The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-10-02
Story of Charles J. Perry, the
Little Father Of Park Row."
New York.
REAL ROMANCE OF BUSINESS
How Soda Water Boy, by Modesty'
Kindness and Efficiency, Became
Most Famous Drug Store Pro-
prletor OF Metropolis.
BY RICHARD sPILLANE.


named Richard Hudnut worked It. Be
meath the Hudnut gold mine the
presses Of the Herald rumbled. Above.
the editors and the printers toiled and
moiled. Hudnut's gold mine was a
drug store. The store was oddly
shaped because the Herald building
stood on an irregular bit of ground.
The building was put up in the day
before skyscrapers, the day of heavy
construction. The floor space Of the
drug store was broken by the CORN
THAN columns which supported the up
per stories.
Hudnut knew his business. He
handled only the best of goods and he
charged the highest prices. He was
hard taskmaster. He expected the
most faithful of service, and he did
not pay very good wages, but he
taught sound business to all his en-
ployes. aH
Thanksgiving day in 1868, for work.
He got a Job behind the soda water
counter at FIVE dollars a week. The
boy was from Richmond, Va. He was
very modest, very bashful and acted
as If he considered it great privilege
to work in such an establishment.
Not Like Other Soda Boys.
The general run of soda water boys
! in 1868 we're not much different from
| those of. today Most of them were
careless, flippant and slangy. But this
one was different. He had smile for
every customer, a courteous word for
every caller. The other soda boys
and the other clerks laughed at him.
! They were glad to have him around,
because It meant less toll for them.
After while patrons got in the habit
Of waiting for the bashful boy to serve
them with soda. and men who wanted
prescriptions filled or wished to buy
articles In stock often went to him
when they found the prescription
clerk or the floor men busy or unsatis-
factory. The boy seemed to take a
delight In being obliging. He had a
smile for incoming patrons, and a
smile and a thank you" for the out
going ones.
For year he worked behind the
soda counter IL hours a day without
an increase Of pay or a word of COM
mendation from his employer. Other
boys shirked, but he never did. The
more they loafed, the more he tried
| to do. He had an ambition. He
wanted to be a floor clerk and a
pharmacist. The college of pharmacy
was in University place in those days.
He took the course there, and when
he was graduated he was made assist
ant cashier and then floor clerk. There
was one job in the Hudnut establish
ment that worried the proprietor. He
never had been able to get any one to
satisfy him as night manager. E
Lower New York was not the lively
place at night that 1t is now. The
bridge was not built Traffic to Brook
lyn was by ferry. Boats ran only once
an hour The men who dropped into
Hudnut's not infrequently were the
worse for wear. Sometimes there was
not visitor for hours.
Perry Became Night Boss.
Mr.. Hudnut was thinking of closing
the store at night because of the diff
ficulty he had in obtaining a proper
manager. Something impelled him to
give the soda boy a trial. That Is
how it came to pass that Charles J.
Perry became the night man at Hud-
nuts.
From the time the boy from Virginia
became night boss at Hudnut's the
drug store became an institution. The
newspaper men found it very pleas
ant place to visit The great editors
made 1t their meeting point after the
papers we're put to press. John Hen
derson of the Herald, John c. Reid OF
the Times, Charles A. Dana and VIII
liam Laffiin of the Sun, the famous
Henry J. Raymond and all the big
lights OF the journalistic world dis
cussed worlds affairs when they met
there late at night or early In the
morning.
They were mighty good customers,
and SO were the others who came to
Hndnut's because of the opportunity
afforded to chat with or to see the
editors.
Perry was always active. II he was
not serving some one he was putting
something TO rights. He was very or
derby, and seemed to have,a genius to
know what men wanted. Customers.
seeing him rearrange goods, would sud-
denly discover that he was bringing
to notice something that they particu-
larly wanted or desired. Then they
would purchase and feel grateful to him
for having brought II to their notice.
He was Just as courteous, just as kind
ly, just as obliging In the last hour OF
his 12-hour trick as he was in the first.
He did not growl or grumble II he was
kept few minutes or half hour over
hts time. Persons who came in fret
ful went away with soothed feelings.