The Catholic bulletin., 1916-01-22

week, and had no prospect of adj
vance. SO far as he could see.
The situation was freely discussed
1 at home. His father was willing that
John should make a change if he was
convinced that he could do better, so
after reading advertisements, looking
about the city for several days and
talking with friends he found an open
ing in a large retail and wholesale
hardware store. The salary would be
but four dollars week for the first
six months.
Mr.. Williams, the junior member of
the firm, said to him: Il cannot
promise you anything definite. The
business is a good one to learn. You
can make yourself useful man to us
by becoming thoroughly acquainted
with all the details of the business,
and as fast as you prove yourself
capable, we will recognize your serv-
ices in some way. We have already
several bright young clerks. young
men who have learned the business,
and their advancement would nat
urally come first. If you wish to
come under these conditions, the
place is open for you"
John accepted the position because
it offered him some chance of ad-
vancement, and as the complicated
details of the business became more
and more familiar, he felt that he was
making progress. Yet a dozen clerks
in the business were just as bright,
and apparently had made the best of
their opportunities. Still he kept
looking for a chance to do more.
/ BY watching closely for several
weeks every detail, he noticed that
large lots of goods were constantly
coming from abroad, and that Mr..
Williams always attended to the
checking and marking of the goods.
This seemed to him strange, for Mr..
Williams was a very busy man, and
had enough to do without looking
after such minor matters. John soon
found, however, much to his dismay,
that these bills were made out in
, French or in German, and that no one
in the store but Mr.. Williams could
decipher them.
John was not afraid of even two
such formidable foes as French and
German. He purchased textbooks and
commenced to study at once. By con-
slant application, he was able at the
end of the year to make out a bill OF
goods in either of the languages. He
obtained access to the old bills, and
made a special study of them. All
this time he was giving his very best
work i'll the store, and often helped
goods.
One day a larger assortment than
usual came in, much to the dismay OF
Mr.. Williams, who exclaimed. 81 don't
see how | can spend the time to mark
these goods"
"Let me do it," quietly replied John
"You?"
Eyes, sir, think l can do it cor
rectly"
'But these bills are i'll French.
81 know it, and l have been study
ing French and German. l think
can read any bill that we have ever
had"
"Well, try and see how you make
out"
Il Mr.. Williams watched him for g
, while, and then said: "You seem tc
know what you are about, if you car
do this all right. it will relieve me
more than can tell you.''
ToI,,, J;J 4I,o Of opi1 4
that at the next importation the bill
was handed to him as matter o1
) course.
VI One day, month later, he was
called into the Office and interviewed
3 by both the active members of the
) firm. The senior member said: "II
) my forty years experience in this
3 business you are the first boy who has
t seen this opportunity and improved
t it. l always had to do the work un
= | til Mr.. Williams came, and one reason
why he became a member of the firm
: was because he could attend to this
part of the business. We want yoU
5 to take charge of the foreign goods
1t is an important position; in fact, il
5 is. matter of necessity that we have
/ some one who can do this work. Yor
c only, of the twenty young men we
5 have here, saw the place and fitted
: yourself for it. We cannot pay yot
: yet as much as we may pay later on
3 for it is necessary to prove your stay
5 ing qualities, but we have little doubt
: they will be shown in due time. Fol
: the rest of the year we will pay you
3 ten dollars week. At the end of the
/. year we will consider the matter
: again"
The result was that after John had
: been there five years he received
: eighteen hundred dollars year, haG
. been sent to France and Germany;
l and Mr. Williams said to a friend:
2 John Grant will probably become q
5 member of the firm by the time he is
2 thirty years of age. He saw the op
3 portunity and fitted himself for it al
some sacrifice, but it paid. It always
pays"
1.-THE CHILDREN AND THE ANGELS S