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About The new Northwest. (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1881)
eworam" bt vnirrnER. -. . , ... , hlHiM U pala th air rwt '.' .1 labor for a worthy and A toll that (kins with what It yield And Matter to IU own lnareaaa, Ad bttn, whU sowing oatward told; The barraat nu of Inward pea. - v I. ( - . A Most Unbusinesslike Proceeding, r - 8T0BT Ilf TWO CIIAFTEB8. , :;v- : '.''J;'-;.. CHAfTKB ! 't' ' ,1 " "" -7.-. VfTfANTEjii Yodn Ladla to All lh pmrt of In vole T If elwh, book-horper. forwarding elerk and orrtaipoad- npnt Ml UHOT Avaeanr- for an appnntlcu "1 1 puaaaaaing oaaxerirtionabl rthtreacaa need apply. . ' "I think that will do, brother Joseph, I think hat wUl do-eh r -r " "Dol Of course. It will do; the very thing, Henry The Idea ! a capital one; what made woo thlnfj?arrylng t ouU 1 I thought," remarked the. senior partner of fcflddleton Brothe.comjnerchanta, JJverpool, gracefully diyjdlng; hlajmMaIlflJ.anJean.lnj(JiI. back against the mantelpiece In the private omce ; 1 thought," he repeated, sustaining the coat tails with one hand, and gently, waring the other, f that w should establish a flew era; that wr hralldom; that our . names should be handed down through succeeding ages as world-wide ben efactors, and that we should considerably lessen cur expenditure, Brother Joseph." . "There is something in mat, uenry; mere is ilecldedJy something In that" Something in it l There Is everything In It Business, my dear Joseph, especially In times like these. Is, business." Joseph murmured assent, drew his chair nearer the fire, took a pinch of snuff, and became lost In meditation. r . - Mr. Johnson !" cried Henry, opening the door. A tall young man, with dark hair, dark eyes, And a black mustache, appeared In answer to the commons. -. v . - i' - 'I wish you to make out three or four copies or this advertisement, and send them to the princi- papers In time for Insertion In to-morrow's Yes. slr. Til see to It at once," 7' llr. Johnson closed the door carefully behind, film, proceeded to his -desk, sat down, and pre- pared to resume ois perusal or mat morning's newspaper r but, happening to glance at theslljj. ef paper heiiadTwelTetf.enpanfehYTrghrbrthe first few words, and became almost pet rlfled.wlth Amazement, i - .. ir . "Why, what In the name of all that's wonder all Why, good gracious I Jack. I jay, Jack, here's about the queerest, rummlest start rou drrer heard of In your born days." ' 'What's uprT Inquired an Individual In an other part of the office a prepossessing Individ HaJ, with curling brown hair, close-clipped beard, gtralght nose, and blue eyes. .A "What's up ? Why, look here. "Well, this Is a go,' remarked Jack. "lie must . be getting softening of the brain. By Jove, tftoughrlt'll be rather tough if it comes to any thing." . , - . And sucKnflult delight filled the souls of these young men that they were' forced to retire out- lde In order to give vent to their feelings. The advertisement was read next morning bjr the brothers In their dally paper. "I scarcely think," said Henry, as they walked down to the office, "I scarcely think we shall have many applications. Joseph. I believe the careful wording of the advertisement wH deter ,nninltahle persons train 'applying. Our vUitors, A fancy, win do lew, out select." Joseph meekly assented. He always did to his -brother r wotiosltlons alwavs had done so since Ibe days of his Infancy. : -' "Few, but select 1".' Ob, wise prognostications of man, how utterly ye come to naught 1 "Few, bot select !" . - If from ntnetvMOne nundredappllrations in a day are few; If a company composed largely of ex-bar-malds, ex-bal let-girls, cx-waltereases, may bo called select, then Henry Mlddleton's proph ecy was verified but certainly not unless. All day Jong the stream poured In. All day long the steps outside wereTcrowded with appli cant, the pavement lined with spectators. Offlce--boys clung t the banisters, and shouted sarcas tic encouragement to the In-goers, and yelled de risively at the out-goers. Business, for the time, was at a standstill. The day remained a day of dread in the memory of Mlddleton Brothers. After many hours of In tolerable discomfort ; after being sneerW- at, acolded at, preached at; after being appealed to with tears, and denounced with scorn, they suc ceeded in securing