Evening star., 1925-07-05
Ground Floor Discovered
He

When / passed him next in the
street he was very busy amalgamat-
ing Chinese tramways. 1t appeared
| that there was a ground floor in
China, but 1 kept off it.
Each time / saw Ellsworth he
looked little shabbier than the last.
Then one day he called me uD on the
telephone, and made an appointment.
His manner when l joined him was
full of Importance.
Il want you at once" he said in a
commanding tone, ito write me your
check for hundred dollars"
What's the matter?" ! asked.
Il am now able" said Ellsworth,
ito put you in on the ground floor of
one of the biggest things in years"
Thanks" l said, the ground floor
is no place for me-"
Don't misunderstand ne" said
Ellsworth. This is d big thing. It's
an idea I've been working on for
some time-making refined sugar
from the huckleberry crop. It's
certainty. / can get you shares now
at five dollars. They'll go TO five hun
dred when we put them on the mar
ket, and ! can run you in for a block
of stock for promotion services as
well. All you have to do is to give
me right now a hundred dollars-cash
or your check-and 1 can arrange the
l smiled.
MY dear Ellsworth" I said, az
hope you won't mind If I give YOU a
little bit of good advice Why not
drop all this idea of quick money!
There's nothing in it. The business
world has grown too shrewd for it.
Take an ordinary decent job and stick
to II. Let me use my influence" /
added, ITO try to get you. into some
thing with steady salary, and with
your brains you're bound TO get on in
time"
Ellsworth looked panied. A "steadv
job sounded TO him like a ground
floor" TO me.
a FTER that l saw nothing OF him
for weeks. But 1 didn't forget
him. I looked about and secured FOR
him a job as a canvassing agent for
book firm at a salary of five dollars
a week, and commission Of one-tenth
of one per cent.
was waiting to tell him Of his
good luck, when I chanced to see him
at the club again.
! But he looked transformed.
He had on a long cutaway with
| striped trousers. He was leading a
little procession of very heavy men.
uIoO III IIiOI IIIIIS COATS, upstairs TO-
Ward the private luncheon rooms.
They moved like funeral, putting as
| they went. had seen company di-
rectors before and 1 knew what they
were at sight
It's a small club and rather in
convenient" Ellsworth was saving.
and the horizon of some of its mem
! bers rather narrow" Here he nodded
| to me as he passed But | can give
YOU fdirlV decent lunch -
watched them as they disappeared
| upstairs.
That's Ellsworth, isn't it?" said
a man near me. 1t was the same
| man who had asked about him before
Yes ] answered.
Giving a lunch to his directors, T
suppose" said my friend. Lucky
| dog"
His directors" / queried
Yes, hadn't you heard? He's lust
cleaned up half million or more
some new scheme for making refined
sugar out of huckleberries. Isn't it
amazing what shrewd ideas these big
business men get hold of? They say
they're unloading the stock at five
hundred dollars. 1t only cost them
about hVe TO organize. If only one
could get on to one of these things
early enough, eh?"
! aSsented with emotion.
| And the next time l am offered
chance on the ground floor l am go
ing TO take it. even if it's only the
barley floor of a near-beer brewery
1t appears that there is such q place
after all.
Copyright. I925)