Advertising -- Fiction; Bank employees -- Fiction; Labor unions -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Satire
"They have commercialized it," frowned the managing editor. "Not a
line--ever!"
The same thing must have happened in all the other offices. The public
talked about the advertising revolution and the wonderful new styles in
boards; and they looked in the next morning's papers to get all the
picturesque details, as usual. Not a word!
XXX
H. R. called, shortly after ten o'clock the next morning, at the Ketcham
National Bank to discuss with his father-in-law-to-be interest rates on
the balance he did not yet have.
Mr. Goodchild had slept over the matter. He had spent an hour in going
over his annoyances and humiliations, and had failed himself with a
wrath that became murderous anger when he compelled himself to realize
that H. R. had it in his power to intensify the troubles of the
Goodchild family. The marriage of H. R. with his daughter became worse
than preposterous; it was a species of blackmail against which there was
no defense. He could not reach H. R. by means of the law or by speech or
by violence.
When his anger cooled, however, he saw that what he had done was to pay
the young man the greatest compliment an elderly millionaire can pay
anybody. The more formidable your enemy is, the less disgraceful is your
defeat. Mr. Goodchild was as intelligent a man as one is apt to find in
the office of the president of a bank; but he was susceptible, as all
men are, to self-inflicted flattery. He therefore decided that H. R. was
a problem to be tackled in cold blood, with both eyes open and prayer in
the heart. The only plan of action he could think of was proposing to
H. R. to accomplish an impossibility; in fact, two impossibilities. He
also would treat H. R. amicably.
"Good morning, young man!" he said, pleasantly.
"Morning!" said H. R., briskly. "Now let's get down to cases. I expect
you to--"
"Hold on!" said Mr. Goodchild, coldly, in order to keep from saying it
hotly. "Aren't you a trifle premature?"
"No," said H. R. "I find I can give you a few minutes to-day."
"You'll have to use some of those minutes in listening to me," said Mr.
Goodchild, trying to look as though this was routine business.
"I'll listen," H. R. assured him, kindly.
"You will admit that you have given me cause to--well, not to feel
especially friendly toward you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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