Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-11
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Other Folks Problems Sometimes
Keep One ouessIns-EffloIency Ex-
pert's Diagnosis and PresorIp-
tlon q csss In Point
BY SARAH ID. LOwRIE

ana seeing her buffers usually impassive
face greatly perturbcd. the hostess asked
him, sotto voce, what was the matter. He
laid telegram addressed to himself on her
plate az he put down the dessert dishes and
stood at attention while she read Il.
II ran as follows:
Father has fits answer"
The messenger boy was kicking his heels
in the front vestibule and the ice cream was
melting In the pantry while the distracted
butler tried to think what to answer. And
indeed, after he had served the coffee and
departed to solve the problem undistracted.
the lady put It to her guests. There were
as many answers us there were guests,
without any one feeling confident that the
right answer had been evolved.
TT is very hard to live up to what is ex-
4 pected of you in more things than tele-
grams, especially where brand. new di-
lemma Is involved. l heard of a quandary
the other day man was In on being given
his first long vacation. have so wondered
II the way he solved it proved to be the
right way for him. md yet / suppose that
The first half of the story Of that holiday
reached me by reason Of pretty experience
a friend Of mine had on a Hudson River
boat. She was going North on one of the
night boats, and after her husband had es-
tnblished her and feed the steward to look
final moment Of his leaving. She remained
where he had left her as the great boat
swung out to nlidstream, and rs the evening
was mild and lovely and the place was pro-
tected from the breeze she sat comfortably
on there during the evening, enjoying the
view and her book and the dcsultory echoes
OF conversation from the few fellow passen-
gers who were scattered about that particu-
lar deck. A quiet, eSger young man-she
sized him up as possibly mechanic or
master. Of some technical trade-had stood
for long while not far from her. looking
at the view. and when, somewhat shyly,
he asked II the cnmpstool beside her was
unengagcd and at her nod took 1t to where
he had stood and sat down on 1t, she made
some kindly, cheerful remark on the beauty
of the evening.
He burst out with sort of vehement re-
lief Of having some one to talk his sensation
over with.
II am twenty eight years DID," said he,
"and ! never knew there was anything so
beautiful In the world as this!" And he
Palisades looming out beyond them. but
then" he added. II guess living all my
life at Wilmington, Delaware, wouldn't give
me much of an idea what was in the world.
I've worked ever since was twelve. and
this Is my first holiday I've spent away
from home, except Labor Day and Christmas
like Of that"
RADUALLY the rest of his story came
" out. As to how. in particular. that
holiday he was embarked upon ha1 come
about.
He had worked up from his twelve year
old position to being foreman Of one depart
ment Of the works--a very important de-
partment, presumably. since when the rest
Of the business shut down this spring owing
to slack work his shift was kept on the
job. But the general let-up had worked
havoc for him, in that all the other foremen
made his shop the place to loaf in or. as he
put It, they gathered there regularly to
make suggestions to him OH how to run his
job or how they would have run 1t had 1t
been their job. And they got on his nerves
to such an extent that when the efficiency
expert employed BY the firm settled down to
give advice, too. he .'up and told him" he
was going to quit. Not quit the works. of
course, but quit that too picked att end
of t..
somewhere where can be left alone to do
my work in peace. This butting in of every
body is driving me crazy
The efficiency NOR asked him if he in
tended to actually go TINT day. and he swore
that he actually did intend that very thing.
And. as good as his word, he went to the
superintendent at closing time and made his
demand. But the efficiency man had been
there before him. With the result that the
boss was quite prepared with his answer.
"Now, look here" he had said. there
is nothing the matter with you or with your
years and you've lived in the same place all
your life without real let-up. Don't get
out of that place in the works; it's where
you belong. But take n vacation, and take
1t for a month and take it on the firm.
You go up in the woods somewhere and
relax and get smoothcd down. And you'll
enjoy your job when you get back. Now
you just do as ! say. draw your full time
pay and your expenses and light out right
away!
XXIELL, that was certainly great notion
talking 1t over with the wife it was decided
that the offer was too good not to accept
The only question was. where to go?
OF course. the wife could look after the
children-there were three Of them-all right
while he was gone, but 1t was lonely to think
of starting out holidaying with nowhere in
particular to go.
1t was at this point he thought of an
uncle whom he had once seen when he came
on q visit down at home when he himself
was child The uncle lived at Amherst. up
in New England. and had always claimed
the scenery up that way was fine. He had
son, too about the same age-probably
twenty eight or $3.50 1t would be not just
like visiting with an oldish man. At all
events, ticket had been bought clear
through to Springfield, Mass, and this boat
ride was the first stage of the journey.
WAS the uncle a farmer near Amherst?'
nv friend had inquired. thinking of the boss
advice about woods and quiet.
No. that Ind not seemed likely. since his
letters had n street number. but 1t was hard
to say what business he was in. the visit to
Delaware having been nearly twenty years
ago.
Had he written? Was he expected? was
my friends further somewhat anxious in
quiry.
soon There had been nothing to hinder
his going after writing that and getting his
ticket "Shc'd'' packed his suitcase for
him and he'd come off next day.
Yes, he had n picture of her. Mt least she