The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1915-12-30

WS1ou Oil Iuo QuSsIlOus ! put u
him with g1eat intelligence-some~
thing Of q that's easy air. He wrote
q good hand, had a fair knowledge Of
bookkeeping ana expressed his salts
faction with the small salary I offered
him to choke him off. So l took him,
II sent out a column Of estimates
for him to copy the second morning,
Five minutes later he was standing by
desk with the sheet In his hand
VIVA is it now?' I snapped.
"'These estimates, sir he began,
"'Copy EN- I said. Put the figures
down in black and white on another
sheet Of paper-that's what copy"
means. Do you think you can dc
that?'
"'Yes, SIR said B1odgett.
"'Wel!t: do 1t, them / said. That's
ALL 81
1T was a good two.hours' job, but
he finished it In ar hour and a halt-
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, al they falsiaed the entire business
HE was everlastingly doing some.
thing like that. 1 sat 3or a gear, as 1t
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 selG-respects ]
had TO raise his salary twice:
well, it happened one day that !
pissed some small change that I re
memhered TO hava laid on my desk.
Later I lost some more. S%uspectiua
principally the scrub women. 1 waited
till q week after the last theft and
then laid my trap.
IT worked . little late thai sven
ing. I had not meant to, but I had q
big contract On hand and It was a
matter chat nobody could attend to
but I, SO / stayed On after the Office
force had dispersed for the suburbs
! was busy foS very nearly an hous
and then ! had 10 wait Cor q telephone
call. While l vas waiting l remem
bered that I had not attended to my
detective work. and / looked IN my
~pocketpook for q bill. The smallest !
had Was O. ten. ! took that, marked
it with red ink in corner and laid
It on the desk. Just then the tsle.
phone bell rang in chs outer Office. J
left my room and entered the booth:
closing tie door behind me from habit,
Il had got through with my man
and was just hanging UP the receiver
when ! heard a quick step in the cor
ridor ana Blodgett came in. He
looked around quickly and chen
walked out Of my range of Wis,
ions and in a moment or twc
heard him go into my room. TO say
L was surprised Ia putting it mildly.
but sven then it never entered my
lead that he could be connected With
anything like petty theft, He wa<
actually leaving the omcs 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 locked me
In the eye as straight ss he always
cid. 7 remembered that the mails
went out tonight for South America,
ne said in response to ny look, so
came back to e II the Perez mani
tests weren't ready to inclose. Bur
ton had finished them and l put then
In the letter you gave me to send
BY the way, took the liberty OF goinl
to your desk for stamps. l noticed Il
was open, and l supposed you intend
ed to return so ! didn't shut 1t. l.
leone into my room with me for 6
minute I said shortly. And when
had got him inside I said: sit down.
The %ten-dollar bill was gone.
my nrst feeling was Of tri
umph. / had got him at last. I has
proved how unerring had been my In
stinct Of dislike.
II felt almost remorseful when
thought Of the Inevitable result Of N!
denunciation.
Then ! realized that my old dislik,
OF the fellow was probably %tnhuencinl
= me more than any feeling Of obliga
ton to society. ! remembered tho
he had a mother.
Il must have sat there for ten min
utes considering and all that time b!