I MAKING GOOD WITH
MOTHER 25
When
men 0
began to build
cities 1
vertically instead of horizontally there passed from
our 3
highways 2
a picturesque figure 4
, and from
our 3
language an expressive figure of speech .
That oily-tongued , persuasive , soft-stepping stranger in the rusty Prince Albert and the black string tie who had been wont to haunt
our 3
back steps and
front offices 6
with
his 5
carefully wrapped bundle 5
, retreated in bewildered defeat before the clanging blows of steel on steel that meant the erection of
the first twenty-story skyscraper 7
.
" As slick , "
we 3
used to say , " as
a lightning-rod agent 8
. "
Of what use
his 5
wares on
a building whose tower was robed in clouds and which used the chain lightning for a necklace 7
?
The Fourth Avenue 10
antique dealer 9
had another curio to add to
his 9
collection of andirons , knockers , snuff boxes and warming pans .
But even as
this quaint figure 9
vanished there sprang up a new and glittering one to take
his 9
place .
He 11
stood framed in the great plate-glass window of
the very building which had brought about the defeat of
his 11
predecessor 9
7
.
A miracle of close shaving
his 11
face was , and a marvel of immaculateness
his 11
linen .
Dapper
he 11
was , and dressy , albeit inclined to glittering effects and a certain plethory at the back of the neck .
Back of
him 11
stood shining shapes that reflected
his 11
glory in enamel , and brass , and glass .
His 11
language was floral , but choice ;
his 11
talk was of gearings and bearings and cylinders and magnetos ;
his 11
method differed from that of
him 11
who went before as the method of
a skilled aƫronaut 12
differs from that of
the man who goes over
Niagara 14
in a barrel 13
.
And as
he 11
multiplied and spread over
the land 15
we 3
coined a new figure of speech .
" Smooth ! "
we 3
chuckled .
" As smooth as
an automobile salesman 16
. "
But even as
we 3
listened , fascinated by
his 11
fluent verbiage there grew within
us 3
a certain resentment .
Familiarity with
his 11
glittering wares bred a contempt of them , so that
he 11
fell to speaking of them as necessities instead of luxuries .
He 11
juggled figures , and thought nothing of four of them in a row .
We 3
looked at
our 3
five-thousand-dollar salary , so strangely shrunken and thin now , and even as
we 3
looked
we 3
saw that the method of
the unctuous , anxious stranger 11
had become antiquated in its turn .
Then from
his 11
ashes emerged
a new being 17
.
Neither
urger 18
nor
spellbinder 19
he 17
.
The twentieth century was stamped across
his 17
brow , and on
his 17
lips was ever the word " Service . "
Silent , courteous , watchful , alert ,
he 17
listened , while
you 20
talked .
His 17
method , in turn , made that of
the silk-lined salesman 11
sound like the hoarse hoots of
the ballyhoo man 21
at a county fair .
Blithely
he 17
accepted five hundred thousand dollars and gave in return -- a promise .
And when
we 3
would search
our 3
soul for a synonym to express all that was low-voiced , and suave , and judicious , and patient , and sure ,
we 3
began to say , " As alert as
an advertising expert 22
. "
Jock McChesney 23
, looking as fresh and clear-eyed as only twenty-one and a cold shower can make one look , stood in the doorway of
his 23
mother 25
's bedroom 24
.
His 23
toilette had halted abruptly at the bathrobe stage .
One of those bulky garments swathed
his 23
slim figure , while over
his 23
left arm hung a gray tweed Norfolk coat .
From
his 23
right hand dangled a pair of trousers , in pattern a modish black-and-white .
Jock 23
regarded the gray garment on
his 23
arm with moody eyes .
" Well ,
I 23
'd like to know what 's the matter with it ! "
he 23
demanded , a trifle irritably .
Emma McChesney 25
, in the act of surveying
her 25
back hair in the mirror , paused , hand glass poised half way , to regard
her 25
son 23
.
" All right , "
she 25
answered cheerfully .
"
I 25
'll tell
you 23
.
It 's too young . "
" Young ! "
He 23
held it at arm 's length and stared at it .
" What d'you mean -- young ? "
Emma McChesney 25
came forward , wrapping the folds of
her 25
kimono about
her 25
.
She 25
took the disputed garment in one hand and held it aloft .
"
I 25
know that
you 23
look like
a man on a magazine cover 26
in it .
But Norfolk suits spell tennis , and seashore , and elegant leisure .
And
you 23
're going out this morning ,
Son 23
, to interview
business men 27
.
You 23
're going to try to impress
the advertising world 28
with the fact that it needs
your 23
expert services .
You 23
walk into
a business office 29
in a Norfolk suit , and
everybody from
the office boy 31
to
the president of the company 32
30
will ask
you 23
what
your 23
score is . "
She 25
tossed it back over
his 23
arm .
"
I 23
'll wear the black and white , " said
Jock 23
resignedly , and turned toward
his 23
own room 33
.
At
his 23
doorway
he 23
paused and raised
his 23
voice slightly : " For that matter ,
they 27
're looking for
young men 34
.
Everybody 35
's young .
Why ,
the biggest men in the advertising game 36
are just
kids 60
. "
He 23
disappeared within
his 23
room 33
, still talking .
" Look at
McQuirk 37
,
advertising manager of
the Combs Car Company 38
59
.
He 37
's so young
he 37
has to disguise
himself 37
in bone-trimmed eye-glasses with a black ribbon to get away with it .
Look at
Hopper 39
, of
the Berg , Shriner Company 40
.
