Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-12-13
Tom the
alker
00
BY JANE OSBORN
Copyright, 1913. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.l

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Copyright, 1913. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.l
Associates who underestimate the
actual ability of Tom Brattle said that
the only reason why he had forged
ahead from the post of least Of all of
Ace boys In the sales department of
the Universal Chopping Bowl company
to the post of head of that department
was no. because of any superior knowl-
edge of the psychology of people who
| wanted to buy chopping bowls whole
sale or because Of any personal mag
| netism, but because his tongue wagged
Ike a woman's Tom Brattle had the
! knaek Of talking fast and furious, but
| then Tom was one son among five
daughters in a family that consisted of
| five or six maiden aunts and grand
mother and great-aunt and-well, Tom
| had learned that If he wanted to make
| himself heard to the end the only
| thing was to talk fast and leave no
ehinkS in the conversational Structure.
| If he did some one else would get a
| wedge In. And Tom had also noticed
In those days when he filled the ink
wells and bought sandwiches from the
| delicatessen for the "boss," Mr.. Daw-
| son, on busy days. that the statesmen
who got the largest orders for chop
ping bowls from customers who came
into the office We're those VINO kept the
possible buyer from raising any objec-
ton TO the brand of chopping bowls
that the Universal put out.
/ The Universal sales department, like
every other department in every other
concern, felt the effect of the increased
| demand for women to take the place
of enlisted men, and the only solution
| seemed to be, when matters were at
| their worst to enlist recruits from the
number of wives and sisters and rela-
| lives of the weli-to-do members of the
| concern who could not normally be
guinfully employed. Toms sisters
were employed and so We're his aunts.
but when lie wanted to get new girl
for the switchboard in the sales de-
| partment he made his wants known to
| the heads of the concern. and the very
| recently acquired wife of one of The
| sons of the president of the concern
was suggested as candidate. She
had caught the fever of general use
| fu'ness, and having no business asset
| but a pleasing voice, had been prom
/ Used the first vacancy as telephone OPP
| erator-which happened to be in Toms
| department.
And this suited Tom immensely BE-
cause Tom had theory that tele-
| phone operator was one of the most
important personalities about any If
| fee, especially sales office She did
| more talking than any of the ether
girls employed, and talking, in Toms
estimation, was an important thing.
And the girls in his office had rather
| looked down upon the post of tele-
phone operating. When the regular
| girl for that job was on vacations or
off at lunch they handled the wires
condescendingly. To them 1t was a
matter of minor consequence So
/ when the dauf,hter-in-law of the presi-
| dent of the concern was coming to
| manage the switchboard. Tom felt
| that this would put a new light on the
| job of switchboard operating. II would
| lend 1t tone and show the girls Just
how important it was.
! Then the morning that the Young
Mrs. Dawson was coming. Mr.. Dawson
| phoned in to say that Mrs. Dawson
had backed out. She had found that
| II would interefere with her at
1 homes" She hadn't realized that she
would have to be there every day. and
| So
Then Tom began to talk, md ne
talked fast and furiously. even though
! lie was talking to the son of the preSi-
dent, and having hung up the receiver
he sent to an agency for telephone
| operator of the best type. He offered
to pay her more than even he felt tel
ephone operators were worth. because
he felt now that having assured the
stenographers and other girls in the
Office that SO important parsonage
as Mrs. Dawson was going 10 take the
job. he could not retreat so far MS
to get the usual run of half-hearted
Iistless girl for the work.
Tom seldom countenanced deception,
but this time it was necessary; SO
when he found nice-looking young
woman In businesslike apparel wait.
ing TO see Inn I'm the outer Office. and
she began by saying that she he.
lleyed they wanted a telephone ope! Il.
tor, Tom let her get no further, hut
told her on the spot, in an undertone
that she looked as If she would do. but
that she would have to hluff it out as
the daughter of the president and con
sent to he called Miss Dawson. and
conduct herself as nearly as it wa.
possible for her to do as the dangh
ter Of the president. of choppmg
bowl concern would conduct herself
"But you see" began the appli
cant.
THAT IS quite all right" Tom rat