The Meeker herald., 1923-01-20
AQuEsTIoNNAIRE
sy MATTE OXFORD
70 by Mcclure Newspaper syndieats.)

Jerry Aayneld u just ABOUT 5000.
The head of the office force briefly
and carelessly summed up the ability
Of the man who had been working q
few weeks In q minor clerical position
for the StockEood company. manufac-
turcrs Of electrical goods.
$50 l should judge" the superin.
tendent assented easily. He wasn't
going to worry; there had to be GER
tain number Of "about.so-so" men In Q
minor capacity In his employ anyway.
For . few weeks more. this same
Jerry kept on his "about.so-so" way
with . sleepy conscientiousness: and
then. without warning, he changed his
habits and became 4 puzzle that neith-
sr superintendent nor head Of the ONCE
force could solve. Instead Of smoking
and fsolIng away his time during the
noon hour, he began to study. A his
tory Of the American Indians kept him
occupied for several Of these noon
hours; next. transportation from Its
crudest forms to Its present amazing
development: next astronomy. 1t pres
emily seemed that there was no sub
tect In the universe that Jerry did not
intend to get acquainted with. And
his studying did not interfere with his
efficiency In the once; indeed, It even
raised 1t to q grade higher than the
'about.so-so" grade.
Sometimes In the ONCE, when there
came those moments Of nothing espe-
cial to do, Jerry would talk over what
he had been reading In such simple.
interesting. vivid way that he com.
PEELED the attention Of all within hear
ing. including the superintendent. The
latter discovered to his surprise that
Jerry had q fertile brain; the ideas he
put into 1t from his reading would
sprout, grow and bear an original.
spicy kind Of fruit. Later rush Of de-
light came over him when he learned
that Jerry had been looking Into the
history and the makeup Of the Stock
good electrical appliances until he
knew more about them than The super.
intendent himself.
Why this change in Jerryf his as
sociates questioned.
"Ah. ah." suffered Jerry. his cheeks
growing red when the question was put
to him straight. II ran across . big
idea one day and 1t got me hard. I'm
preparing to answer q questionable.
It's being given in installments and 1t
will be the stiffest kind Of q test. A
man able to answer It proves himself
educated, braIny and resourceful.
Don't know a. I can do II, but Tn 20
Ing to try"
"Edison's1" queried one.
!. mo"
"Some Harvard professor'sr'
"No. I'll tell you sometime. want
to see how 1t works out nrst."
The questioner had to be satisfied
with that.
Jerry had been keeping on with his
self-improvement course about q year,
when one day the superintendent
called him Into the once.
"Mayneld, you're wasted where you
are. I'm going to make you assistant
to our Advertising manager; you know
the goods 30 we'll" He named the
salary.
After q while Jerry came to suffi-
ciently 70 stammer his thanks and ask
few questions.
He burst In on his wife that evening"
"Say. Mildred, We can have an electric
stove and q washer and"
"Why, no we can't, Jerry: I'd love
them. but We can't afford them"
I'VE can; 1 tell you we can" he
sang joyfully. I'VE can afford heaps
and heaps Of things: electric toys for
Harold and-rm going to earn" he
whispered In her ear.
Jerry, you're not either; you've
gone cruzy.''
1t was few weeks later at 4 picnic
Of the Stockgood local constituency.
"say. Mayneld. loosen up and tell US
the author Of the QUESTIONABLE that
brought your promotion" commanded
a former office associate.
II WILL" agreed Jerry. promptly and
cheerfully. Twas this way"
The whole company sprang to an at.
titude Of attention.
"A magazine article on Child Train.
ing convinced me that was crimnally
negligent of my nine-year-old Harold
because I didn't answer his thousand.
and.one questions fully and accurately.
and also that my job as q father was
bigger than my Stockgood one. After
that I tried to treat the boys questions
seriously; but. gee whiz!" He mopped
his brow. ITO answer fully and &C.
curately the questions Of any youngster
from four up to the teen age, when he
knows more than all his elders put to
gether, II some Job"
Many In the audience laughed sym
pathetically.
."WelL I've Just been educating my
self along the lines Of Harold's inter.
ests. He Just had to know all about
the .company's goods for one thing.
Mind you. don't say i've been able
to answer all Of the questions, some