Chicago (Ill.) -- Fiction; College graduates -- Fiction; Gangsters -- Fiction
Jimmy breakfasted at nine the next morning, and as he waited for his
bacon and eggs he searched the Situations Wanted columns of the morning
paper until his eye finally alighted upon that for which he sought--the
ad that was to infuse into the business life of the great city a new and
potent force. Before his breakfast was served Jimmy had read the few
lines over a dozen times, and with each succeeding reading he was more
and more pleased with the result of his advertising ability as it
appeared in print.
WANTED--By College Graduate--Position as
General Manager of Large Business where ability,
energy and experience will be appreciated.
Address 263-S, Tribune Office.
He had decided to wait until after lunch before calling at the newspaper
office for replies to his advertisement, but during breakfast it
occurred to him there probably would be several alert prospective
employers who would despatch their replies by special messengers, and
realizing that promptness was one of the cardinal virtues in the
business world, Jimmy reasoned that it would make a favorable impression
were he to present himself as soon as possible after the receipt of
replies.
By a simple system of reasoning he deduced that ten o'clock would be
none too early to expect some returns from his ad, and therefore at ten
promptly he presented himself at the Want Ad Department in the Tribune
office.
Comparing the number of the receipt which Jimmy handed him with the
numbers upon a file of little pigeonholes, the clerk presently turned
back toward the counter with a handful of letters.
"Whew!" thought Jimmy. "I never would have guessed that I would receive
a bunch like that so early in the morning." But then, as he saw the
clerk running through them one by one, he realized that they were not
all for him, and as the young man ran through them Jimmy's spirits
dropped a notch with each letter that was passed over without being
thrown out to him, until, when the last letter had passed beneath the
scrutiny of the clerk, and the advertiser realized that he had received
no replies, he was quite sure that there was some error.
"Nothing," said the clerk, shaking his head negatively.
"Are you sure you looked in the right compartment?" asked Jimmy.
"Sure," replied the clerk. "There is nothing for you."
Jimmy pocketed his slip and walked from the office. "This town is
slower than I thought it was," he mused. "'I guess they do need some
live wires here to manage their business."
At noon he returned, only to be again disappointed, and then at two
o'clock, and when he came in at four the same clerk looked up wearily
and shook his head.
"Nothing for you," he said. "I distributed all the stuff myself since
you were in last."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account