The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-10
EVENING STORY
A Job for Jerry.
BY DOROTHY DOUGLA

Gerald DONALDSON mad returned
from fourteen months of overseas
service on a United States destroyer to
find that he had no job. Also he had
returned to America to find himself
more in love than ever with Margery
Coles. :
IF your firm had proved to be as
loyal as 1 have, jerry" Margery said
to him one night when they were dis
cussing the hopeless outlook for their
immediate happiness, I'VE could be
married at once, couldn't WEI"
Jerry laughed trifle bitterly. Eyes
but unfortunately my firm thinks of
dollars and cents before patriotism"
Never mind, we'll find a job-we're
bound to, dear" Margery comforted.
>"And III wait and keep on working
Just as long as it is necessary"
When Gerald had enlisted in the
navy and had been sent overseas Mar
gerry had decided to find herself a
position where she might not only be
mentally occupied during his absence
but where she could be economically
independent in case her fiance
should not return For Margery could
not conceive of ever loving any one
else but Jerry.
Gerald rad risen from the status of
a common sailor to a chief petty Off
Ger, and while he had had a vast ex-
perience in nautical lines, had learned
to coal vessel, had had the wheel on
many occasions, had visited many
ports in Europe and had had narrow
escapes from submarines, he had re-
turned unchanged in his easy-going
disposition and lack of business
acumen.
Gerald lacks pep" Margery's
know. kid, I'm fond of him and want
hSn for a brother-in-law, but he will
never set the world on fire with his
brilliance. Now, will he?"
Margery was willing to admit that
his wonderful disposition, his gentle
ness. his almost feminine tact were
hardly the best recommendations a
man could have for an active business
life, and yet she knew that somewhere
there must be a place where just such
men were needed. Therefore, Mar
gerry. being in business herself, and in
touch more or less with various phases
of business affairs, decided to find
such an opening for Jerry.
Margery knew that Jerry was spend
ing his days trying to find a position,
for him, with his apparently limited
ability, to locate place that would
pay living wage and give promise
for the future. Also. she knew that
he was growing sensitive about the
situation.
ii
splendid business dexterity. had made
a success early in life by his own
achievement, but his quick temper.
his Impotence, his lack of tolerance
with any sort of inefficiency made him
at times difficult to understand.
During the war the telephone serv-
ice fell below par. On more than one
occasion Margery had to use all of
her tact to keep her employer from
losing his temper with the slowness of
the operators in getting numbers, both
in and out of the city for him. He
was inclined on the spur of the mo-
ment to blame a corporation unre-
STRANGELY without considering the
exigencies of the occasion.
One day he was unable to obtain any
sort of connection to one of his branch
offices out of town and he became SO
thoroly out of temper, SO greatly an
noyed at the apparent lack of atten-
ton to business on the part of John"
the exchange in which his own Of
flee was Iocated-that he went forth
with to the manager of John"
BY the time he reached the head
quarters of the telephone company he
was still out of sorts but not out of
temper. He had a talk with off
cial John" who proved to be a man
of wide understanding of human ma
ture and of extreme tao in handling
disgruntled patrons.
Margery was watching for her en-
ployer to return, for he had been very
cross when he left. She knew him
well enough to know that he would
have time to consider conditions and
would come back in a fairer frame of
mind. Secretly, however. Margery
was glad she had to spend only eight
hours in his employment, and did not
have to live in the house with him.
She wondered if his wife minded his
temper She was glad Gerald did not
have such an irritable disposition.
well. Miss Coles. I've had an eX,
perience" Margery's employer said
as he stepped into the office.
Yes, Mr.. Hopkinson," MarScry said,
looking up from her work.
"I went to that telephone company
| feeling that we had been shamefully
treated; that we were being made to
paw for service that was unspeakably
bad. and came away with a feeling
that we were impatient, inconsiderate,
unpatriotic. That manager of the
John branch is a human wonder. GU
go in there with peeve-you come
out feeling that you should apologize.
, 1 call that man an asset to any COM
pany I guess there is a place for ev-
cry one-in this world-even good
| disposition and tact and even temper
may be made a stock in trade if you
! can only find the, right place to put
the stock"
Little did Margery's employer know
| how much those few words meant to
her. At once Gerald's qualities pre-
sented themselves to her mind. That
was the very sort of position for him
| She would start about at once TO 1lnd
! such an opening.
She thought over the matter FOR
DAYS and at last she decided to go to
! her own employer for advice.
| Mr.. Hopkinson not only gave her
the advice she sought, but he went SO
{ far as to intercede for her with the
; telephone company. with the result
that Gerald was offered a position in
which he could see a splendid future.
He was started in small and quiet
exchange and in that office he dis
played such an understanding of hu-
man nature, exercised SO much tact
with the operators under him, with
I the patrons who had grievances, with
| 4ln fr-r,nS n, ho r-anted faynrS that he