Pulls down ninety thousand a year , and if
he 39
's thirty-five
I 23
'll -- " " Well ,
you 23
asked
my 25
advice , " interrupted
his 23
mother 25
's voice with that muffled effect which is caused by a skirt being slipped over the head , " and
I 25
gave it .
Wear a white duck sailor suit with blue anchors and carry a red tin pail and a shovel , if
you 23
want to look young .
Only get into it in a jiffy ,
Son 23
, because breakfast will be ready in ten minutes .
I 25
can tell by the way
Annie 41
's crashing the cups .
So step lively if
you 23
want to pay
your 23
lovely mother 25
's subway fare . "
Ten minutes later
the slim young figure , in
its 23
English-fitting black and white 23
, sat opposite
Emma McChesney 25
at the breakfast table and between excited gulps of coffee outlined a meteoric career in
his 23
chosen field .
And the more
he 23
talked and the rosier
his 23
figures of speech became , the more silent and thoughtful fell
his 23
mother 25
.
She 25
wondered if five o'clock would find a droop to the set of those young shoulders ; if the springy young legs in their absurdly scant modish trousers would have lost some of their elasticity ; if the buoyant step in the flat-heeled shoes would not drag a little .
Thirteen years of business experience had taught
her 25
to swallow smilingly the bitter pill of rebuff .
But
this boy 23
was to experience
his 23
first dose to-day .
She 25
felt again that sensation of almost physical nausea -- that sickness of heart and spirit which had come over
her 25
when
she 25
had met
her 25
first sneer and intolerant shrug .
It had been
her 25
maiden trip on the road for
the T.A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company 42
.
She 25
was
secretary of
that company 42
61
now , and moving spirit in
its 42
policy .
But the wound of that first insult still ached .
A word from
her 25
would have placed
the boy 23
and saved
him 23
from curt refusals .
She 25
withheld that word .
He 23
must fight
his 23
fight alone .
"
I 23
want to write the kind of ad , "
Jock 23
was saying excitedly , " that
you 43
see 'em staring at in the subways , and
street cars 44
and
L-trains 45
.
I 23
want to sit across the aisle and watch
their 46
up-turned faces staring at that oblong , and reading it aloud to each other . "
" Is n't that an awfully obvious necktie
you 23
're wearing ,
Jock 23
? " inquired
his 23
mother 25
irrelevantly .
" This ?
You 23
ought to see some of them .
This is a Quaker stock in comparison . "
He 23
glanced down complacently at the vivid-hued silken scarf that the season 's mode demanded .
Immediately
he 23
was off again .
" And the first thing
you 25
know ,
Mrs. McChesney 25
,
ma'am 25
,
we 47
'll have
a motor truck 48
backing up at the door once a month and
six strong men carrying
my 23
salary to the freight elevator in sacks 49
. "
Emma McChesney 25
buttered
her 25
bit of toast , then looked up to remark quietly : " Had n't
you 23
better qualify for the trial heats ,
Jock 23
, before
you 23
jump into the finals ? "
" Trial heats ! " sneered
Jock 23
.
" They 're poky .
I 23
want real money .
Now !
It is n't enough to be just well-to-do in these days .
It needs money .
I 23
want to be rich !
Not just prosperous , but rich !
So rich that
I 23
can let the bath soap float around in the water without any pricks of conscience .
So successful that
they 50
'll say , ' And
he 23
's
a mere boy 62
, too .
Imagine ! ' "
And , "
Jock 23
dear , "
Emma McChesney 25
said , "
you 23
've still to learn that plans and ambitions are like soap bubbles .
The harder
you 23
blow and the more
you 23
inflate them , the quicker they burst .
Plans and ambitions are things to be kept locked away in
your 23
heart ,
Son 23
, with
no one but
yourself 23
51
to take an occasional peep at them . "
Jock 23
leaned over the table , with
his 23
charming smile .
"
You 25
're
a jealous blonde 63
, "
he 23
laughed .
" Because
I 23
'm going to be
a captain of finance 64
--
an advertising wizard 65
;
you 25
're afraid
I 23
'll grab the glory all away from
you 25
. "
[ Illustration : " '
You 25
're a jealous blond , '
he 23
said " ]
Mrs. McChesney 25
folded
her 25
napkin and rose .
She 25
looked unbelievably young , and trim , and radiant , to be
the mother of
this boasting boy 23
25
.
"
I 25
'm not afraid , "
she 25
drawled , a wicked little glint in
her 25
blue eyes .
"
You 23
see ,
they 27
'll only regard
your 23
feats and say , ' H 'm , no wonder .
He 23
ought to be able to sell ice to
an Eskimo 52
.
His 23
mother 25
was
Emma McChesney 25
. ' "
And then , being
a modern mother 25
,
she 25
donned smart autumn hat and tailored suit coat and stood ready to reach
her 25
office 53
by nine-thirty .
But because
she 25
was as motherly as
she 25
was modern
she 25
swung open the door between
kitchen 54
and
dining-room 55
to advise with
Annie 41
,
the adept 66
.
" Lamb chops to-night , eh ,
Annie 41
?
And sweet potatoes .
Jock 23
loves 'em .
And corn au gratin and some head lettuce . "
She 25
glanced toward
Jock 23
in
the hallway 56
, then lowered
her 25
voice .
"
Annie 41
, "
she 25
teased , " just give
us 57
one of
your 41
peach cobblers , will
you 41
?
You 41
see
he 23
--
he 23
's going to be awfully -- tired when
he 23
gets
home 58
. "