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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION The First Assistant Cashier By Kenneth Carlyle Beatson, in L. A. Times J ONES' daughter cupped her chin in the palm of her hand and turned her clear gray eyes full upon her father. "Please tell me just what it will mean if I refuse hira," she said. Jones wanted to lie to her. He want ed to assure her that it would mean no more if she rofused to marry Quigley than if she should refuse to marry any. One else. But he found that with those clear eyes upon him he somehow could not do so. A lie exposed to those eyes wouia perisn as certainly and as quick ly as filth exposed to the sun. "I'm afraid," he told her, "it will jliean that bv this time nav waalr ih beardstown National Bank will hjive a new nrst assistant cashier." Then he slowly wet his lips. Those fips seemed utterly bloodless. His en tire face seemed bloodless, for that piatter; and one somehow suspected that his whole body was, too. A friend lad once laughingly remarked that his blood had all been absorbed by the tirm for which he had worked the last ?5 years. That friend never guessed how near he had come to the truth. A light flamed up in the girl's eyes. Jones saw it and forestalled what he know she was about to say, "No, Gertie, I don't mean ihat," he said. Quigley wouldn't have me let out because you refused to marry him. He n't that kind I'm sure he would want you to come to him absolutely of your own accord or not at all." "Then what do you mean?" Jones raised a shaky right hand to Lis chin. That hand did not shake merely because of any momentary ox citement. It had started shaking 15 years before, and it had grown more and more shaky every year since. ' "Gertie," he said quietly, "I am 66 years old. Now, the first assistant Ja a bank is required to do a great deal pf work. Ho is required to do all of his own work, part of the work of those below him and most of the work of those above him. To do all this and to do it well is a task that is difficult of performance for even a young man. For a man of my age it is absolutely impossible of performance. So, you fee " "But surely, father, they won't for get that you've slaved for the bank half of your life; that you've " "My dear," Jones smiled, "there is not much sentiment in any business. There eannot be. And there is probably less sentiment in the banking business than in any other. When' a first assist ant remains a first assistant until he Is no longer able to do all the work that is given him, he is practically al ways replaced by a younger man. This is not right, possibly, but it is inevit able, and no one is to be censored for It. The life or the health, at least of the bank requires that it be done." "Have you any reason for thinking that they intend to let you out just nowf" "Yes. Sanders, who is under me, is a son-in-law of Lakers, the president of the board of directors. It has come to me that Sanders has been telling about that he expects to be at my desk by the middle of next week. This means, of course, that Lakers will try to have me let out at the next meeting of the board and the next meeting is tomor row morning." A frown settled on Gertie's face. "I know what's bothering you,"said Jones. "You're wondering where Quig ley comes in. I'll tell you. No one is ever let out without the vote of the board being unanimous no one above the position of clerk, that is. Now, Lakers is president of the board and a man of much influence, and few of the directors would care to hold out against him. Quigley is one that might. He would be certain to do so if he know that I was to be hiB father-in-law. Do you seef" Nobody but Jones himself could ever realize what it was costing him to talk like this to Gertie. But he could not help it. When a little child, Gertie had turned those clear gray eyes upon him and asked him the truth about Santa Claus, and he had told it to her, and never since had he been able to tell her anything but the truth, no felt jww. that as long as the facta had to come ont it was best to get them out as quickly as possible. For several moments Gertie silently studied the carpet; then she sullonly looKea up with a bright smile. "I see, father," she said; "and 111 marry Mr. Qnigloy, of course. That's a little enough thing to do for a father who b done so much for me." "YouH marry him if you love him, and not otherwise," he said decisively. "I haven't told you this to influence yon. I've told it to you because I've never been able to lie to you. If thought you had married a man for my sake whom you did not love, I could not live." And the manner in which he said this last would have convinced any jury in the world that he was tell ing the truth. Just then, the maid came into the room, a tray in her hand. Gertie