OCR Text |
Show y-UZtfCucius Cook saWWO weeks before 'Christmas, Joe was elated to be offered Bwy a new lob, t real position Jtwk this time. For five years, since he was thirteen, he bad worked for n photographer and was earning only sixteen dolinrs a week. It teemed to him that he would reinnln at that humble wng the rest of his life U ha did not get out and i do something right away. At eighteen a boy should be making good If he Is ver going to at least so Joe thought ;-and with a sick father and two ;jyounger brothers to help support, he ideally needed more. So when a competitive com-petitive firm offered him twenty-five dollars a week, he Jumped at the bigger big-ger opportunity and resigned his old place. Hut Joe was no slacker and although he was "getting through" on Saturday Satur-day night, the Saturday before Christmas, Christ-mas, and though be had to be at his new place bright and early Monday In answer to her further queries, for Joe was never over-talkative, he added, add-ed, "The beasts I They said another boy had come last Monday Just after I left there, and as he could begin at once they took him on, and had no place for me. I've been to every studio In town, and no one wants me now. It Is too late, for after Christmas they have no more work. I don't know what I'll do." "Do!" exclaimed Miss Meechem. "Do? Why, come right back to the morning, he stuck by his post with his former em- I ployer until all the "proofs" were out That meant hours of slavery, for In the photographic pho-tographic world, practically the whole year's business bus-iness Is done between be-tween Thanksfjlv. lng and Christmas, Christ-mas, and everyone every-one connected with It has to buckle down to work, nlchts as old studio with me where yon belong. They need you there. We miss you terribly. ter-ribly. They can't pay you twenty-five, twenty-five, but s 1 1-teen 1-teen and a sura thing Is better than this treachery. treach-ery. They ARB beasts !" No one but Miss Meechem could have ever dragged poor Joe back to bis old Job, but false pride could never well as days. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, none of the men went to bed at all. At five In the morning they would skip over to a Turkish bath for a plunge, and redlne on the divans for an hour. Hut seven o'clock found them back at the studio, developing, drying and retouching nofidtlves, making proofs, and getting tliotn mailed to customers. There can be no loafing on such a Job as all the v ork must be dune to order In a short time, and cannot be stocked up. Joe showed his pluck In sticking w tli the gnnp, for the work was hard and no extra recompense went with , It. Ho knew the extra work his pn!s would have to do If he should quit, and so for them be stuck It out Such Is the Christmas spirit In the shops, behind the scenes, where Christmas Joy Is made for others over-tilsht, over-tilsht, and tired comrades siund In line, too courageous, proud, and loving to desert each other though muscles ache and home ties call. Joe did not . have to stay, but did and got no extra pay except the satisfaction of It ull when at ten o'clock Sunday morning morn-ing the work was finished. At lunch time Monday noon Miss Meechem of the studio found Joe standing on a street comer and stopped to talk with him. "How do you like your new place?" phs asked. "I haven't one," be said. And then withstand her arguments, and a few minutes later Joe was In the office of his former employer. Mr. Bangs was Infuriated at the abuse the boy had had, and called his competitor on the phone to tell him what he thought. But first he sent Joe out to work, so that the boy would not hear the complimentary things be had to say, nor the abusive language that he used to his competitor. Then he slipped out of the studio for a few minutes and later that day there was delivered at Joe's door a large, mysterious mys-terious package, plainly marked "Mot to be opened until Christmas." Joe did not have an Increase then, but his Job was permanent, and Santa Clauf had delivered at his door much bitter things than he could have bought himself even with the extra pay that he bad hoped to have. (36. HIT. Wastara fawapapsr Unloa.) ! |