Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-03-07

WITH brisk, businesS-hke solemnity,
w young w. j. Stuart commenced his
W weekly five minute talk TO the one
o'clock group of Stuart Department
Store employees. For these brief occa-
sionS, il was not deemed necessary to
clear the recreation hall of its easy
chairs and to equip it lecture room
fashion. The little audience of a hun
dred or more was standing. ranged
near the platform. their eyes fixed on
the speaker in attention-reSpectful at
tention.
mo matter how innocent the cause
of 4 mistake w. J.. informed them,
the result is always pernicious. Even
seemingly small mistakes have far
reaching consequences that the best eff
forts OF our department bureau cam
not foreSee or correct. SO let us memo
throughout each day: A mistake, once
made, can never really be undone."
w. j., as he was called to distinguish
him from the late B. l.. Stuart, his
father, was a good looking young man.
His features were fairly close to the
American ideal for nonmovie use. His
1.-THE symmetry was an ecomium on COL
lege athletics. His perfectly tailored
suits. his subtly superior ties. were such
as the prince of Wales would approve
for business wear. But the Stuart De-
partment Store employeS-with one
possible exception-did not like w. j..
This exception, if such she may be
called. was Margery Bonner. of the adj
vertising staff. Miss Bonner did not
share the general resentment against
the weekly five minute talks. She had
not known the store under the regime
of the late B. l.. Nor, in fact, any
other business regime anywhere. She
had no proper standards by which to
judge W. j.. She thought him funny
How her old crowd back home in
Indiana-that carefree crowd who spent
life chasing a thrill or a laugh-would
have rejoiced in this perfectly priceless
egg! But since her fathers death and
the dwindling of the family fortune
to barely enough for her mother, Mar
gerry had deliberately u herself off
from them, had gone to New York TO
get a job where nobody need act sweet
and sorry for her.
Alone. Of w. Us audience. Margery
treasured his five minute discourses
which, it seemed to her, grew funnier
each week. Today, as always. she gazed
at him with shining interest.
1t walksl And it talkSl But is it
HUMANE" she said TO herself as he en-
upon his crime calendar of de-
partmental mistakes. Its got itself
a new tie, and a hanky to match. And,
doggone, if it hasn't had its hair cut!
Don't you know, mister. it would be
much more efficient to be bald? You
wouldn't have to waste time every week
at the BARRIERS. And listen, little Rollo,
you aren't being fundamental in this
chatter about mistakes. Half of EN-
may be calamities, but not all. A mis-
take made at college turned out pretty
darn lucky for me-"
Margery referred to the advertising
course she had taken one semester.
Il thought l was picking out a snap
course, Rollo, darling. Lectures on art
or something. Naturally l cut classes
the first week. When I finally found
out | was set to study ad copy-daily
grind stuff-it was too late to change
SO quite accidentally I learned some
thing useful. Which proves my child
that there are lucky mistakes"
Now w. j. knew Margery Bonner's
name and the department in which she
worked. Four months before-his first
act after reading his first book on eff
ciency-he had stood by the doorman
each morning until he memorized the
name of his three hundred and fifty
employees. The feat amazed his fathers
gray haired lieutenants. Perhaps, after
all, the boy was not going to make
ducks and brakes of the business. Not,
at least, in the way they had expected.
w. j.. knew Margery Bonner's name.
He was not, however, familiar with her
exact duties. But, as he observed her
dancing eyes, he became convinced that
she lacked the proper seriousness to-
ward her work. He could not accuse
her Of inattention. But, clearly, her
gaze lacked respect, the respect due
due the important subject under dis
cussion. Her work was probably care
less, below Stuart standards. 1t was a
AGENTS ANT