took up the card on the tray and glanced at it. "It's Tommy Travis," she said, look ing up and Jones saw a little path of red come into the cheek that was turned toward him. "Tell him we'll be right in, Mary." A moment later they went into the parlor to greet the visitor. Travis was tall, tanned, and 22; a college athlete by his looks, but actually a book-keeper. He came of a very aristocratic, very mgnly respected, verv poor fam ily. Kugenically, he was an ideal son-in-law for anyone; financially, he was not. Jones did not stay long in the parlor, but quickly took himself off to his club. He did not stay long at the club, for he found cards, companions and billiards all equally depressing. Leav ing the club, he walked slowly up the street, not knowing or caring where he was going. And presently he found himself in front of the Beardstown Na tional Bank. Ho stood there on the sidewalk a moment, gassing at the heavy plate-glass windows. An automobile whirled around the corner, and its headlight fell full upon the window just before him, lichting up plainly the interior of the bank. Jones enneht a glimpse of his own desk; and then, giving way to an odd fancy, he walked around to the roar entrance and rapped sharply three times. After a moment the night watch man opened the door, no let Jones in without question; it was not unnsual for Jones to cftme back to his office at night. Few first assistants can do all tho work they are required to do in their regular working hours. Straight to his desk went Jones, There, still guided merely by fancy, he got up on his high stool and sat look ing out through his window, just as he did when a line of people stood there. He remembered tho first time he had seen the inside of the bank. Then he had stood in that line of people, wait ing to have his first salary check cashed. What a wonderful thing that bit of paper had seemed! In imagina tion he pictured his life from that day on. Now he was standing tremblingly before Major Black, then president of the bank, asking for a position. Now he was working as a clerk working furiously that he might gain notice and advancement. Now he was again standing before Major Black, blushing at the other's words of commendation and hearing that he was to be made an assistant teller. Now he was on the bank steps, facing a surging, sullen mob of men and women, pleading with them, begging them not to bring ruin on themselves and the bank by de manding their deposits. At first it was like trying to beat down a fortross with pebbles, and his words brought forth only sneers and cat-calls. Gradu ally, though, the sneers disappeared and the cat calls grew less frequent. His enthusiasm swelled. He talked on furi ously and desperately. Presently a few began to turn shamefacedly away, and the rest, sheep-like, began to follow. Now Major Black was sobbing out his thankfulness; telling him that be had saved tho bank, and that the bank would know how to reward him. Now he was sitting at the first assistant cashier's window for the first time. How bright the world had seemed that morning! There had not been a sign of a cloud in the sky. He was to be. married in a week to the most won derful girl in the world, and the cashier's desk, with its salary of $5000 a year, had seemed but a step away, Just a step away yet za years were to bring it not one inch elosorl It might have been different in Major Black had lived. But one morning the Major's heart had gone back on him and he had died without having time to even make a will. And directly thereafter things began to break badly for Jones. mac k b aeatn naa lett room for a step up all along the line. What actual ly happened was that everybody step ped up oxeept Jones, the second assist ant being pushed over his head to the cashier's desk. Again Jones lived over the disappointment he had felt then. One day, some three months later, a messenger boy bad come into the bank with word that he was wanted at home at once.- When he had arrived there Dr. Anson had opened the door for him. He remembered how grave the expres sion on the physician's face had been. "You '4 better come right upstairs, " the other had said. "She's beon ask ing for you." Upstairs he had found his wife lying in bed, a pink little object beside her. She had smiled weakly at him, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply; and then Drv Anson had laid a band across his shoulders. "She'B gone, Jones," he had said simply. The next time someone had been shoved over Jones' head he hadn't cared so much. It hadn't seemed to matter, somehow. - For a long time nothing had seemed to matter very much. When he had finally begun to take a new interest in life, he had real ized that an advancement was out of the question. A fixture he was and a fixtnre he would stay. When the