The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-10-28
GETTING USED TO HIM
ANONYMOUS.

We are always badly disappointed
when people fail to justify the poor
opinion we have formed OF them" said
the self-made man. who had not
turned out such bad job OF it. Now.
there was Blodgett, for instance.
Blodgett. continued the seIf-made
man, was clerk in my ofice-a
young fellow of about nineteen when
he first went to work for me. | took
a dislike to that boy just as soon as
saw him He was so aggravstingly
cock-sure and self-possessed and so in
fallibly in the right ! don't know
why ! hired him. except that he had
unimpeachable recommendations and
answered all the questions | put TO
him with great intelligence-so
thing Of a that's easy air. He wrote
good hand. had fair knowledge OF
bookkeeping and expressed his salts
faction with the small salary ! offered
him to choke him OFF. So | took him.
i sent out column OF estimates
for him to copy the second morning.
Five minutes later he was standing by
my desk with the sheet in his hand
What is il now?' snapped.
"These estimates, sir he began.
Copy EN-, said Put the figures
down in black and white on another
sheet of paper-that's what copy"
means. Do you think you can do
that?''
Yes, sir, said Blodgett.
"'Well, do it. then, ! said. That's
ALL
1T was a good two-hours' job, but
he finished II in an hour and half
very neatly, too. When he laid it on
my desk he remarked that there were
two errors in the basic figures that he
thought it better to call my. attention
to, as they falsified the entire business
He was everlastingly doing some
thing like that. | sat for year. as it
were, with my finger on the buzzer,
waiting for good chance to fire him,
but he never gave me the least ex-
/ cuse AS matter of self-respect.
| had to raise his salary twice.
Well. it happened one day that
missed some small change that | re-
membered to have laid on my desk.
Later | lost some more. Suspecting
principally the scrub women, waited
till week after the last theft and
then laid my trap.
Il worked a little late that even
ing. | had not meant to, but had a
big contract on hand and it was a
matter that nobody could attend to
but |. so stayed on after the Office
| force had dispersed for the suburbs.
I was busy for very nearly an hour
| and then I had to wait for telephone
call. While | was waiting | remem-
bered that ! had not attended to my
| detective work and | looked in my
pocketbook for a bill The smallest |
had was ten. took that, marked
| it with red ink in one corner and laid
| it on the desk. Just then the tele-
phone bell rang in the outer office.
| left my room and entered the booth,
closing the door behind rne from habit.
Il had got through with my man
and was just hanging up the receiver
when | heard quick step in the cor
ridor and Blodgett came in. He
looked around quickly and then
walked out OF my range of Wis
ion, and in a moment or two /
heard him go into my room. To say
| was surprised is putting 1t mildly,
but even then it never entered my
| head that he could be connected with
anything like petty theft. He was
actually leaving the office before
recovered myself sufficiently to open
the door OF the telephone booth and
call to him.
He was certainly surprised, but
his nerve was good and he looked me
in the eye as straight as he always
did. I remembered that the mails
went out tonight for South America,
he said in response to my look, so
came back to see If the Perez mani
tests weren't ready to inclose. Bur
ton had finished them and l put them
in the letter you gave me to send.
BY the way, took the liberty of going
to your desk for stamps. noticed it
was open, and l supposed you intend
ed to return so didn't shut it +
Come into my room with me for
minute, / said shortly. And when |
had got him inside ] said Sit down.
The ten-dollar bill was gone.
My first feeling was one OF tri-
umph. had got him at last l had
proved how unerring had been my in
stinct OF dislike
Il felt almost remorseful when !
thought of the inevitable result of my
denunciation.
Then realized that my old dislike
of the fellow was probably influencing
me more than any feeling of obliga-
tion to society | remembered that
he had a mother
Il must have sat there for ten min
utes considering and all that time he
sat, cool and silent Suddenly ! made
up my mind.
Blodgett, / said did you see any
thing of $40 bill on this desk when
you we're looking for stamps?' | fixed