720 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CtljyrUltE. 



()CT. 



tains the ledgers and other valuable papers 

 contains pretty much all of the books we 

 sell ; for a good deal of money can l)e put in 

 small compass where it is invested in books. 

 Our book-trade is one large item of our bus- 

 iness. In order to ship books promptly and 

 rapidly, they are all wrapped up before be- 

 ing put away in the safe. Where tlie book 

 is heavy, the corners are protected ; and to 

 avoid any danger of getting hold of the 

 wrong book, the name and price of each 

 book is printed on each outside wrapped. 

 You may ask why we do them up until they 

 are ready to send oif. There are severtil 

 reasons why. It keeps them clean, aud free 

 from dust. ' It is a saving of time ; foi- the 

 cost is comparatively nothing, where a clerk 

 ties up books, having suitable paper, twine, 

 and every thing in readiness, compared with 

 wrapping them up one at a time. The lady 

 standing up by the window, near the vault- 

 door, is the one who has charge of the con- 

 tents of the vault, mailing books, and, in 

 fact, mailing almost every thing else. She 

 is very careful and trustworthy in tying up 

 goods securely and safely ; and when com- 

 plaints come in that somebody got the 

 wrong book, or something was not tied up 

 as it ought to have been, she has to take at 

 least a part of the responsibility of making 

 the wrong right. Her table is just back of 

 where she is standing. In fact, I believe 

 the photographer asked her to stand np and 

 look this way when he took the picture. On 

 her table will be found the very best kind of 

 wrapping-paper, suitable twine, clasp-envel- 

 opes, strips of Avood to put on articles that 

 might be injured were they not strengthen- 

 ed, and all the paraphernalia needed to send 

 almost any thing from the counter store l)e- 

 low, over the mountains to California, or 

 anywhere else where the V. S. mails reach. 



Just in front of Mrs. Whitney is the desk 

 where the clerk sits who opens the mails. 

 Her sole business is to open each letter care- 

 fully, and note on one corner exactly what it 

 contained ; and if the contents are not ex- 

 actly in accordance with what the writer 

 claims to have sent, a printed postal is ad- 

 dressed him before the letter leaves her 

 hand. If a man says he incloses a dollar, 

 and she says that, when the letter reached 

 her hand, it contained no dollar at all, 

 there is a chance for quite a (piarrel ; 

 so you see it is of the utmost importance 

 that she mind her p\s and q's ; and if you 

 M^ere to go into this ortice you would liud 

 this clerk seldom speaks or seldom looks up 

 at anybody or at any thing ; and it is also 

 her duty to place each letter, as it leaves 

 her hands, under paper-weights (ready for 

 my inspection) that indicate what depart- 

 ment they are intended for. This latter clerk 

 has also turned around in her chair, in obe- 

 dience to the photographer's command. 

 You see, he is " boss '"for the time being. 



Now, the desk right in front of this latter 

 clerk, as she faces this way, the one covered 

 with all sorts of traps scattered about pro- 

 miscuously, belongs to A.l. Hoot. His chair 

 is vacant, as you will notice ; in fact, he 

 never sits in it very long at a time, nor in 

 any other chair, for that matter, unless it 

 be where lie is sitting at this moment, dic- 



tating these lines to you. One reason why 

 his table is in such disorder, compared with 

 the rest, is, that so many matters are under 

 consideration or awaiting the result of 

 something else. Besides, a good many things 

 are dropped on his table for inspection when 

 he comes around, l^ast, and worst of all, 

 there seems to be always a lot of things that 

 he ought to attend to when lie has a, little 

 surplus time or energy. (Jn each side of his 

 chair are rows of drawers. These drawers 

 contain letters for the different departments 

 of (jT^EANiNGs. That is where Ernest goes 

 when copy is wanted. 



In the further corner of the room, opposite 

 to the one occupied by the vault, is what we 

 call the cloak-room." This is where tiie 

 women-folks hang up their things, and 

 where they go for a little seclusion any 

 time they wish it. It contains a lounge, to 

 be nsed in cases of indisposition. There is 

 also a cupboard for rubbers. Mrs. \V., how- 

 ever, whose work-table is right at the door 

 of this room, complains that even among the 

 women-folks the rule, " A place for every 

 thing, and every thing in its place," is not 

 always observed. This room also contains 

 a wash-bowl aud pitcher, and we are talking 

 about having a, marble-topped wash-stand, 

 V)ut we have not quite got around to it yet. 



The clerk next to the cloak-room, lacing 

 this way, is the subscription clerk. She 

 signs hel'self " liizzie,'' and she has cliarge 

 of every thing pertaining to subscriptions 

 and advertisements. If in your order yon 

 say, among other things, " Send me (Ji.ean- 

 INOS," the letter goes to her tirst ; hence 

 you see it is quite important that she should 

 linish the letter quickly and yiass it on to the 

 express cleik or to tlie freight clerk. 



The next one. light in fiout of her, takes 

 all the letters ordering goods by freight. On 

 a suitably printed blank sheet she copies oh' 

 all the writer orders, taking particular pains 

 to call a thing by the name it is called by in 

 the price list, whether our customerjobserves 

 to do this or not. If he omits prices, or gives 

 them incorrectly, she corrects them. In 

 fact, she condenses the order on this blank 

 order-sheet in the fewest words possible, 

 and yet have it plain for the packers. Site 

 also," by the aid of the l\>stal (Juide and oth- 

 er books, makes sure the address is plain 

 and correct, so yon notice her place is quite 

 responsible. Now, wliile women can do al- 

 most any tiling that men can do, where they 

 have had equal practice and experience, 

 there is much of their work that needs a 

 man's assistance and advice. Accordingly, 

 a great part of the time you will see oui' 

 friend John ("alvert standing at her desk, 

 with his liands full of letters. A great many 

 times important (juestions in regard to ma- 

 chinery, the amount of power needed to 

 drive it, the size of engine to be used, etc., 

 are received. (Questions of this nature 

 make it necessary for us to hold a little 

 council, as doctors do. In such cases, Mr. 

 Warner, the foreman of the saw-room, my- 

 self, and Ernest also, advise in regard to the 

 matter. The result of our decision is either 

 verbally given to the freight clerk or dictat- 

 ed to one of the shorthand writers. Tlie 

 clerk at this desk of which we have been 



