A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



firming my sales, and working on the basis of his 

 instructions I had a lucky day in Portland, Ore., sell- 

 ing 500 tierces of lard, and closing the deal just ten 

 minutes before I had the house's confirmation, as 

 the buyer had put a time limit on his offer. He was 

 right; we were smothered that fall, but we met the 

 situation with our general products up to cure. 



It was more than a year before I saw him again. 

 I was called into his office for the "third degree." 

 I believe that he would have made a good boxer, 

 for as quickly as a fellow could get in a word in sup- 

 port of his position Mr. Armour side-stepped and 

 landed in a new place, until one was over the ropes 

 and dizzy. He began by saying, "I have been itch- 

 ing to get hold of you ever since we were on the coast. 

 You were doing fairly well then, but you have gone 

 plumb to the bad since." Then it came so fast that 

 even Babe Ruth could not have hit one. When he 

 had me on the mat, and I had taken the count, I 

 said, "Mr. Armour, there is one thing I can't under- 

 stand, and that is why a man of your wonderful 

 business judgment should keep on paying wages to a 

 fellow as rotten as I am." 



He chuckled, shook himself, and said, "Why, that 

 is just pure philanthropy," and then added, "Come 

 on out and see the boys." He put his arm over my 

 shoulder and, walking out Into the old main office 

 on La Salle Street, said, "Boys, I want you to be 

 mighty good to Frank, because the 'old man' has 



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