Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
g?19mm 9VF ' "f tyr mTf 0 Hiram Oakley, with no bills in his windows, was doing a roaring trade during the boom times. Wills found himself reduced to his last five hun dred. And he was not taking in enough to pay the cost of his help. As the sales dwindled Wills' posters became more flashy. Hiram Oakley, who had had no communication with the couple since their marriage, knew that the time was at hand. But, after all, it was Wills who came to him came in humbly, but looking much more of a man that he had looked before when he defied old Oakley. "Mr. Oakley," he began frankly, "I've come to tell you that I have been a fool, sir." Old Oakley looked him up and down. "There's always hope for a man when he finds that out," he said at length. "Don't think that I've come to ask your help," said Wills. "I'm anx ious about Madge, that's all. Frank ly, the business can't go on another, month. And I don't know what we are going to do. You see " And Oakley learned that he was to become a grandfather. There is nothing that touches an old man's heart so much. Oakley was genuinely fond of his daughter, and he thought that the pair had had about as much of a lesson as they needed. "So I'm thinking of selling out and moving to another town, sir," con tinued Wills. "But before I go I want you to forgive Madge and and tell me why I couldn't succeed," he blurt ed out. "I thought I knew all the tricks of the trade, with my New York experience." "So you did, my boy," answered Oakley briskly. "You knew tricks that I'd heard of but never soiled my fingers with, nor wouldn't. "In the first place, you went-into the business in a spirit of vindictive ness instead of willingness, to kill another man's trade rather than es tablish your own. That can't help showing itself in the tine of the sell ing force. Your salespeople took their cue from you, and they lost customers by their unwillingness and bad manners. "Then, again, you tried to sell the same goods I did, but cheaper goods. People find out good from" bad. They don't repeat their purchases at a store that does them. They'd rather pay more and get more for their out lay. -There's the same spirit again the cut-throat spirit. There's room for two- department stores in Four Corners, and two high-class ones, only you didn't know it. "Furthermore, if you wanted to sell cheap goods, you shouldn't have set up on Main street. You should have gone downtown. There you'll find the class of people that want cheap stuff. You've cut your throat all the time, Mr. Wills, and you didn't know it, either." Wills swallowed hard, for the les son was a bitter one. But the spirit of vindictiveness had been driven out of him. He shook Mr. Oakley by the hand. "I'm obliged to you, sir," he said. "And you'll see Madge before we leave next week " "Next week!" exclaimed Mr. Oak ley. "That's rather early, isn't it?" "Well, the fact is," answered Wills, "I've had an offer from an anony mous person to buy my property, and I think it will be enough to start else where in a humbler way. 1" "Wait a minute!" said old Oakley. "Now it's my turn to speak. I've been planning turning it into a com pany and opening a branch. In fact, I've acquired some property for the branch store, and if you like to be my manager, I think it'll pay you better than leaving town. I am retaining 55 per cent of the stock, and in course of time it ought to go to you and Madge. And then I've only one child. What do you say?" Wills grasped old Oakley's hands impulsively. "I say I accept but I don't deserve it, sir," he said. "And