four bona fide young ladies, And a respectable person of forty. The "respecta ble person" was installed as book-keeper ; the In voice clerk was a slim little creature, with bright Eay eyes, and tippling auburn hair; the forward g clerk was dark and tall, with large brown eyes ; the corresponding clerk Was short and fair, with a round, kindly, good-natured face ; the ap prentice was a saucy little mite of fifteen. (I have said that i t ever remained a day of dread in the memory of Mlddleton Brothers. To say so is to express the facts of the case in the mildest possible manner. - That day haunted them. They brooded over ltwhen awake, they dreamed of ft when asleep. They Were laughed at by their friends, they were Jeered at by their enemies. Bach, alas, is tbe fste of all leaders In the van of THE NEV. NORTHWEST, THURSDAY, 31AK0H lOjv 1881; Civilization and philanthropy.) - Henry stood With Ms tmck a, tralnst the mantel- 5lece: Joseph sat by the fire. Henry spoke; oseph listened. : , l xooTc;-Jowpn.TPail the former, holdine no A Piece of inier on which he had been roaklnir calculation, and gathering up his coat-tails with the unoccupied hand, an action which from con stant repetition during a quarter of a century had grown mechanical ; "you see that by this arrange ment we rut down our expanses very considera bly, and shall be able at the endof the year to Snake a pleasant addition to our banker's bal Ance." - : ; . '. .. . .Joseph smiled pensively; the prospect was tyv n pleasing, nrosMet of a rise raln. one hundred ana ten pounds. We paid our Invoice clerk one hundred pounds; Miss Vernon accepts the position for flftv rain, fifty Dounds. Our forwarding clerk received one hundred and fifty pounds ; Mis Warwick Is content with eighty gam. seventy founds. Our corresponding clerk received one undred and thirty pounds ; Miss Lawson is quite satisfied with seventy gain, sixty poundsA We gave our last apprentice one hundred pounds for five years ; wetgive our present one, Miaa llam say, . eighty gain, twedty pounds. Making a gain in all of three hundred and ten pounds, which Is not exactly to be despised, and may come in handy for one or two little things eh, Joseph T' , .-.-- And Henry chuckled, actually chuckled,' Which was a rare thing with the senior partner of Mld dleton Brothers. . . . ,; . . ' "J expect the work will be done In Just as busi nesslike a manner perhaps, if anything; more methodically, more neatfv. Women, you see. Joseph, possess finer sensibilities than men, pay more attention to detail, anu are more amenaoiv to direction and authority; women don't smoke or drinkat least, tbe majority don't; and they comeveryjnucli-clieaperr-Juaephf- very-much cueaper." Jnwnh am!1w1 ajviuleaAPnce. If was acouies- cencltself.'llls DOklng of the fire was an affirm- jtu V MM, war Iiv vr-cuir-u m mimrnui ui , the very blowing of his nose appearea o express complete deference to his brother's opinion and entire coincidence with 1L "I have no positive complaint to make against either Mr. Johnson or Mr. Harley, but. at the aame time, I should not be sorry If they had left with tbe others, it was a mosi reniarsanie ana most fortunate thing that we got so many off our hands at once. But the work must be sadly be hind. I .think we shall have to stay 4ate for a few nights, and see that it is got up." They did not, however, stay late that night. The labors they had undergone during the day would have prostrated a eamson, ana mey were wearied out. . When they entered the office next morning, a transformation had taken place that amazed them. The air, so long a sea of dust in which sickly bluebottles And sticky flea swam feebly about, was now filled with fragrant perfumes. The, hat- rails were now, for the most part, occupied oy dainty hat with flowing feathers, by graceful cloaks and coquettish little clouds. The stand beneath, so lately fllJed with ponderous rain-pro tectors, npw. held a row of tiny umbrellas, looking like grown-up parasols. And greatest innova tion of all on one of the long desks upon which thousands of pounds had been. counted, scores of ledgers balanced, stood A glassful of flowers. The whole place seemed changed. There was the soft rustle or women's dresses, me son murmur 01 women's voices. Tlia brulhfrrntrefl and gazed not altogether coldly .on the wonderful transformation, and as they gazed their