we can charge our dear
customers and still get away with IT.
But you say our prices are nomi-
ma Sailie,s voice indicated her III
dlgnation.
..My dear little church worker. our
| prices are nominal-comparati
| nominal We will scale them nicely
10 what our customers think the
thing We get for them is worth. Now
/ its all fair and sauare---1ust forget
/ your Puritan conscience for a time
Id hate to have one OF my reno"
incorporators out of sympathy WIN
the plans of the business. Ar mere
our first batch of mail
Sam took the three letters EXTENDED
to him by the postman ana opeheu
them rapidly. 1t took him hut
/ moment to digest their contents
Three orders already Sailie
That's fine. Well just stop adver-
Using until we get these orders out
of the way 1t would never DO 10
burden the company with too much
business at the start. Here's man
lin room 3f4--fhat's on the thira
| fioor-of the Portland flats tie
making a collection of hats ana ne
wants one worn by an American SOL
der in the revolutionary war. hum.
that ought to he easy. Here's an
other, from Rudolph Erickson. s1t
Jefferson street Rudolph wants a
KEY that will open a x-by-four trunk
used by his grandmother That's ex-
pltctt, isn't it, Guess ] better call
him up and get fuller detaiis-he
gives his telephone number. Ana
! here's the third one-some fellow bv
the name of Ernest Randolph. Err
nest will not confide his desire to his
letter, he wants to see representa-
tive of the company. | tell you what,
SalIie. YOU go UP and see Ernest.
tn be so busy with these two other
cases that | won't have time to Work
him for graft. Be sure and get Il
good fee from him-that's the impor-
tant part you know--a big fee.
SaIiie was inwardly rebeliious at
being connected with any concern
which even savored or graft but she
was exceedingly anxious to make u
little money hy working In an office.
so she had no thoughts OF resignin~,
After all, the business was really lie
ultimate. and for her part she decided
as she walked toward Ernest Kan
dolph's address she would charge
nothing but a perfectly honest, mod
crate fee.
This is the limit" Sam fired the
remark at her the moment she en-
tered the room. Here I've incor-
iporated for $1,000 and really put $500
in the company. which I've put into
office furniture. and now 1t looks like
was up against a brick wall. This
thing isn't going to go SO well as l
thought 1t would. Now you'd think
it wouldn't be such 4 laundering hard
lob to find a hat worn by an Ameri-
can soldier in the revolutionary war
and the KEEP to six-by four trunk
which a mans grandmother used and
which he doesn't want to break. but
which. also. yet once more, he wants
to find out what's inside OF 1t. But
let me tell you right now young
lady. that its one deuce or "a job
! L CudIkC tHcst IEhN"S What th~Ai
4 1obs are really worth II put 10th OF
'em in bankruptcy court. don't
believe I'll ever be able to find wha,
they want. The business is on the
blink This concern with never be
able TO find any one what they want
l.
Sallie's blushing smile stopped him
You don't mean that your client
had something easy" Sans ejacula-
ton was an incredulous burst OF JOY.
Yes" Sallie dimpied and blushed
and smiled. HE only wants A.
Dent tell rest' Earn stopped her
with an appraised hand. If you told
me, I'D queed 1t. You go ahead and
flll the order and I'll give you h"'f
: the fee. You make me hope again.
Perhaps / can get a hat and trunk
key that will FIJI the bills. after
ALL"
For four more days Saiife saw but
little OF Sam. She was busy With
her client. Ernest Randolph. and she
|, supposed her employer to be busy
with his clients. At the end OF d
week she determined to see him. al
she had Information of considerable
Importance At length Sam came In
No man could possibly have looked
more down and out than he did. Hs
seemed to be utterly exhausted. Hi
seemed even to have lost weight. Be-
meath his eyes were deep circles, ane
| ~ Ga, xr-ith tnao