The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-09-17
Mighty Minds
Conceive
By JACK WooDFoRD
q. 1875. western Newspaper Union.l

re1ectiNelY, TO rat ScOVelS VINO
sat upon the messengers bench next
him, "if l was president Of this here
bank I'd"
Jaw don't make so much noise" put
in the head messenger, you're always
talking too much-you make me sick
you freckly boneheadI"
"Just the same" insisted Blister
Jones, Il got a swell idea"
"Yeh, I s'pose you have" tainted
the boss messenger.
"Well, l was going to say before
you spilled v that If l was presi-
len of this here bank, and that there
one acrost the street, I'd stick the
two Of them together, and cut out a
whole lot Of"
Jaw, shut up" growled the head
messenger; here take this here en-
velope over to the Merchants Ma
tional, and yuh needn't hurry back
you make me tired" Blister Jones
and his dream departed, but after he
had gone Arthur M%ulligan, the head
messenger, allowed his mind to play
with the idea, and when n of the
tellers came down he spoke what was
In his mind.
Say, don't you guys up on the
commercial floor do nothing most of
the timer"
How can 1t be ~avoided2" said the
teller haughtily.
You know" persisted Mulligan, 'ff
/ was president of this here bank, I'd
go to the president of the First Ma
tional across the street, and I'd say:
Look here, Howell, old man-let's you
and l stick u banks together and
save a lotta dough-"
"Quite an idea" said Henry Stiles,
the teller, In a 0 which implied that
he thought that 1t was the craziest
thing he had ever heard of.
Upstairs, however, there was moth
ing to do, for the rush hour was past
and 1t was not yet time to balance.
Henry allowed his mind to toy with
the Idea put into his head by the head
messenger. Presently Mr.. Mason, the
chief clerk, came along.
well, Stiles, kind of quiet today"
remarked Mr.. mason.
Eyes, very" replied Stiles, cropping
about frantically for something ex-
tremely smart to say, but gulped and
took a chance.
Did it ver occur to you, MI. Ma
son, that a good deal more work could
be done, at a smaller expenditure for
help, If this bank and the First Ma
tional could be Joined t~ogetherT'
'Quite an idea," he remarked po-
litely, and moved away. Returning
to his desk, Mr.. Mason found Tommy
Waterbury, one of the assistant
cashiers comfortably ensconsed In o
chair.
"Hot day." offered that official.
"Sure is" agreed Mason.
mot much doing" argued Water
bury desperately.
mo-" echoed Mason, painfully con-
scious that this was no way to talk
to an assistant cashier. He stumbled
through his mind vainly-there was
nothing there except the last thing
that had been put there.
did you ever stop to think, Mr..
Waterbury, that a consolidation of
this bank and the First National
might be an excellent idea?"
"Quite an idea," Waterbury said
politely as he rose and strolled away.
A little %anxiously apprehensive of the
wisdom of the thing, Waterbury APP
preached the cashier of the bank. He
leaned forward, his brows knit seri-
ously.
"You know, MI. S~tetson, I've been
thinking what an excellent thing it
would be If we could efface the Com
mercial Nationals competition by
combining ourselves with the First
National" Stetson glared at him.
Hot day, isn't it, Waterbury," he
remarked In a o that cooled Water
bury to the marrow of his bones.
ayes, SIR" murmured Waterbury as
he moved of.
Try as he would, next day, Stetson
could not concentrate upon his work.
He kept seeing immense buildings
buildings which had a hyphenated
bank name over the door-and he
kept seeing balance sheets, gigantic
balance sheets. Being something of a
practical psychologist he at last de-
cided that there was only n way to
permanently free his mind of this OBJ
session. He approached the frosted
glass door of Mr.. Morley, the first vice
president.
Several months afterwards the pa
pers carried the story of Mr.. Cunning
hams financial stroke.
THAT active mind of this financial
genius said one of the papers, "has
conceived what gives promise of be-
ing the boldest step that any large
bank has taken in the history of the
city. The mind of this great man,
constantly brought to bear upon bank
ing problems, has evolved a scheme