eyes rested unknowingly on the same spot. Near the ' window in a patch of sun light it was a bright Spring day eat the lately engaged invoice clerk. The sunbeams fell lov ingly on the small head, and the brown hair seemed to ripple joyously as If glad that in Its folds there lucked tinges ot color that could claim kindred with the golden sunlight. There was such a quaint air of preoccupation in the serious little race, sucn a pursing up ot me reu ups, sucn a busy turning over of mighty leaves, such a swift movement of the diligent pen, and at Inter vals such a wistful contemplation of a cruel Ink spot on one of the tiny white hands, that Henry Mlddleton, the stern senior partner of Mlddleton Brothers, smiled, and the rugged face beneath the Influence of the smile became a pleasant thing to look upon. Turning round, he beheld Joseph smiling too. He put his hand kindly on his brother's shoulder, and they walked musingly Into the private office, with who shall say what memories or a time wnen business was not an in all. and iif wnlPAMnL , , . after a quarter or an hours perusal or me TTii Quarter of an pile of business letters that lay awaiting the part- . .ma a . a a a ners. the wrinkles came oaca aeeper man oeiore, tltoemilee faded away Middletmv Brothers-were corn merchants once more, rrom the letters Henry passed to a formidable list of names and figures headed "Accounts Due," and kept always by thlsdetall-lovlg- man in the -recesses of his private desk. . Copying a few of the names on a slip of paper, he turned to hbi T brother, and broke the silence for the first time: - 7- "Would you just step .Into the office. Joseph, and see if there is any one not, particularly en gaged ? I want a few accounts collected." ; - - Joseph complied, and after a few minutes' ab sence returned. - ' ' '. "MIss Warwick 1s theonly "one aniberty. -1 have told her to get ready, and come in to you." Ten minutes passed, a quarter or an hour passed, and then Miss Warwick appeared. Oh, stern business men, to whom business Is business, and all else vanity and vexation of spirit, can you possibly Imagine a clerk with a muff, a clerk with a dainty cloak, dainty shoes, and a daintier hat and feather? Henry had fretted at the delay, but before this apparition, with Its laughing eyes and dimpled cheeks, the rebuke died away on- his 11 pa. He rose, took up the slip of paper, got Into his accus tomed attitude by the fireplace, and spoke as fol lows: . ..iJ-r;".. : "I have here the names of a few firms against which .there are several outstanding' accounts. Now, I wish you to call upon them and press for Immediate settlement. We make It a rule never to allow accounts to become overdue without re peated application for them. , We have learned the necessity of this from experience. : We have known many Instances in which a little prompti tude and a little pressing have saved us from very serious looses. When you have been with us longer, Miss Warwick, you will learn that we are above all things methodical f that we attend per sonally to little details which are generally left entirely to subordinates. We do so because we have some 1 1 Ul respect f or-Onrreputatlonf some little obleetlou to throwlnir away our own and other 'people's money, which caunot be said of .II I.lvrnnnl mrn flrmi." ' Henry Mlddleton sat down with a grim smile on his face. And Miss Warwick bowed and re treated. v . " ' A little later on he entered tbe outer office and Inquired tor Mr. Harley.-Mr Harley had, gone out. Where to? Mr. Harley' had gone to show Miss Warwick the places at which she had to call. UD pleasing. : -,,-jmn I luuin-ut I ir. Iisiir; uiuuui us wuum ' Y?-JTt UL(WMi-aoOt":t'i' per," ewhUnoedlknoar fha dlwlUnt-wh4ch Uht laj. Hum1 M IZirvrJ,iwo hundred pounds, JoaenhriwlTOYPTllgbt It not be aaked why Mr. Johnson had t a a.Ba - . a . a . m ata a 'I a. k A . a a ,ak M a -n- az ilred Kunin imjss rmiln--tr-7piMtofi 10 umu i-r-iie trnrdtines for hlnetjj without any Immediate not ? not In which Mr Mlddleton liked the invoices to be made out Ia I l mt. . "It seems to me, Joseph," remarked Henry, re entering the private office, "that along with the unquestionable advantages of our scheme, there may bo I only aay there may be some trifling drawbacks." ' " . , ' Henry Mlddleton proved to be right in his con jecture. There were drawbacks. For instance, it was singular, and