The day book. [volume], October 18, 1916, LAST EDITION, Image 19

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
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take time, as lie put it, and deliver
the completed sketches the next
morning at the office.
"I'm a lucky man," chuckled' Dal
ton, as he realized how nicely Ruth
fitted into the proposition trustful,
loyal Ruth, who was doing the bulk
of the work for a pittance, work
which was the sustaining feature of
Daltons employment
Dalton brought the notes to Ruth
every evening and called for the fln-
" ished biographies' in the morning.
Many a time Ruth sat up half the
night to be sure to have them ready
in time. She was interested and con
scientious in hee-work, but realized
fully that she was doing it cheaply. It
was a help to Dalton, though, she
reasoned, and this good-hearted girl
was satisfied.
One morning the manager of the
office called in Dalton. The latter,
fully conscious of putting in really
little time in his labors, expected an
explosion. He was -agreeably sur
prised. "Mr. Dalton," said the manager,
"we are greatly pleased with your
work and have decided to advance
you." ,
"I thank you," bowed Dalton, perk
ing up, as he always did when on safe
ground.
"We are able to secure larger sub
scription results from your biogra
phies than from those of any other
man in the office."
"I am glad," observed Dalton,
swelling up.
"It is your biographies that do the
work," proceeded the manager.
"They are fairly superb, Mr. Dalton!
In fact, you are an expert in that line
of literary composition. We have re
ceived some very handsome compli
ments from the subjects themselves,
and, what is more practical, liberal
subscriptions for the books. We will
increase your salary 25 per cent and
give you a Special list of selected mil
lionaires, whom you seem so capable
of handling."
Did Dalton at once increase the ,
pittance of Ruth, as duty bound? Not
at all1 The niggardly compensation,
continued as before. What wag even,
more despicable was that "'Dalton
took another young lady twice a
week to the theater and never spent
a penny on the willing but unsus
picious slave whose hard labors en-
abled him to hold his position.
Then came his Waterloo. He was
again called into the manager's
office. In 1iis new work, he was told
his biographies had scored even larg-
er success. The company ' had de
cided to double his salary and engage.
him in writing up biographies exclu
sively, the other investigators to fur-
nish the notes.
There was no evading the issue,
npw for Dalton. He could not for his
life have written a presentable biog
raphy. He could not deceive his em:
ployers any longer. The young lady
Dalton had been paying attention to
had some means. He married herj
resigned his position-and even forgot
to pay Ruth one week's pay he owed
her. f r
Ruth was hurt at his treatment
and disillusioned. She needed that
last five dollars, but managed to get
along without it. Then one day the
heavens opened and she received her
reward. It was strange how things
came about, but one biography of a
prominent citizen, deceased, had at
tracted the attention of his son, who
had succeeded to his business. The
house issued considerable literature
of their own, among the same a
weekly trade organ. So attracted
was young Cecil Browne by the con
struction of the obituary biography
of his father, that he asked "Dalton's
former employer to se,nd him the
writer.
But Dalton had gone to anbther
city. By the merest chance he had
boasted to a fellow employee'of "the
slick game he was putting over,"
mentioning Ruth as his innocent ad
complice. She was located, and ac
knowledged her authorship of the
biographies.
SfiSstessssa:
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