others moved, it was taken for grant ed and as a matter of course that he should stand still. And now he was to be let ouA. This was the end, then. After 35 years of slavery, he was to be A clock struek off the hour of ten. Jones started and climbed down from his stool, He realized, all at once, that the place was very cold. He tried to speak a cheerful word to the watch-1 man as he went out, but somehow what ho said did not Bound cheerful. Beaching home, Jones went straight to his room. He had been there but a few minutes when he heard the door open. Glancing up, he saw Gertie com ing towards him. ner cheeks were un naturally flushed and her eyes were unnaturally bright She sat down on the arm of his chair and put her arm around him, and then suddenly Bhe buried her face in his vest front "F father," she sobbed, "I I e couldn't. He he asked me to to marry him, and I C couldn't refuse h him. ne only gets b seventy-five dollars a month, b but I I 1 love him." "Why, what in the world I" ex claimed Jones, raising her lace. 7 "Oh, I I know I'm ungrateful and and 8 selfish, b but when T Tom my asked me I e couldn't say no. 1 I j just c couldn't. I " Suddenly Jones saw light He saw what she had done and why Bhe was crying about it, and he saw, too, what his course must be. He forced a smile to his face. "Well, Gertie, what are you erying about f" he asked. "You're not sorry you accepted him already, are yonl" Gertie brightened a little behind her tears. "But but Mr. Quigley won't" "Oh, bother Quigley!" Jones ex claimed lightly he made it come light ly. "I wouldn't think of allowing you to marry him unless you loved him, and you know it. Anyhow, what if I am let out of the Beardstown National f I can get ' ' He paused a moment and swallowed. Ho had meant to say that he could get plenty of other poBitions, but those clear gray eyes would not let him, "There's other banks in town," he finished. "I guess there's no danger of me starving to doath. I was unstrung when I talked to you this evening, and things seomod worse than they were. Now, brighten up, my dear, and tell me more about Tommy." An hour later Gertie, reassurri'. and happy, left the room. As the door closed after her, Jones relaxed in his chair and sighed deeply. Just then he felt a very, very old man. .When Quigley, called eaily tho next. morning to take Gertie auto riding, ha received her answer to the question ha. had asked her two days before. At 11 the next morning, a' boy, brought Jones word that the president of the board wanted to see him. Jones had beon expecting that He calmly put everything in perfect order, hung up a "Please call at next window" sign, got down from his stool, took a last look at his desk and window, sighed slightly, and then went to Lakers' ofc fice. Lakers glanced up as he entered. ' "Sit down, Jones," he said. Jones sat down. Lakers thoughtfully rubbed his chin for a moment "Jones," he said, "do yon realite that yon are getting to be a pretty old man!" Jones nodded. He couldn't trust him self to speak just then. "Yes, you must be somewhere around 65," the other went on. "A man that old can't do the work a first assistant eashlcr must do, Jones, It's a physical impossibility. The first assistant is the pack-mule of a bank, and everybody takes a turn at riding on him. I've thought for a long time that we ought to have a younger man as our pack mule, and I brought the matter op be fore the other directors at the meeting this morning. They all agreed with me, and we decided to make young Sanders first assistant" Lakers paused and coughed. Jones glanced at the window at his right and saw that a shadow had fallen across it Evidently a cloud had passed before the sun. The words of a song he had known as a child came back to him, "Somewhere behind the clouds the sun is shining." He smiled grimly to him self and wondered if somewhere behind the clouds his sun could be shining. "Yes Jones," Lakers went on, "we decided that you'd been our pack-mulo long enough. A man who has served his firm as long and as faithfully as you have deserves a bettor reward than that Now, Winston hasn't been well for a long time, and his physicians fear that his lungs are affected. He's bought a place out in Arizona, and he is going out there next weok. We de cided at the meeting that no one was better fitted or more entitled to fill his place than you. So I take pleasure in informing you, Jones, that from to morrow on your position will be that of head cashier." When Jones looked again at that window he saw that the cloud had gone by and that the sunlight was streaming in brightly. TEN ROSES FREE Writs for Information Today. BEST TIME TO PLANT NOW Satisfaction Guaranteed. Mountain View Floral Co. Eut 72nd It Mill fits., Portland, Oregon. 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