a little Inconvenient, -that neighboring Arms became absurdly anxious about the prompt forwarding ami receiving of Invoices ; that Junior clerks came1 flitting In two or three times a day, eagerly Inquiring if such and such an invoice were ready, or bringing invoices for goods bought a few hours5 before. Miss Vernon was en gaged in expostulating with these young persons half the day ; and, really, the difficulty she had to make . them comprehend her, and to get them to go away,' was something overwhelming. It was siagular, too, that forwarding clerks In all the neighboring offices became strangely modest and alf1latrtiKtfuI. and were nerbetuallv dropping In to make inquiries as to certain stations and rallf wavt. the particulars regarding which appeared Jn the most inexplicable manner to have escaped. their memories Miss warwiCK migni nave oeen specially engaged to give them , Information. There seemed to be more young men In the world than there used to be, as Joseph remarked to hit brother pind,- decidedly , they "appeared - to be growing very plentiful. There were always sev eral in the outer office at all hours: there were always two or three ascending the stairs when the brothers went out; always a number on the pay ment: and always a glimpse of coat-tails vanish ing through the doorway, if Joseph or Henry turned at the top of the street to favor the prom en aders with a second glance. The brothers at first grew puzzled, and then a little angry. From tbe multitude of callers, from the noise ana bustle, business might have been exceedingly brisk, and yet the day-book showed no perceptible Increase in sales, andL the work was steadily fall log behind . , Oppressed by these considerations,-Henry the wise delivered "himself thus unto Joseph the meek: "I can't say that I am exactly disappointed with the result of our scheme, but. at the same time, I must confess that it has, so far, scarcely realized my expectations. Things have not gone on ex actly as I expected. Home of my ideas have been confirmed, and in some I fear I have been mis taken. I have lately bestowed the most minute observatlon-upon the work, the manner oLwork and the amount of work done by the lad lei and irentlemen we employ, and have come to the con clusion that, provided they had both received the same training that Is, the same description of tralnlnsr. and occupied the same length of time over It there would be no very essential differ ence between the work done by the two sexes. EfuiLJPX.U-'gcweJia, practical men of bunincss, Eave to do with What Is, not with what, under other circumstances, might have been. And the fact remains that they have pot received the same training. And that-considerable difference does exist. For Instance, I had really some considera ble difficulty in Impressing upon them the vital Importance of every flsrure. in every book, belhsr f roved to be undeniably and undoubtedly correct, certalnhrain unable to find that the attention to detail, with which some persons generally or their own sex are so ready to credit them, is car ried to any great extent into business life. On the other hand, I find my opinion that they are more amenable to direction and authoritys-conflrmed. Indeed, I find It hard, almost Impossible, to re buke them. Theyare so humble, and so penitent.'1 And so pretty, did you say, Henry ? Assuredly the thought entered your mind, If it rose not to your lips. Ah, Henry. Henry, have three-score years and a bitter world-fight not yet destroyed thy youthful Inability to look sternly on A beauti ful face? "There Is, at least, one good point about them. and that Is that they are not so eager to get home ff n'rh- T aTOrtpnaa-thA-fa.f.-arlm. ; f r.nn thal- havlng no particular ."hobbles, no cricket or foot ball, or athletics. They are down rather earlier In the morning, and take.no longer over their luncheon, except the time wasted In getting iady TcIrcTes traced by a small, unsteady finger, during to go out, which is, of course, ridiculous. On the whole, as tar as personal intercourse is concerned, they are much itleasanter to deal with, belnir 3u it-Re? and brighter "In many ways. - The other rawbacks connected with them cannot, I suppose, be laid to their cnarge, and are no doubt unavoid able. Well, well, Joseph, we must take the good and bad. together, and perhaps the balance will, after all. be In our favor. Three hundred and ten pounds Is not to.be despised, and a little training may make them all that we could desire.'