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Show MISTAKE LED TO SUCCESS Plodding Clerk Promoted Because the Private Detective Thought He Was Talking Shop. "One of tho most successful ouslness men In this town owes a good part of his success to a mlstako I mado In my salad days as a prlvato dotoctlvo," said tho shrowd-looklng man. "Ho was employed In a very unremunera-tlvo unremunera-tlvo capacity by a wholcsalo merchant. There camo a tlmo whon tho merchant wished to promoto somebody, but ho didn't know who doscrved It most. He put tho caso to tho manager of a prlvato prl-vato dotectlvo agency, and I was detailed de-tailed to shadow tho clerks and find out which of them talked Bhop most enthusiastically aftor working hours. "After threo weoks of conscientious shadowing I recommended my lowly clerk. Ho talked Bhop ovory mlnuto of tho tlmo with an Intelligence I had nover heard oqualed. Tho report was turnod In to my chief, but two days later tho merchant requested an Interview Inter-view with me. I went around to his store, and there sat my clork at his right hand, figuring away for dear life. I nearly fainted whon I found they were doallng In dry goods. I don't know whether tho chief's explanation expla-nation had lacked lucidity or whoth-or whoth-or my wits had gono woolgathering; somehow, I hnd got tho lmprosslon that tho man employing him was a browor, Anyhow, that was all tho young man talkod about, and I had recommended him on tho supposition that what ho didn't know nbout boor wasn't worth knowing, Nover onco had I heard him montlon dry goods, but I took mighty good enro not to ,'ot tho merchant know It. Nobody over ;ould understand how tho plodding :lork happened to bo selected for promotion; pro-motion; ho couldn't understand It himself, but he had made tho best of tho opportunity, so no ono over had occasion to regret it." |