Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1915-11-25
GETTING USED TO HIM
ANONYMOUS.


1--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 self-made
man, was clerk in my ofice-a
! young fellow of about nineteen when
he first went to work for me. l took
dislike to that boy just as soon as |
saw him. He was SO aggraY 7tingly
cock-sure and self-possessed an 30 in.
fallibly in the right. / don't knew
why | hired him, except that he had
unimpeachable recommendation and
answered all the questions / put to
him with great intelligence-sonie-
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 l offered
him to choke him off. So I 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 it now?' 1 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?"
eyes, SIR said Blodgett.
"'Well, do it, them said. That's
ALL
ut was a good two-hours' Job, but
he finished it 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 a year, as 1t
were, with my finger on the buzzer,
waiting for a good chance to fire him,
but he never gave me the least eI-
cuse. AS a matter of self-respect, I
had to raise his salary twice.
We'll, it happened one day that I
missed some small change that l re-
membered to have laid on my desk,
Later l lost some more. SuspectinS
principally the scrub women, waited
till a week after the last eft and
then laid my trap.
81 worked a little late that even
ing. had not meant to, but / had q
h 1frop f ON nd
matter that nobody could attend to
but l, 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 telephone
call. While l was waiting I remem-
bered that l had not attended to my
detective work, and l looked in my
pocketbook for 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 ofice.
left my room and entered the booth,
closing the door behind me from habit.
Il had got through with my man
and was just hanging up the receiver
when l 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 moment or two
heard him go into my room. To say
was surprised is putting it 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 l
recovered myself sufficiently to open
he door of the telephone booth and
call to him.
He was certainly surprised, but
his nerve was good and he looked me
n the eye as straight as he always
lid. remembered that the malls
vent out tonight for South America
lie said in response to my look, so
,ame back to see If the Perez manu.
ests weren't ready to inclose. Bur-.
on had finished them and put them
n the letter you gave me 70 send.
BY the way, took the liberty .sf going
o your desk for stamps. 1 noticed It
49, NPNN' oiAt obPPOoCu yOu ulN6uu-
I'd to return so / didn't shut it. T.
Come into my room with me for
minute | said shortly. And when
lad got him inside said: sit down. o
The ten-dollar bill was gone.
MY first feeling was one OF tri-
mph. had got him at last. / had
royed how unerring had h4p my In.
tinct of dislike
Il felt almost remorseful when
bought of the inevitable result of nv
Then realized that my old dislike
the fellow was probably influencing
lie more than any feeling of obliRa.
on to society. l remembered that
Q had mother.
i must have sat there for ten min.
ties considering and all that time he
1t, cool and silent. Suddenly mads
p my mind.
Blodgett,' said, did you see any.
ling of $40 bill on this desk vhan