- CHArrca u. . ' The Winter nights were drawing swiftly In, and It became necessary to light the gas long before the offices closed. Now, It was a singular thing that there existed a strange reluctance In the office of MWdleton- Brotherr to complywlth Ihls necessity. Matches became mysteriously scarce, and a capacity for working In comparative dark ness developed itself with surprising swiftness. This, along with many other little annoyances, some of which. have been previously mentioned, chafed the soul of Henry Mlddleton almost be yond endurance. He became like a simmering" .volcano: an eruption. might at any moment be expected. For a long time he rcmal ned lh the simmering state, but at length the eruption came. Quietly ascending the stairs one dusky evening, he entered the office. The gas was unlit, and, pausing in the shadow of the door he beheld by the dim light a strange scene., .,'"- Mias Vernon and Mr. Johnson were standing by the window close together very close-together gazing on the crescent moon that was slowly sur mounting the house-tops. Miss Warwick was bending over a desk in the shadiest corner of the room, and Mr. Harley was bending over her, talk ing In a low voice. Miss Smith was holding forth volubly to the warehouseman, and Miss Ramsay was waltzing over the floor with the office-boy. r Aomen arawcKlToTiteinplalloh of the scene, and theu sharp and stern rang out the voice of the senior partner. "Mr. Johnson t" v The perron addressed looked round with a start that would have "brought down the house" in a melodrama. ' ',-.'..'' 'Yes slr."'', - " . ; ' "May I ask what Is the meaning of all this, and why you are not gelling mrougn wun your work j" "1 have Imh-u retting through with j rot tha-aUMrdr'forthct'bank T MrrJohriHoff had been showing Miss Vernon the exact maimer i seems "It's a singular' thing" MldMr'jlj Willi rglTnriTOTrsruTi.-iTTiguIar thing that in the space nf a few months you should all-become f poftadiMl 1t Iftfuoh I Kplnt of"u nvlAhhcs. It to me that each ror you . is always doing somebody cue's work, and never attending to his or her own. Now. I have a srreat respect for ..k a spirit in the abstract, or In domestic or social life ; but It doesn't do in business, ladies and gen1 h tlemen, it doesn't do in business ; and I must dis- ' tlnctly state that I can no longer allow things to go on as tbey have been doing. I place the mat ter before you as It appears from a plain business point of ylew. You come to me engaging to do certain work, and for the doing of that work I agree to give you a certain amount of remunera tion. Now, if instead of doing the work for which you are specially engaged, you are continually dabbling In other people's, you break your part of the engagement, and cannot, with any show of reason, expect me to keep mine, or retain you any " longer lu ray employ. lMease .understand, there-;, fore, that, unless you are prepared to adhere to the terms of the agreement made between ua-when I engaged you, I must look about for those whoa re willing to do so." ' : Having thus spoken, Mr. Mlddleton stalked Into the private office, leaving Mr. Harley stealing f ulltily .to his own desk, Miss Vernon checking nvoices, Mr. Johnson balancing tbe cash, Miss Warwick looking oyerahippingnote-Miee -Rmlth writing headings in the ledger, tbe ware houseman gazing thoughtfully Into the fire, Miss . Itamwiyaddrewing-circDlars, and "Ihe'office-boy , looking loxmatches. 1 " As Henry entered the private office, Joseph wa j dictating a letter to the corresponding clerk.' But . Joseph had no need to stand so close to her, no need to rest his hand on the back of her chair and -almost whisper th words In her ear. Iteallv Joseph was becoming foolish in his old age. At forty-eight he should be growing more dignified, -more conscious of the high position occupied by a : Rrtner in Mlddleton Brothers. Certainly he ked foolish. enough, and far from dignified, when he caujrht sight of .his brother: and little Miss Lawson looked rather foolish too. Henry sat down in stern silence, and presently' Miss Lawson left the roonu Then Joseph, like aff quiet, shy people when laboring under embarrass ment, could not be silent, and began to pester his brother with an kinds or irrelevant questions and remarks. He received the shortest of replies, and at length Henry looked up and remarked: ' "Did vou ever read the 'Lecrend of KL Anthonv'a Temptations Joseph ?" 