Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 63: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MR. BINGER was able to make such a good appearance on such a limited income. But the main reason was that he stinted himself in every other way so as to be able to spend most of his salary on fine raiment. Before he started out from the parental blacksmith shop to seek his fortune; young Parker had read that in New York clothes went a long way toward making the man, in spite. of the copy-book bromide to the contrary. And, believing what he read, and being eager to succeed, he had vowed that he would always be well dressed even if he had to get along on two meals a day in order to manage it. You see, it was not vanity with him. It was ambition. Up to the time of a certain auction sale, however, it did not look as though Ralph Henry’s formula for success was going to work out very well. He had been laboring at the assistant bookkeeper’s desk in the Eastern sales department of the salted pea- nut concern for over two years, and he was no farther than when he started. His office associates had nicknamed him “ Beau Brummel,” and several of the young wo- men stenographers regarded him with ob- vious favor, but those things, although gratifying in their way, did not get him anywhere when it came to advancement. Mr. Rooney, the head of his department, did not appear to be greatly impressed by his dapper appearance, so far as giving him a chance to climb the ladder was concerned, and as for the president and majority stock- holder of Horatio Binger & Co., Inc., that great man hardly seemed to be aware of his existence. Perhaps Mr. Bi as he passed daily through the big general office, with its threescore employees, on his way to or from his private sanctum, had noticed the good looking, well groomed young man who sat at a desk in a corner of the vast room, but, if-so, his observation had been casual, and almost subconscious: To him Ralph Henry was nothing more than a humble cog in the human machine which helped promote the sales of the pink tissue-paper packages— much too unimportant a person to com- mand individual attention. But on the morning of the day on which the personal effects of Mrs. Janet Wil- BUYS A BED. 341 loughby Morseman, widow of John K. Morseman, the late copper magnate, were disposed of at public auction, Mr. Binger came down to business with an expression of excitement on his full-moon counte- nance. As he entered the outer office his keen, gimlet eyes swept the occupants of the room and finally rested on young Park- er, whom he now regarded with particular interest. Then he walked over to the latter’s desk. “Young man,” he said, “I need some one to go up-town for me on—er—some personal business, and I think you’ Il do. Come into my office.” _ Ralph Henry arose with alacrity and followed his chief into the adjoining room. Perhaps it had come at last—the oppor- tunity he had long been eagerly awaiting. Mr. Binger seated himself at his massive mahogany desk, and again made a search- ing survey of his employee, scrutinizing him closely from head to foot. Evidently this second inspection was as satisfactory as the first, for with a slight, confirmatory nod the older man invited Parker to be seated. “ You look like a reliable, discreet young fellow,” he said. ‘I guess you’ll do. This errand that I’m going to send you on is one that requires considerable discretion.” “Yes, sir,” eagerly. He was quite Sure now that his big chance had arrived. He was in direct per- sonal contact at. last with the man who held his future in the palm of his hand. If he made good on this mission, whatever its nature, there was no telling what might come of it. From his humble twenty-two-dollar-a- week job as assistant bookkeeper he might jump almost immediately to a big execu- tive position. Meteoric rises, he was aware, were the rule rather than the exception in the New York business world. Once one had succeeded in attracting the attention of the boss the rest was comparatively easy. And Binger had picked him cut for this confidential business matter from all the sixty employees in the outer office! His pulses quickened at that reflection. If he failed to make the most of this golden aniiielexeye) exclaimed Ralph Henry » (E(0)