The days lapsed and, although no further word came from the Griffiths, Clyde was still inclined to exaggerate theimportance of this one contact and to dream from time to time of delightful meetings with those girls and howwonderful if a love affair with one of them might eventuate for him. The beauty of that world in which theymoved. The luxury and charm as opposed to this of which he was a part. Dillard! Rita! Tush! They were reallydead for him. He aspired to this other or nothing as he saw it now and proceeded to prove as distant to Dillard aspossible, an attitude which by degrees tended to alienate that youth entirely for he saw in Clyde a snob whichpotentially he was if he could have but won to what he desired. However, as he began to see afterwards, timepassed and he was left to work until, depressed by the routine, meager pay and commonplace shrinking-roomcontacts, he began to think not so much of returning to Rita or Dillard,--he could not quite think of them nowwith any satisfaction, but of giving up this venture here and returning to Chicago or going to New York, wherehe was sure that he could connect himself with some hotel if need be. But then, as if to revive his courage andconfirm his earlier dreams, a thing happened which caused him to think that certainly he was beginning to rise inthe estimation of the Griffiths--father and son--whether they troubled to entertain him socially or not. For itchanced that one Saturday in spring, Samuel Griffiths decided to make a complete tour of inspection of thefactory with Joshua Whiggam at his elbow. Reaching the shrinking department about noon, he observed for thefirst time with some dismay, Clyde in his undershirt and trousers working at the feeding end of two of theshrinking racks, his nephew having by this time acquired the necessary skill to "feed" as well as "take." Andrecalling how very neat and generally presentable he had appeared at his house but a few weeks before, he wasdecidedly disturbed by the contrast. For one thing he had felt about Clyde, both in Chicago and here at his home,was that he had presented a neat and pleasing appearance. And he, almost as much as his son, was jealous, not only of the name, but the general social appearance of the Griffiths before the employees of this factory as wellas the community at large. And the sight of Clyde here, looking so much like Gilbert and in an armless shirt andtrousers working among these men, tended to impress upon him more sharply than at any time before the factthat Clyde was his nephew, and that he ought not to be compelled to continue at this very menial form of workany longer. To the other employees it might appear that he was unduly indifferent to the meaning of such arelationship.
Without, however, saying a word to Whiggam or anyone else at the time, he waited until his son returned onMonday morning, from a trip that he had taken out of town, when he called him into his office and observed: "Imade a tour of the factory Saturday and found young Clyde still down in the shrinking room.""What of it, Dad?" replied his son, curiously interested as to why his father should at this time wish to mentionClyde in this special way. "Other people before him have worked down there and it hasn't hurt them.""All true enough, but they weren't nephews of mine. And they didn't look as much like you as he does"--acomment which irritated Gilbert greatly. "It won't do, I tell you. It doesn't look quite right to me, and I'm afraid itwon't look right to other people here who see how much he looks like you and know that he is your cousin andmy nephew. I didn't realize that at first, because I haven't been down there, but I don't think it wise to keep himdown there any longer doing that kind of thing. It won't do. We'll have to make a change, switch him aroundsomewhere else where he won't look like that."His eyes darkened and his brow wrinkled. The impression that Clyde made in his old clothes and with beads ofsweat standing out on his forehead had not been pleasant.
"But I'll tell you how it is, Dad," Gilbert persisted, anxious and determined because of his innate opposition toClyde to keep him there if possible. "I'm not so sure that I can find just the right place for him now anywhereelse--at least not without moving someone else who has been here a long time and worked hard to get there. Hehasn't had any training in anything so far, but just what he's doing.""Don't know or don't care anything about that," replied Griffiths senior, feeling that his son was a little jealousand in consequence disposed to be unfair to Clyde. "That's no place for him and I won't have him there anylonger. He's been there long enough. And I can't afford to have the name of any of this family come to meananything but just what it does around here now-- reserve and ability and energy and good judgment. It's not goodfor the business. And anything less than that is a liability. You get me, don't you?""Yes, I get you all right, governor.""Well, then, do as I say. Get hold of Whiggam and figure out some other place for him around here, and not aspiece worker or a hand either. It was a mistake to put him down there in the first place. There must be some littleplace in one of the departments where he can be fitted in as the head of something, first or second or thirdassistant to some one, and where he can wear a decent suit of clothes and look like somebody. And, if necessary,let him go home on full pay until you find something for him. But I want him changed. By the way, how much ishe being paid now?""About fifteen, I think," replied Gilbert blandly.
"Not enough, if he's to make the right sort of an appearance here. Better make it twenty-five. It's more than he'sworth, I know, but it can't be helped now. He has to have enough to live on while he's here, and from now on, I'drather pay him that than have any one think we were not treating him right.""All right, all right, governor. Please don't be cross about it, will you?" pleaded Gilbert, noting his father'sirritation. "I'm not entirely to blame. You agreed to it in the first place when I suggested it, didn't you? But Iguess you're right at that. Just leave it to me. I'll find a decent place for him," and turning, he proceeded in searchof Whiggam, although at the same time thinking how he was to effect all this without permitting Clyde to get thenotion that he was at all important here--to make him feel that this was being done as a favor to him and not forany reasons of merit in connection with himself.
