For Gold or Soul?
Page 17
CHAPTER XVII.
THE PARTNERS DO A LITTLE TALKING.
Mr. Forbes was at his office in the store early the next morning afterhis interview with Mr. Watkins. He would have been glad to stay away foranother day, but there were many details of the business that needed hisattention. Sam Watkins, his office boy, was not waiting for him asusual, but Mr. Forbes was confident that he could find him when hewanted him. He looked around for his assistant, but he was absent also.This fact was more annoying, because it aroused his suspicions.
"Bolted!" he muttered with an angry frown. "Ten to one he's run away andI'll never get my money."
Then he smiled a little, for he knew that Watkins had no funds withwhich to make his escape, but even if he had there were many ways ofcatching him.
As he seated himself at his desk both of his partners entered, and therewere expressions of condolence offered in a punctilious manner.
"Sometimes I think that we fathers are all wrong," remarked Mr. Denton,after the condolences were over. "We bind ourselves hand and foot in thebondage of business, and all for what--our wives and children! If theyneeded such a sacrifice we would not begrudge it, but the more they havethe more they want, until the head of the family is a mere automaton--amachine to pamper useless folly."
This was a lengthy speech for the senior partner to make, as he wasnaturally a reticent man, who allowed others to do the talking.
"You may be right," remarked Mr. Day pompously, "still, you must admitthat wealth brings advantages even to us who slave--we can drop businesscares and go abroad now and then--our time is our own beyond a certainfigure."
"I have never reached that figure," said Mr. Forbes, very dryly, "andfurther, when I drop the reins the horses run wild, for be as careful asyou may in the choice of employees there is never one who will not takeadvantage of your absence--the exceptions are so rare that they arescarcely worth mentioning."
"Well, I for one am getting discouraged," said Mr. Denton. "There's thatboy of mine, Jim; how is he repaying my efforts?"
There was no answer to his question, but he did not expect one. After amoment's silence he finished his observations.
"If that boy had a million he would spend it in a month, yet no one hasever yet accused him of being vicious. I've set him up in business andeverything else--he's had money and an example, but with it all, what ishe?"
"Perhaps you are not strict enough," suggested Mr. Day, who was thankinghis stars at that moment that he had no children.
"It will take something besides discipline to make a man of Jim."
Mr. Denton sighed as if he was very unhappy.
"Oh, he'll marry and settle down some day," said Mr. Day, laughing."When he has a family to support he'll take life more seriously."
"I wish he had one," said Mr. Denton, speaking quickly, "but I hopehe'll marry a working girl and not a 'society lady.'"
Both of his partners looked up in unfeigned surprise, but it was evidentthat the words had been said deliberately.
"There's a girl, a packer, down in the ribbon department. I've only seenher once, but she's a perfect beauty. That's the kind of a girl thatwould make a good wife; she's not afraid of work and she's honestlyreligious."
Mr. Forbes and Mr. Day were almost gasping now, but Mr. Denton wentright on as though his words were not extraordinary.
"When that Miss Jennings died this girl held her in her arms. She's notover seventeen, yet death did not even frighten her. In that poor girl'slast hour she was her only comfort, and if I ever saw an angel I sawone at that moment."
Some one tapped on the door, but no one rose to open it. Mr. Dentonwaited a moment and then went on with his subject.
"I don't remember how I happened to be in the basement that day. Oh,yes, I do. Mr. Forbes was away, and Mr. Gibson sent for me. I waswaylaid on the first floor by one of those Government Inspectors; shewent with me to the cloak-room. I simply couldn't stop her! When I gotthere that girl, Miss Jennings, was dying, and what do you think, withher very last breath she looked me in the face, and said she 'forgave'me."
"What!"
Mr. Day leaned forward with astonishment on his features.
Mr. Forbes half arose from his chair, and then fell back heavily.
Before he spoke again Mr. Denton began pacing the office floor. He wasbecoming more and more disturbed as he continued his recital.
"They tell me that girl has been with us six years, and that she hasnever lost a day except from sickness. She was a consumptivealways--inherited it from her mother--but in spite of it, she had towork to support herself and a brother. She was getting ten dollars aweek at the time she died, yet the cashier tells me that her checks forone hour alone have frequently amounted to twenty dollars. I tell you,this bit of information has set me to thinking, and the outcome of mythoughts is a simple question: 'Are we men or brutes?' That is what Iwant to know, and as it concerns you two as well as me, I'm going to askyou to answer it!"
There was the silence of death in the superintendent's office. Even Mr.Denton stood perfectly still as he asked his question.
Suddenly Mr. Day raised his head with a little jerk. His cheeks becameinflated as he tried to assume his usual bearing.
"It is possible we have been a little thoughtless," he said sweetly,"but our subordinates should attend to these matters; that is what theyare paid for."
Mr. Forbes wheeled around in his chair and faced the speaker.
"I have hired no subordinates on that basis," he said distinctly. "Myorders have been to get all the work possible out of a clerk, and whenthey were incompetent or in any way useless, turn them out and get newones, and I believe that I have acted with the full consent of mypartners."
Mr. Day looked crestfallen for about a minute.
"Oh, if you put it that way, why, of course, Mr. Forbes. We could notexpect to sell our goods with a lot of dummies behind our counters."
"We've had worse than 'dummies,'" spoke up Mr. Denton. "We've hadskeletons and lunatics and almost corpses! Just go down and look atthem, men, women and children! There's not ten healthy human beings onany floor in the building; yet they came to us, many of them, glowingwith health, like Miss Marvin."
"Are they worse than at other stores?" asked Mr. Day, sullenly.
"I don't know," was the answer; "but that doesn't matter."
"They get their pay regularly," said Mr. Forbes. "Further, we do notsolicit their services, nor compel them to stay with us."
"No; we merely take advantage of their wretched conditions to securetheir services cheap," said Mr. Denton bitterly; "then instead ofbettering their lot we grind them lower and lower, until at last theydie either forgiving or cursing us."
There was another silence more oppressive than the first; then Mr. Dayrose slowly and started to leave the office.
"We are exciting ourselves foolishly, I think," he said loftily;"neither you nor I, my partners, can hope to remedy the conditions oflabor."
He closed the door softly, and was free from the unpleasant atmosphereof the office.
As he did so, a young girl stepped out of the elevator and walkeddirectly to the door which he had just closed behind him. He turned andlooked at her--she was as a saint. Almost instinctively it came to himwhat his partner had said, that she was "not afraid of work and washonestly religious."
"Pshaw! What nonsense!" he muttered. "Think of our patterning after asaint! It is strange how death will upset some men, but they'll get overit when they hear the money jingling!"
He opened the door to his private office just as a boy came upstairswith a message from Mr. Gibson.
"Mr. Watkins was taken to the hospital last night," it read; "are weexpected to do anything? There's a reporter from the _Herald_."
"I'll send down the answer in a moment," he said to the boy, "or, wait;tell Mr. Gibson to say that we are looking into the case, and if ouremployee is found to be deserving he will be cared for by the firm. Thereporter can call again if he wishes anything further."