Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-17

At gambling in grain IL wouldn't advise ANYBODY 70 g
the business, much les HE son u an old TREND be
cause wasn't what ~ti t. tc. and nc e"un see
FL the lie him how anybody could repeat his extra
ordinarily lucky and pcr,i~rrntly plugging career
lett his office with m Introduction t. his brother
who proved to he a gentleanly fellow with prominent
teeth and crossed eyes, the creI, tor small en-
broicry silk company. This brother asked me had
irrcvocably decided to 60 into the SILK thread business
telling me that what II used 10 be and that the
places the top all filled by who had earned
their positions by sweat and unswervabe purpose
told him hadn't idea in the world what business
wanted to go into; that had thought OF being adj
perhaps newspaper reporter. lie suggested
that both bad but probably much better than the
silk business.
said it was up to me to do something 50 he went in
and talked for half an hour with the head of the com
panv. The president came out finally, remarked How
you? in reply to our introduction and looked me up
and down from shoes 10 chapcau. He SAID something
about his policy being against employing college men,
but that he would make exception OF me and put me
order picker learn the business, at SIX dollars
week found out later that the exception he made OF
me was mostly in the matter Of wages
| accepted gratefully and humby, and went to work
the following morning seventhlrtv, glad to be fixed
in permanent position a last.
VIVID among nv memories the first morning OF my
business career stands out. seepyeyed Ger
man. who proved be the shipping clerk unlocked the
door and let in the huddled lot of slim, sneaky
Italian with greasy hair and slippery eyes; tall blank
faced Swede with yellow teeth little, damp-looked
dvspeptc rail resembling the noensive youth who car
res the lunch trays to the dime museum freaks.
That night as rode home my back <, ashed from m
reaching high lodges to pull down black boxes OF
spool silk and my brain throbbed with confusion OF
numbers The numbers OF the blue embroidery silks
from l776 to l7Sl from ghtest to darkest-or was
that series the "reds'? ANYWAY, | knew that black
twist was No 95S and that Flo different kind OF
floss from Greclan.
Within a week found that the shipping clerk the
man with the pchfork in little picked hades; and
that the Jewish delivery boy Bonnie to be Snecred
at because he celebrated his New Years in September
October instead OF January; while Johnny, the IRISH
lad be rated almost order picker because ne
barneyed the shipping clerk and made faces at HIM be
hind his back.
In the office, which was divided from the stockroom
BY awesonle shiny rail. youth who wore ru1ed
silk bands to hold up his lavender shirt sleeves and
walked about rubber heels with the steahy STRIDE OF
a leopard, pencil Of his prominent ears.
hated him from the first because he had grown IN the
business and had reached the clean end OF 1t, while
blowing dust off spool silk boxes and lending hand
with frsky shipping IN time OF need.
There were girls in the front Office with whom
order pckers came contact, and they girls,
well treated by all the stockroom strplngs paid par
ticular attention to Them and, being democratic girls.
fatered myself that they liked the humble order
picker better than the pink and white Percy IN the front
ofice-which both conceit and selfpty my part
remember that used to wear two fraternity pins -
one from high school and the other from college wore
them confound the glded youth in the front office,
who knew what they stood for but had never had a
chance to sample the snobbishness of scholastic
ties Nv pins more ornamental than useful.
often pricked myself their sharp corners and some
times ripped one of in handling case; but never APP
peared without them They talismans which
raised in my estimation to the level Of the front
office and somewhat above.
Each week that passed disguised me
more and more with the lifeof theorder
picker As crossed the bridge, walk -
/; !: !: !; !. 8:
ing to work from my early suburban
train, liIened the black crawling
mass of early workers to ants,-tInn-
teigent ants. blind moles | called
them,-not even cropping: just bump
ing their noses against Fate. 49,
| soon discovered that | wasn't to sTEzzzssz