Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-15
TIE DAILY NOVELETTE,
Business-Firsf Joeidh
BY Dora Nolan

:, b,s name. His mother, practical
~oman who looked facts in the face, had
,o,d him so when he was very young
put she gave him this consoling advice /:
"A,wavs look we'll to the freshness of
,our linen. my son. shine your shoes,
..rub your enrs and you will be ac-
.entablc in any company
Tbough Josiah's mother had departed
..u,e veors since to that lnnd where the
.ood book tells us-at least inferentially
there is neither shining Of shoes nor
...rcbinc of collars, her son never for
.ot her sensible advice. Also during the
80 decades which passed while Josiah
~. growing to manhood, as the PEN
s,,rm of fashion swung from skirts
..,,cb maintained intimate terms with
tbe ground to skirts which looked down
:. terra firma as something far beneath
.h.m 90 popular fiction changed its
toyorite adjectives, when describing its
S.vorite heroes, from "dashing' and
.,hondsomc" to rugged" and "well-'
.-oomed." Wherefore Josiah had a
Natter chance In the feminine world than
Ma mother had foreseen for him.
In fact Josiah Sm,thers had won the
.r, of his choice, and not without COM
netition. But also he had chosen to
rive her up-nnd quite voluntarily.
That was during his second month in
the employ of "Big Man. who pos
sessed n talent for hiring brains and
squeezing therefrom many dollars. just
nv the subtle fattery of placing ever
Increasing responsibilities upon willing
sboulders. Little by little business be-
came the A and u of Josiah's existence.
He aimed at definite success. And he
was convinced that something else,
ssnecially fun and friends. must go by
tbe board until success was attained.
Josiob's chum, Vernon Butler, yet
remained to be told of the unpleasing
foct that he was doomed as a sacrifice
TO the goddess of the eternal dollar.
Perhaps because Josiah missed the girl
90 much more than he had deemed 1t
possible, he had put off Splitting
hitches' with Vernon longer than he
intended. For the deed he chose n pop
When, after their second cup. Josiah
did break the news, his companion
earnestly demonstrated. but can't you
see," Joe answered harshly. that am
bound to get ahead and am willing to
sacrifice everything to it?" Vernon
stifened, oh" he answered shortly,
'If that's the way you look at it 1
have nothing further to say'
Followed silence between the two
friends. Butler, directing his interest
to his surroundings, took note of n
man and girl who had seated them
selves at a table across the aisle. The
unscrupulous "poseur"; one who af-
fected democracy--particularly in the
case of young and pretty girls. The
girl Butler was sure he had seen be-
{ore-but where? It puzzled MIN un-
til her evident interest in Josiah re-
called that 1t was in the latter's COM
pany he had once seen her. Subse-
quently rallied on the subject. Joe had
admitted that the girl was pretty
good pal of his. Then she, too, must
have been included In the everything"
sacrificed on the altar of business!
II think" SAID Butler, that the
girl across the aisle is trying to attract
your attention, joe" Joe glanced
around, answered the girls animated
greeting with a constrained nod and
turned away again. But there was a
flush on his cheeks and tritle Of un-
man." he asked.
"Bcverly," answered his companion.
"Iouve heard of him, surely: Bad
rep" Josiah, scowling, turned to look
at the man again. He was much older
than the girl, and handsome. With
insinuatingly caresSing manner he
leaned across the little table, SEEM
ingly obivious to all else save his fair
companion.
Tentatively Butler put one or two
questions to Josiah, questions which
had to do with the all-nbs orbiug topic
Of business, but it soon became plain
that Josiahs thoughts were engaged in
team work with his eyes and that the
latter were occupied with the couple
across the aisle.
Then, as though from sheer impulse,
the girl suddenly deserted her COM
panion and came and seated herself
besides Josiah. Her escort trnilcd
along with no very good grace. Intro
ductions all around were in order, Of
eral things. One was that the girls
name was Eba Sibley; another that
che and Joe possessed many memories
In common which she now brought up
In contrast with other memories which,
y seemed, she held in common with
Beverly.
1t became MS plain as the nose on
bis face to Butler that Eba Sibley was
cleverly playing n part. Taking no
part in the conversation himself, save
when some polite rejoindcr seemed re-
qulred, he looked on with absorbing
interest. Then, abruptly, the curtain
iel The girl stood up, exclaiming to
Beverly, why, We shall be late for
the Follies It's midnight nOw!'
Turning to the others, she added,
Wont you come along?'
Two things were evident; that moth
Ing this side of the horizon could keep
Josiah from accepting that challenge,
and that Beverly would prevent him
u he could. However, it seemed to
Butler that, in loyalty to his friend,
no himself must refuse. And his tidel-
NY received this much reward, that
Joe flung back over his shoulder in
quite his old, pre- business first man
ner, See you tomorrow night, old
boy-and tell you all about it."
SO Butler, hoping that his chum's
words bore a double meaning-for he
was not in the least curious concerning
the FOllies, having witnessed that per-
Torrance no less than four times al
ready-said his adicus and departed.
" the three only Eba seemed to
really enjoy the show Josiah looked
about us cheerful az dyspeptic who
must sit in ut nine course dinner.
irslr, duttcring femininity, arrayed like
ahes OF the field, seemed knowingly to
haunt in his face the fact that without
y THIS would be dreary old world in