1 1 rancvi have, lien ry; but it is so long: since that I almost forget it." - . "I should advise you to refresh your memory,'' returned his brother, dryly ; and me conversation dropped. 7 Presently at the door there came a timid knock. and, on a summons to enter being given, Mis Vernon stepped shyly in. As she came forward, it was noticeable that A . certain sprightllness.and; sparrow-like, saucinessi that generally distinguished her had almost com- pletely dlsappeaidrand-theie was a flush QlTtleT" cheeks and a light in her eyes that surely could have lltUe to do with Invoices. 8he stood by the . table with downcast head, folding, unfolding and refolding a scranof paper that lay before her. but . seemingly unable to speak. Henry had been thoroughly vexed and annoyed, but as be looked at the shy, timid girl, he felt again the conscious nesa or -Oils utter inability to be angry at her per . sonally. . ' "What Is it, Mlsa Vernon?" "I came to to give you notice, sir." ' - "Notice 1 Why, bless my soul and body, what for? Surely -you are not so'sensltlve as to be. offended by a rebuke which you cannot deny wa thoroughly well merited?" - ; ."Oh, no: I assure you It has nothing to do with) that, sir; but I'm I'm engaged." - That word had only one meaning for Henry" Mlddleton ; all other associations connected with It had faded away many a weary year ago. "By what firm, may I ask?" Miss Vernon grew confused. "By Mr. Johnson, sir." .T4Mr. Johnson L Is he setting up in business?"' "I see," said Henry, grimly, and thereupon en sued a long ause a pause during which the little scran of parn?r hecame the Jnter-ofariea-ofr which the red lips seemed, unable to keep quite still, and bright eyes became clouded, and one hand matin fiHnt. aeaivh In a pocket These signs were too ominous to be disregarded, ana. Henry rose In great consternation. "My dear Miss VernonLhe said, placing hi nana 011 ner anouiuer luquiteaiaviivrijr a rough old business man, and I look at all mat ters from a-buslness point or view, pernaps irom a a a a .. M a - . A. 1 li. Ji seinsn point ot view; tna iooKeuit iu ni wj. von know, this en inurement of yours seems what one- might' call A nsomewhat unbusinesslike pro ceeding; but, at tbe same time, from what I have -seen Of you both, I believe you will get on exceed ingly well together, and I am sure I wish you all possible Joy and happiness." , - And Mr. Mlddleton shook hands with her, ana conducted her to the door, and opened it for her. and was rewarded with a grateful, tear-bedlmmed smile, that quite melted him. , I - A little sympathy Is Indispensable to women. l and goes a long way with them. - "Beaten at all points," muttered Jienry, going- , hack to his desk. "It's a strange thing, a strange thing." ' , What Is strange,Henry ? RtrangethatyouL should have a little fellow-feeling with youthful ' Joy and youthful love surely not. For perhaps the first time In his life, the austere senior .partner felt actually guilty in the Presence of his meek brother; but giving A stealthy glance to discover In what' manner the other's self-exaltation would display itself, he be- held that worthy gentleman vigorously blowing . his nose, with his head turned In the opposite. di rection. . , - . A lonff silence reigned, only broken by the scrap ing of the brothers'. pens. -Then' another knock This time ihe incotner was Miss Smith.' Hhe ad- Janced briskly. Hhe stood about two yards ofT pm-thft table, Jt lth h al f-f 4lt a rma he wore mittens. She was eminently respectable. Mr. Mhkileton looked up coldly. ' "Welin "I came, sir, under the Impression that this was the day of the month on which you engaged me." "Well?" i . "I trust that my work has hitherto given you " satisfaction, sir." - ' V ' M r. M lddieton bowed. ..-.. ' "I have always striven, I am sure, to do mi y wwt rm-av ra rwsrrrme tx There have been drawback, sir,as have kept me frnm -f'ng thlryr H fit tlSnrt irwy I 1 tnmH li"'w 111 I . 1 . .....I. I . . A - .1 . liaei, uui iujt iiaiiii ia uni lo ueceive nsnr cur, hsny c lalry -Mlnaimithbrcttmenjore emphatic her Jrs got decldeIly the upjier hand of her "and," thfrtfore, I should like to say that what I havo - . 1 , "-r - -t "V