The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-01-22
GETTING USED TO HIM


opinion we have formed of them" said
the self-made man, who had not
turned out such a bad job of ii. Now,
there was Blodgett, for instance.
"Blodgett," continued the self-made
man. was a clerk in my offce-s
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 ~aggravatingly
cock-sure and self-possessed and so in
fallibly in the right. l 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 a that's easy air. He wrote
a good hand, had a fair knowledge OF
bookkeeping and expressed his salts
faction with the small salary | offered
him to choke him off. So | took him.
81 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 Il now?' / snapped.
"'These estimates, sir he began.
"tCopy EN-, l 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 1t, them / said. That's
all
1T was a good two-hours' job, but
he finished 1t in an hour and a half
very neatly, too. When he laid it or
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 ex-
cuse. AS a matter of self-respect, /
had to raise his salary twice.
well, it happened one day that l
missed some small change that | re-
th " nave ldAu On lily utHh.
Later l 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 | had a
big contract on hand and 1t was a
matter that nobody could attend to
but |, so ! stayed on after the office
force had dispersed for the suburbs.
l vas busy for very nearly an hour
and then had to wait for a telephone
call. While l was waiting / remem-
bered that ! had not attended to my
detective work, and | looked in my
pocketbook for a bill. The smallest l
had was a ten. / took that, marked
it with red ink in corner and laid
IT on the desk. Just then the tele-
phone bell rang In the outer office. I
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. He
looked around quickly and then
walked out Of my range of Wis
ion, and in a moment or two l
heard him go into my room. To say
/ was surprised is putting 1t mildly,
but even then 1t never entered my
head that he could be connected with
anything like petty theft. He was
actually leaving the office before |
recovered myself suffi ciently 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. 1 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 | 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 | supposed you intend
CA " oO L QluH I b0uI IL. =
Come into my room with me for a
minute l 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. | 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.
II 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 a $40 bill on this desk when
you we're looking for stamps?' fixed
him with a steady eye.