Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-08-17


working khaki, with lace-boots and leg
gings, and the campaign hat of the en-
glneers. Though he had been less than
month on the job. he was already be-
ginning 10 tan and tougher under the
healthy outdoor w0rk--to roughen, as
well. his late fellow members o. the
Lawrenceville Cotillon club might have
said, since he had fought three pitched
battles with as many Of the camp bul.
lies, and had In each OF them proved
himself man of his hands who coufd
not only take punishment, but could
hammer an opponent swiftly and neat
ly into any desired state of subsection.
Come in here and sit down: want
TO talk TO you" was the way Williams
began 1t: and after Smith had found
chair the chief went on: "Say, Smith
you're too good a man for anything I've
got for you here. Haven't you realized
that?"
Smith pulled a memorandum boon
from his hip pocket and ran his eve
over the private record he had been
keeping.
I've shown you how to effect few
little savings which total up something
like 10 per cent of your cost Of produc-
ton and operation" he said. "Donf
you think I'm earning my wages"
THAT'S all right; I've been keeping
tab. too, anu / know what you're do
ing. But you are rot beginning to earn
what you ought to. either for yourself
or the company" put in the chief
shrewdly. And then: Loosen up.
Smith, and tell me something about
yourself. Who are yoI. and where do
you come from. and what sort Of job
have you been holding DOWN"
Smiths reply was as surprising as 70
was seemingly irrelevant
IF you're not too busy. Mr.. Williams,
guess you'd better make out my time
check" he said quietly.
II suppose by that you mean that
you'll quit before you will consent to
open up on your record7' he assumed.
You've guessed it." said the man
who had sealed the book of his past.
Again Williams took little time. II
was discOuraging 10 have his own and
the coionel's prefgurings as to Smiths
probable state and standing SO prompt
~ verified
II suppose you know the plain Infer
ence you're leaving. when you say q
thing like tbat?"
Smith made the sign Of assent. at
leaves you entirely at liberty to finish
ont the story TO srit yourself" he adj
mitted, adding: 1.-The back numbers
my back numbers-are coy own. Mr..
Williams, I've kept a file OF them, Ns
everybody does, but / don't have to
produce 1t on request"
"Of course, there's nothing compuI-
sorry about your producing it. But UNI
less you are what they call in this
country a crooked crook. you ars
standing in your own Hight. You have
such staving good head for figures
and finances that It seems pity for
you to BE- wasting II here on an under
graduates job In cost-cutting. Any
young fellow just out OF a technical
school could do what you're doing in
the way OF pairing down expenses"
The cost-cutter's smile was mildly
incredulOus.
Nobody seemed TO be doing 1t be-
fore came" he offered
mo" Williams allowed, that's the
fact. To tell the plain truth. we've had
bigger things to wrestle with and we
have them yet, for that mafter--enOUgh
of them to go all around the job twice
and tie in a bOwknot."
"Financesr' queried Smith, feeling
some Of the back-number instincts stir
ring within him.
The chief engineer nodded: then he
looked up with a twinkle in his closely
set gray eyes. IF you'll tell me why
you tried to kill Burdell the other day,
maybe I'll open up the record-our
recorder you"
This time the coSt-cutter's smile was
good-naturedly derisive. and it ignored
the reference TO Burdell.
"You don't have to open up your
recorder me; It's the talk Of the
camp. You people are undercapital-
Ized--to boil 1t down into one word
Isn't that about the way 1t sizes up?"
THAT is the way 1t has turned outt
though we had capital enough to begin
with. We've been hled to death by
damage suits"
Smith shook his head. "Why haven't
you hired a frst-clasa attorney. Mr..
WilliamsT"
"We've had the best we could find,
but the other fellows have beaten US
to 1t, every time. Rut the legal end Of
II hasn't been the whole thing or the
biggest part of 1t. What we are need
ing most is a man who knows a little
sometF ing about corporation fights and
high nance" And nj this the end-
neer forgot the Smith disabilities, real
or inferential, and ,7ent on to explaiG