And at once, Whiggam appearing, he, after a very diplomatic approach on the part of Gilbert, racked his brains,scratched his head, went away and returned after a time to say that the only thing he could think of, since Clydewas obviously lacking in technical training, was that of assistant to Mr. Liggett, who was foreman in charge offive big stitching rooms on the fifth floor, but who had under him one small and very special, though by nomeans technical, department which required the separate supervision of either an assistant forelady or man.
This was the stamping room--a separate chamber at the west end of the stitching floor, where were received dailyfrom the cutting room above from seventy-five to one hundred thousand dozen unstitched collars of differentbrands and sizes. And here they were stamped by a group of girls according to the slips or directions attached tothem with the size and brand of the collar. The sole business of the assistant foreman in charge here, as Gilbertwell knew, after maintaining due decorum and order, was to see that this stamping process went uninterruptedlyforward. Also that after the seventy-five to one hundred thousand dozen collars were duly stamped andtransmitted to the stitchers, who were just outside in the larger room, to see that they were duly credited in abook of entry. And that the number of dozens stamped by each girl was duly recorded in order that her payshould correspond with her services.
For this purpose a little desk and various entry books, according to size and brand, were kept here. Also thecutters' slips, as taken from the bundles by the stampers were eventually delivered to this assistant in lots of adozen or more and filed on spindles. It was really nothing more than a small clerkship, at times in the past heldby young men or girls or old men or middle-aged women, according to the exigencies of the life of the place.
The thing that Whiggam feared in connection with Clyde and which he was quick to point out to Gilbert on thisoccasion was that because of his inexperience and youth Clyde might not, at first, prove as urgent and insistent amaster of this department as the work there required. There were nothing but young girls there--some of themquite attractive. Also was it wise to place a young man of Clyde's years and looks among so many girls? For,being susceptible, as he might well be at that age, he might prove too easy--not stern enough. The girls mighttake advantage of him. If so, it wouldn't be possible to keep him there very long. Still there was this temporaryvacancy, and it was the only one in the whole factory at the moment. Why not, for the time being, send himupstairs for a tryout? It might not be long before either Mr. Liggett or himself would know of something else orwhether or not he was suited for the work up there. In that case it would be easy to make a re- transfer.
Accordingly, about three in the afternoon of this same Monday, Clyde was sent for and after being made to waitfor some fifteen minutes, as was Gilbert's method, he was admitted to the austere presence.
"Well, how are you getting along down where you are now?" asked Gilbert coldly and inquisitorially. AndClyde, who invariably experienced a depression whenever he came anywhere near his cousin, replied, with apoorly forced smile, "Oh, just about the same, Mr. Griffiths. I can't complain. I like it well enough. I'm learning alittle something, I guess.""You guess?""Well, I know I've learned a few things, of course," added Clyde, flushing slightly and feeling down deep withinhimself a keen resentment at the same time that he achieved a half-ingratiating and half-apologetic smile.
"Well, that's a little better. A man could hardly be down there as long as you've been and not know whether hehad learned anything or not." Then deciding that he was being too severe, perhaps, he modified his tone slightly,and added: "But that's not why I sent for you. There's another matter I want to talk to you about. Tell me, did youever have charge of any people or any other person than yourself, at any time in your life?""I don't believe I quite understand," replied Clyde, who, because he was a little nervous and flustered, had notquite registered the question accurately.
"I mean have you ever had any people work under you--been given a few people to direct in some departmentsomewhere? Been a foreman or an assistant foreman in charge of anything?""No, sir, I never have," answered Clyde, but so nervous that he almost stuttered. For Gilbert's tone was verysevere and cold--highly contemptuous. At the same time, now that the nature of the question was plain, itsimplication came to him. In spite of his cousin's severity, his ill manner toward him, still he could see hisemployers were thinking of making a foreman of him--putting him in charge of somebody--people. They mustbe! At once his ears and fingers began to titillate--the roots of his hair to tingle: "But I've seen how it's done inclubs and hotels," he added at once. "And I think I might manage if I were given a trial." His cheeks were nowhighly colored--his eyes crystal clear.
"Not the same thing. Not the same thing," insisted Gilbert sharply. "Seeing and doing are two entirely differentthings. A person without any experience can think a lot, but when it comes to doing, he's not there. Anyhow, thisis one business that requires people who do know."He stared at Clyde critically and quizzically while Clyde, feeling that he must be wrong in his notion thatsomething was going to be done for him, began to quiet himself. His cheeks resumed their normal pallor and thelight died from his eyes.
"Yes, sir, I guess that's true, too," he commented.
"But you don't need to guess in this case," insisted Gilbert. "You know. That's the trouble with people who don'tknow. They're always guessing.............