The Efficiency Expert

Table of

nted the newspaper office without reward, and again upon the third day with similar results. To say that Jimmy was dumfounded would be but a futile description of his mental state. It was simply beyond him to conceive that in one of th

k, who by this time had taken a personal interest in this steadiest of customers, suggested that

experienced executive to assume the general management of an old established sash, door and blind factory; the other

ile manufactory or possibly something in the airplane line. Sash, door and blind sounded extremely prosaic and uninteresting t

have a talk with these people, and possibly I

dust were issuing. Jimmy found the office on the second floor, after ascending a narrow, dark, and dirty stairway. Jimmy's experience of manufacturing plants was extremely limited, but he needed no experience as

n," and waiting while she communicated with an inner office over the telephone, he was directed in the direction of a gla

name he was bid to enter, and a moment later found himself in the presence of a midd

He finished it quickly, slapped it into a tra

pped, as Jimmy

tisement for a general manager

rom head to foot. His eyes nar

nd how many years?" He snapped the questions a

ility," replied Jimmy, "

in the sash, door and blind

nd business," replied Jimmy. "I didn't come here to make s

arted; and then, "Well, of all the-" Once again he found it impossible to go on. "You came here t

u wanted in a general manager was exec

t. Now, run along, young fellow. I am a very busy man-an

ws of desks, before which were seated young men and young women, all of whom Jimmy thought were sta

ng when he reached his cab, and as he drove back toward the Loop he could feel successive hot waves s

rmit him to seek out the party who wished a mail-order manager, and while in this instance he met

ilously low; and he also lowered his aspirations successively from general managerships through departmental heads, assistants thereto, office managers, assistant office managers, and various

being an aid to his securing employment, his college education was a drawback

ing-house on the north side. At first he had written his father and his mother regularly, but now he found it difficult to wr

n street-sweeper. There must be some job here in the city that I am capable

f a life-insurance company that had advertised such

nce have you

ked at hi

xperience to be an o

e applications from a dozen or more fellows, half of whom have had experience, and one in particula

d day," he said,

ty-five cents if one knew how to order and ordered judiciously. And so to this place he repaired

hursday, and in his pocket were one dollar and sixty cents. Opening his trunk, he drew forth a sheet of paper and an envelope, and, cl

R D

t is hard to admit it, but I guess I'll have to

h l

i

elope, his face mirroring an utter dejection such as J

uttered, "unutt

ng stairway, with its threadbare carpet,