The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-04-15

~~OAA w &3AAAS4 AS0 4VA 0uNyS
A hurdle ahead of him-his
mind moved up upon tan i'm
portant piece of work, his first
opportunity to do something on
his own.
Success. .defeat-he jerked
himself wide awake.
kin a candle" he called,
land get the carriers started"
The voice of a Chinese farther
along on the k'ang grunted in
response.
Suppressed Energy
Stephen, within the dark and
tiny house the four walls of his
mosquito net made around him,
attempted to dress, furnbing for
his clothes which the night be-
fore he had placed carefully
under the corner of his mat
treSs. TOO dark. Mustn't use my
flash. Kin will be along after
q while with a candle" But al
though he sat quietly waiting,
his feet out before him, the
palms Of his hands flat down
on his thin mattress to support
him, his slight young body was
1ull OF suppressed energy.
Ignoring the rustling of trav-
elerS string on the k'ang. Ste
phen'S mind went busily tracing
the pattern of his work through
the two years that he had been
in Manchuria for this American
oil company.
Two years Of rigorous train.
Ing: first in the company'S main
office listening to the boss" as
the men affectionately called
the local manager of Manchuria,
while he talked over important
business matters with the Chi
nese agents; going on short
trips to settle small matters of
business, an interpreter to aid
him; later made the inspector
OF Manchuria, investigating op-
portunities for expansion; now,
for the first time, entrusted with
the difficult and delicate under
taking Of choosing a Chinese
agent for a new territory.
He had no interpreter because
the boss felt that any Chinese
would feel it his inalienable
right to arrange a commission
for himself out of the deal.
Therefore, with his limited
knowledge Of the language, he
must handle the arrangements
alone. He must be careful not
to fail in the nice etiquette de-
manded; if he did, he might
lose a good agent for the com.
pany.
On the other hand, in his
care to maintain the face" of
the Would-be agent, there was
the danger of stumbling into a
trap the man might shrewdly
set for him, thus in some adroit
way gaining undue advantage.
He felt a glow of pride-the
boss had confidence in him.
He'd done pretty well for a
griffin.
Suddenly his mind gave leap
backward. He was in New York,
sitting in the classroom high up
in the Oil Company's great
building. It was the morning
the appointments were made.
The instructor of the class in
foreign trade stood at the black
board, drawing a rough map of
the world. Stephen could feel
the old Tightening of his heart.
Would be stand the last test?
Three months before there had
been one hundred young men
In this class. Now there were
but twenty. Then his name
and his station were read out.
He had work to do! His
sense of Self-respect Sharpened.
After his graduation from the
College of Mines two years
earlier he had sought futilely
for a position. With the coun.
try caught in the depression
Of 1908, the mining profession
was glutted with men. Then he
had felt the humiliation of the
jobleSs. But now he had his
place in the work of this great
corporation.
The corporation. After the