At first it was kinda interestin' and entertainin' to get the inside dope on _everything_ at practically no cost, but they is such a thing as bein' _too_ clever; and when it become impossible to speak of anything on earth from bankin' to beer, without this bird buttin' in with all the figures on it, I got enough! I tried to yawn him into goin' home, and he notices I got two bum teeth. That furnished him with a scenario for tellin' me that every year 490,517 people is treated by dentists in New York alone, and I says I can't help it and he mustn't of got a wink or sleep the night he counted 'em. "Oh," he says, "it's very simple. I carry all those figures in my head." "Why not?" I says. "They's plenty of room there!" He looked kinda peeved; but before he could come back at me, Alex takes things in hand. "Jared," he says, "you are certainly a educated citizen. With all them interestin' facts and figures in your head you must be very valuable to the firm you work for, hey?" Jared throws out what chest he had with him. "Well," he says, "I saved the Hamilton Construction Company just $6,547.98 last year by cutting down the excessive use of lead pencils and blotters alone!" "That's fine!" says Alex. "No doubt they give you a handsome bonus for that, hey?" "Of course," says Jared. "They raised my salary to thirty-five dollars a week. I was only getting thirty-two and a half." "You saved them six thousand last year and they raised you about a hundred and thirty, eh?" says Alex. "Now, listen! Why couldn't you have made that six thousand for _yourself_ just as easy?" "Why--I--why--" stammers Jared. "I have no chance to make anything but my salary. I'm simply working there, and--" "And you always will be, if you don't get wise to yourself!" butts in Alex. "Your boss--" "My boss, eh?" sneers Jared. "Say, he hasn't got the brains of a gnat! He'd be absolutely up in the air if I wasn't at his elbow with data and estimates on everything. He doesn't know anything, and--" "No, I guess not!" butts in Alex, with a odd grin. "He don't know anything--only how to make money! Say, listen! If this boss of yours is such a boob, what must _you_ be? You're _workin'_ for him, ain't you? Why should he have any brains, when he can rent yours for thirty-five dollars a week? Now, listen to me, son. You know a little about everything on earth, with the slight exception of yourself! The figures that should interest you more than anything else is these: For every dollar _you_ make, your boob boss is makin' a thousand. Ever figure them statistics along with the other stuff?" Jared registers embarrassment. "Look here!" he says. "I really don't see the reason of all this. I consider myself quite successful. I may not be making a million a week, but I'm always sure of my job, and that's quite a lot!"