Smyrna times., 1915-12-01
GETTING USED TO HIM
ANONYMOUS.

oPAiiOh VIC nave FORMED OF them, SAID
the self-made man. who had not
turned out such a bad job of il. Now,
there was BlOdgett. for instance.
Blodgett," continued the selfmade
man, was a clerk in my ofiice-a
young fellow of about nineteen when
he first went to work for me. I took
q dislike to that boy Just as soon as
saw him. He was so aggravatingly
oock-sure and self-possessed and so in
tallibly in the right. I don't know
why hired him, except that he had
unimpeachable recommendations and
answered all the questions / put to
him with great intelligence-some-
thing of that's easy air. He wrote
good hand, had a fair knowledge OF
bookkeeping and expressed his salts
faction with the small salary offered
him to choke him on. So took him.
Il sent out a 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 II 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.
We'll, do it. them said. That's
ALL
1T was a good two-hours' Job, but
he finished It in an hour and half
very neatly, too. When he laid II on
my desk he remarked that there we're
two errors in the basic figures that he
thought It better to call my attention
to. as they falsiied the entire business
He was everIassingly doing some
thing like that. sat for a year. as IL
were. with my finger on the buzzer,
waiting for a good chance to fire him,
but he never gave me the least ex
cuse. AS a matter of self-respect,
had to raise his salary twice.
We'll. It happened one day that
missed some small change that l re-
membered to have laid on my desk.
Later / lost some more. Suspecting
principally the scrub women. waited
till a week after the last theft and
then laid my trap.
Il worked a little late that even.
ing. had not meant to. but l had a
big contract on hand and It was a
matter that nobody could attend tc
but ], so / stayed on after the office
force had dispersed for the suburbs.
l was busy for very nearly an hour
and then had to wait for a telephone
call. While / was waiting l remem.
bered that | had not attended TO my
= detective work, and / looked I'm my
pOcketbook for q bill. The smallest
had was a ten. l took that, marked
II with red ink in one corner and laid
Il on the desk Just then the tel5
phone bell rang In the outer office.
left my room and entered the booth
closing the door behind me from habit
Il had got through with my mar
and was Just hanging up the receiver
when heard a quick step In the cor
ridor and Blodgett came in. III
looked around quickly and theI
walked out Of my range Of Wis
ion, and in a moment or two
heard him go into my room. To sa,
was surprised Is putting II mildly
but even then II never entered m
head that he could be connected wit
anything like petty theft. He wa
ke- actually leaving the Office before
he recovered myself sufficiently to ope
the door of the telephone booth an
Ar call to him.
HE was certainly surprised, bt
to his nerve was good and he looked m
in the eye as straight as he alway
did. I remembered that the mai
les went out tonight for South Americs
he said I'm response to my look, so
We came back to see IL the Perez mar
tests weren't seady TO inclose. Blu
ton had finished them and l put the
In the letter you gave me to sen
By the way, l took the liberty Of goir
TO your desk for stamps. / noticed
was open, and supposed you inten
ed to return so didn't shut II. +
"'Come into my room with me for
10, minute / said shortly. And when
had got him inside I said: Sit dow
. The ten-dollar bill was gone.
MY first feeling was one Of {
- umph. / had got him at last. b
III proved how unerring had been my
IL stinct OF dislike.
Il felt almost remorseful when
thought Of the inevitable result OF 7
denunciation.
Then realized that my old disli
OF the fellow was probably inhuenci
me more than any feeling OF oblil
ton to society. l remembered Il
,bt he had a mother.
Il must have sat there for ten m
utes considering and all that time
sat. cool and silent. Suddenly ms
up my mind.
"'Blodgett,' said, did you see a
thing Of a $40 bill on this desk WI