Show Pitching Horseshoes He Afford New Job At Only a Year By Bill Billy Rose Ilose Th The Thc other night I had dinner dinnel with Old Silvertop the gentleman I worked for in Washington 30 years ago 4 t Its It's always a r. r A e ebig two hours in ln big my life ife when Im I'm invited to his his- t r c k house e. e Not only f do I get to eat cat cat 1 some of the best food in town but Im I'm also privileged eged to listen to the smartest fellow fel id- low who ever gaton sat gat on a a. park b bench Billy Rose Rone If our recent presidents had listened lis Its more to him and less to the humpty intellects t the they h e y surround them themselves elves with we might all be a lot better off oH As we were finishing the coffee the butler announced an unexpected ed guest im Im sorry to barge in inon inon inon on you ou lil like e this said a man Ill I'll call Joe Smith I got a a. telephone call from Washington ton as I was lea leaving leang ng the office and I need some advice Old Od Silvertop introduced the vis vis- vis I recognized him as the gent who had mated a grocery store with some imagination and wound wound up with one of the largest chains of supermarkets in the east cast I l I My Problem Ill tell you what my problem is he said The government wants me to go to Europe and help out on its food distribution plan When do you leave 7 asked m my old boss what I want to talk to you about said Smith The job pays a year and I dont don't see how I can afford to take it The man who used to trade out the House of Morgan polished his specs How much does it cost you to live each year 7 he asked The businessman s shrugged h r rug i g g e d. d Somewhere in III the neighborhood of he said Silvertop smiled A lOA very st stylish stylish lish l ish neighborhood Now tell me methis this How much have you ou got sa saved ved up Smith looked at me as if I were a Communist spy and hesitated You dont don't have to answer said my old boss Fortune Magazine Magazine Maga Maga- zine recently estimated your our personal personal per per- wealth at b bet better e t t e c r than In other words at a year you have enough eating money for the next 30 years i What hat are you driving at 7 I asked the grocery t tycoon coo Problem Solved Just this said Silvertop Youre in your fifties The In Insurance insurance in in- companies give you a life expectancy of another 20 years Your old money will last until 1979 and you cant can't get around to using any new money until 1980 I dont don't follow said Smith Let me see if I can case it up tip said my old boss Have you ever noticed how a penny gum um machine works 7 It holds hods 50 pieces of gumone gum um one piece on top of the other When you ou put a penny in the bottom bot bot- torn tom slice pops out The only way you can get to the top slice is to tolIse use lIse up the 49 pieces ahead of it Well Vell its it's the same when you have havea a lot of money Before you can use the new money youre you're worried about not making this year you first have to use up the old money that's ahead of it il How about my wife and kids kids' 1 asked the businessman Theres plenty penty for your wife said Silvertop and probably too much for tor your kids You know you can handicap a kid by leaving him too much Let me ask asle you one more question Are you haying hav hay ing any fun running running- your grocery stores U Used ed to 10 n Rp Be Fun It used to be fun said Sm Smith th Its pretty much routine now what I 1 thou thought ht said the park bench philosopher And I think youre you're old enough h to give Ive some thou thought hl to fun You know what the Chinese say Enjoy say Enjoy yourself yourself its its it's 1 later a ate t C r than yo you think A lOA job in Europe doesn't soun sound like much fun said the grocery grocery- manI manI manI man I dont don't agree with you sai said Silvertop I I think you'll get a bigger kick out of it than anything anything any any- thing youve you've ever done For on one thing you'll be helping your coun coun- try For another you'll be helping millions of hungry people I I knew I shouldn't have come com cometo cometo to see you said Smith as h he reached for his hat Wait Vait till I Itell Itell tell my wife what you said about abou old money and new money When hen do you sail 7 asked Silvertop Ill probably fly smiled th the businessman Copyright 1918 by Billy Rose |