‘But, Brian, I don’t know anything about business.’
‘Listen to me, my love. Ordinarily I will not bother you about business. Deo
volente, I will not need to do so again. But this affects you and our three children
and the one that has caused you to get out your fat clothes again.’ He told me in
detail what Mr Fones had offered.
I thought hard about it, then said, ‘Brian, under this agreement you are to pay this
– drawing acount you called it – to Mr Fones each month?’
‘Yes. If the business makes more profit than the average of the last few years, his
share increases.’
‘Suppose it makes less. His share goes down?’
‘Not below that drawing account figure.’
`Even if the business loses money?’
‘Even if it loses money. Yes, that’s part of the proposal.’
`Briney, just what is it he is selling you? You are contracting – will be
contracting if you accept – to support him indefinitely -‘
‘No, just twelve years. His life expectancy.’
‘If he dies, it ends? Hmm! Does he know about my great aunt Borgia?’
`No, it doesn’t end if he dies, so get that gleam out of your eye. If he dies, it
goes to his estate.’
`Ali right, twelve years. You support him for twelve years. What do you get out of
it?’
‘Well… I receive a going business. Its files, its records, and, principally, its
goodwill. I’ll have the right to use the name “Fones and Smith, Mining
Consultants”.’ He stopped.
‘What else?’ I asked.
‘The office furniture and the lease. You’ve seen the office.’
Yes, I had. Down in the west bottoms, across from International Harvester. In the
spring flood of 1903 when the Missouri River again failed to turn that comer and
tried to run up the Kaw almost to Lawrence, Briney had to go to work in a row boat.
I had wondered then why a mining company would be down there – no mining in the west
bottoms, just black mud clear down to China. And the heavy stink of the stockyards.
`Brian, why are the offices there?’
‘Cheap rent. It would cost us four times as much to get the same space on Walnut or
Main, even clear out at 15 th. I take over the lease, of course.’
I thought about it hard for several minutes. `Sir, how much of the firm’s travelling
has Mr Fones been doing?’
‘Originally? Or recently? When I first went to work for him, both he and Mr Davis
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made field trips; I stayed in the office. Then he broke me in on what he expected
from a survey – that was bafore Mr Davis retired. Then -‘
‘Excuse me, sir. I mean, how much travelling has Mr Fones done this past year?’
‘Eh? Mr Fones has not made a field survey for more than two years. He’s made a
couple of money trips. Two to St Louis, one to Chicago.’
`While you made all the muddy-boots trips?’
`You could call it that.’
`That’s what you call it, Briney. Dear, you do want to go into business for
yourself, don’t you?’
`You know that I do. This is just sooner than I had thought I could manage it.’
`Are you seriously asking me to say what I think you should do? Or are you just
using me as a sounding board to get your thoughts straight?’
He gave me his endearing grin. `Maybe some of both. I’ll make the decision. But I do
want you to tell me what to do, just as if it were entirely up to you.’
`Very well, sir. But I need more information. I have never known the amount of your
salary – and I don’t want to know now; it’s not fitting for a wife to ask – but tell
me this. Is that drawing account figure more or less than your salary?’
`Eh? More. Quite a bit more. Even with the bonuses I have received on some deals.’
`I see. All right, Briney; I’ll express my advice in the imperative. Refuse his
offer. Go down tomorrow morning and tell him so. At the same time hit him for a