American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-03
Tom the
Talker
@0
By JANE OSBORN
Copyright, 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
SyndicAte)

the only reason why he had forged
ahead from the post of least of all Of
fee 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
like a woman's. Tom Brattle had the
knack of talking fast and furious, but
then Tom was n son among five
daughters in a family that consisted of
five or six maiden aunts and a 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
-chinks in the Conversations 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 were those who 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-
tives of the well-to-do members of the
concern who could not normally be
gainfully employed. Toms sisters
were employed and so were his aunts,
but when he wanted to get a 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 a candidate. She
had caught the fever of general use
~fulness, 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 a theory that a tele-
phone operator was one of the most
J important personalities about any of
fee, especially q sales office. She did
more talking than any of the other
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 OF
off at lunch they handled the wires
rcondescendingly. To them it was q
matter of minor consequence. Sc
when the daughter-in-law of the presi
dent Of the concern was coming tC
manage the switchboard, Tom fell
that this would put a new light on the
job of switchboard operating. 1t would
lend 1t tone and show the girls JUS
how important 1t was.
Then the morning that the yount
Mrs. Dawson was coming, Mr.. Dawson
phoned in to say that Mrs. Dawson
had backed out. She had found tina
1t would Interfere with her "a
homes" She hadn't realized that sh,
would have to be there every day, ant
So
Then Tom began to talk, and h
talked fast and furiously, even though
he was talking to the son of the presi
dent, and having hung up the receive
he sent to an agency for a ~telephonI
operator of the best type. He offeret
to pay her more than even he felt tel
'ephOne operators were worth, becaus
he felt o that having assured tn
st~enographers and other girls in tn
office that so important a persOnag
as Mrs. Dawson was going to take tn
job, he could not retreat so far q
to get the usual run of a half-hearteC
listless girl for the work.
Tom seldom countenanced deception
but this time it was necessary; s
when he found a ~nice-lOoking youn
woman in businesslike apparel wait
ing to see him in the outer office, an
she began by saying that she bC
lieved they wanted a telephone operi
tor, Tom let her get no further, bu
told her on the spot, in en- underton'
that she looked as If she would do, bu
that she would have to bluff It out a
the daughter of the president and cor
sent to be called Miss Dawson. an
conduct herself as nearly as it VIZ
possible. for her TO do as the daugl
ter Of the president Of a chopin
bowl concern would conduct hersel
But you see" began the appl
cant.
That is quite all right" Tom ra
tied n You're an intelligent your
woman, and you can manage, and nor
OF these girls know anything abOI
the family OF Mr.. Dawson. So Il is Sc
tied, and if you'll please take off you
hat and coat at once, I'll have yOl