"When you start it, Boss?" then asked Larsen.
"We will start this on June 1," I said. I noticed Larsen's face fell, as also did Jones'. "But," I continued, and here they brightened up, "if we do exceed our $30,000.00 this year, I shall give a bonus, though only half of what it will be next year."
"Why only half?" asked Larsen.
"Because," said I, "our expenses have been $750.00 too high as it is. If we do exceed our $30,000.00 for the year ending May 31, we will split up six cents on every dollar over that amount, in proportion to your salaries. How does that strike you?" I said, for every one was silent.
Larsen rose to his feet, coughed impressively, and said: "Mr. Black, on behalf of us fellows I say we appreciate it. I don't quite follow this per cent. stuff. You are bigger business man than we,"—I could not help looking at Charlie Martin, when he said this, for Charlie, with his thorough business training in the college of business administration, I knew to be a better business man, on the theory of business, at any rate, than all the rest of us—"and, if you say so, we know it's O. K. It looks good to me. I know the wife will be tickled to pieces."
I smiled at the way Larsen drifted from general congratulations to thoughts of his wife.
Well, the meeting broke up pleasantly, and every one left with a firm determination to do his best to increase sales without the need of increasing our force. Jones and Larsen and the boy Jimmie walked down the road together, and I heard Jones say: "We will work day and night. If we can only do the business without getting any more help—"
CHAPTER XXXIX
A BOOMERANG IDEA
I had thought of a great idea to profit by agitation against the high cost of living. The idea had come to me when reading a story in a business paper which had said that it was not high cost of living we were suffering from, but cost of high living, and, instead of buying things in bulk as we used to do, we bought in packages and had to pay a whole lot of money for the package—and the advertising of them. It had said also that the modern housewife was lazy and would not do things for herself if she could get them done by some one else, and that she thought more of tango teas than toting baby carriages. The article had finished up by saying: "How many housewives do you know, Mr. Reader, who will make their own soap, do their own washing, bake their own bread, and such like housewifely accomplishments which our parents and grandparents took pride in performing?"