Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-04-01

away. hs s-iied srousS tis 7o5s5 =
the pupils. who had stopped Work.
ING. and then resumed his Wr1tinx.
Il took him by the collar. drSrx.d
nm out of his seat and gave him 4
tnorough whipping. He turned ont
10 De the son of the chairman OF the
prudential committee. The old man
never spoke to me again. not even
Mnen l met him in the road, he rid
from my work.
Went to Sea for Two Year,.
On ms graduation at the Annapolis
naval Academy. young John VIM
gate weeks went to sea for q cruise
OF Two years Seventy men were in
MS class, but there was room for only
~ Q. them in the navy. The navy
user consisted of but i've steam yes
sels ciassed a. nrst-rates, and they
were obsolete and unit for active
duty. George Barnett. his roommate,
went into the Marine Corps and is
now major general and the COM
mandant OF that branch Of the naval
service
In Florida, where he had been en-.
gagged as surveyor ON q railroad, the
late Mfdshipman Weeks learned that
an old firm in Boston was going out
OF business. One Of the partners had
died and another had become blind.
Henry Hornblower. . son of one of
the partners, and the youthful Mr..
Weeks bought the business, the lat
ter borrowing the money with which
20 begin his career as = banker and
broker
Hornblower acted for the arm ON
the door Of the Boston Stock Ex-
chsnse- Weeks kept the books ana
waited ON the customers a. they ap-
peared. In . few years the two young
men had Offices all over New England
ana IN cities as far away as Chicago
got my first valuable business
idea from . famous New England
dressmakeF," Captain Weeks said to
the writer of this article "A friend
who came to spend the night at eur
house was talking to Mrs. Weeks
while ] was reading q newspaper.
heard her say that she had bought q
dress in Boston, and that aoon after,
on returning to the store. the pro-
prietor. noticing her at the counter.
asked If she had purchased the dress
she was wearing at his establishment
On learning that she had. he said:
1t Is not right Please give your
name and address to the clerk and we
shall correct the matter at once
Story Of Great .-aius.
But, the woman replied. the dress
is satisfactory to me. Whatever is
mentioning
Small to you, madam the man
answered, but very large to u.s.
And do you know the woman
told Mrs. Weeks, the dress was not
only taken back, but 1t was kept and
was given q new one.
y repeated the story to my partner
next day Captain Weeks said. "and
from that time onward we tried to
please our customers before we
thought of ourselves aud the probable
profits We could make in our trans
actions"
Three years ago. following at once
his election to the upper House Of
Congress. Captain Weeks sold out to
his partners and disposed of every in
terest that might be thought. even in
directly, to influence his Judgment AZ
lawmaker. 1t 1T said in New Eng
land that he has always been very
careful about his reputation ~ . bust
ness man. An anecdote told of him
In State street, the Wall street of Bos-
ton. shows how his ssnsitiveness to
public opinion on one occasion proved
highly profitable to his partner and
himself
A run on q bank in which Captain
Weeks was director, though he
owned but $500 of the stock, threat
ened, SO he feared. to injure his stand
day and a night at the bank, pledged
two-thirds of all the property he and
his partner owned for the payment of
the banks debts and put through q re-
facilitating plan under which the |
shareholders were assessed so per
cent. ON their holdings. The bank |
was saved, but some of the fright |
ened shareholders sold out. Their In |
terests were promptly bought by |
Captain Weeks. The bank prospered |
and later was comhin with other
large banks. Boston hnanciers say |
that Mr.. Hornblower and Mr.. Weeks |
ultimately made $26o. 900 on the stock |
which they purchased when the bank |
seemed to be on the verge of ruin.
When / asked Captain Weeks about |
the matter. he said: Il was . young |
man and couldn't AFFORD to be d. |
rector in q bank that had closed its |
doors in the faces of its depositors, |
many of whom were poor and most |
of whom were small merchants and |
wage-earners."
How ! asked him, fnasmuch as
he was sailor himself once, and fs |
now ON terms Of intimacy with many |
high officers. would you describe the |
navy of the United States?"
AT the outbreak Of the war In Eu-
rope" he answered, '-our navy. In my
opinion, was the second best In exfs-
tence. Authorities for whom have /
great respect did not agree with me- |
They ranked our navy third or fourth |
some giving France second place