Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-02-19
NOTHING
LIKE CHEEK
By EVERETT F.. CLARKE

years of age | entered the counting
room Of Stoughton Bros. on a salary of
81 a week. L had assurance enough for
ten men of my age, and it is assurance
that tells. l have often wondered why
this is so largely the case and nave
come to the conclusion that it is based
on the principle of wal that the assail-
ant has the advantage Of force over in
ertia. 1t Is a principle Of mechanics
that a body started through space in
which there is no resisting medium
will go on at the same rate forever.
A body that is not started will not
move, and when struck will be knock
ed into "pi."
i had no reverence for my superiors.
but treated them with eminent respect
except when they undertook to brow
beat me-. when 1 jumped on them with
both feet. This l kept up as long as l
was paid little or nothing for my serv-
ices: when | felt it essential to retain
my position 1 didn't take so many
chances.
There was a banker in the street by
the name Of Ogden. He did an enor-
nous business and was very rich. To
US clerks he was like the mogu! Of
Tartary to a washee-washee China
man. Not that he put on any airs. but
because his position was so lofty. |
used to hear stories about how he got
his start and learned hat he went into
the cotton market one day $4,000 in
debt and in a few months was 100000
to the good. At the time | entered
business he was worth millions.
Belonging to an excellent family and
not being troubled with b~ackwardness.
was a butterfly Of fashion. My CAPT
tai was II dress suit. which. notwith-
standing my youth, was too small for
me. but for so cents l got a tailor to
enlarge it. At functions 1 used to
meet men who We're the heads of large
business concerns, as we'll as Of fami-
lies. Some Of them l occasionally
went to during business hours on bust
ness, with my hat in my hand. But.
meeting them socially. I considered
that while we were on a different
basis it behooved me to keep up an
outward show Of Difference.
Time passed, and my salary, though
slightly enlarged. was far too small
for my requirements. The elbows of
my dress coat were getting ragged,
n it was impossible for any tailor to
hide their nakedness. I did fairly good
work myself in that respect with ink.
Some Of my fellow clerks got small
raises by being obsequious to those
above them. but l kept on in the ever
tenor Of my way-that is. being ordi-
narlly respectful and standing up for
my rights. 1t didn't occur to me that
it would pay me to toady to a man for
the purpose of getting an additional
two or three dollars a week.
One spring we had a heavy snow
storm. followed by u freeze and then
a deluge Of rain. There's no worse
meteorological combination for trans
portation than this. and the city was
well nigh impossible. There We're large
pools Of water everywhere. and the de-
vices for getting over them we're not
the work Of educated engineers. There
was nearly Il block near the house
where | was employed that was so
flooded that the whole distance was
only passable by means of a string of
boards. Just before bank closing l
was directed to make a deposit and
started on this narrow plank walk. l
had just entered Upon a lagoon of
considerable length when l saw the
sovereign of the street, Mr.. Ogden.
about as far advanced on the other
side of it. 1t was my part as an IN
d%erstrapper to make way for the great
man.
But my dislike for making way for
those above me deferred me. | would
have been willing to do SO for an
equal and would have been pleased to
do so for an inferior. but to get out of
a wealthy mans path by going back
or stepping into two feet Of water did
not please me. Mr.. Ogden was think
| ing of some great business problem. l
suppose. for he didn't look up till we
met very near the middle of the street.
On seeing me he stopped. One of us
must give way. Which should it be?
General Grant said that when he
was marching to meet his first enemy
during the civil war he felt the re-
sponsibility until he remembered that
quite likely the other general felt as
uncomfortable as he. That decided
him. and he pushed on. 1t occurred to
me that Mr.. Ogden was as much loath
to have me give way to him as l was
to do so. Moreover. l knew that he
was a natural gambler. Taking a
quarter from my pocket. l said:
Heads or tails for the right of
way"
Heads" he replied. with a twinkle
in his eye.
/ knew how to flip a coin and have
it come down as l wanted it., so I
threw the quarter with my thumb and
called. Heads" and stepped off into
the water. I had saved my face-that
is. I had given way. but had not SUI