Viewing page 180 of 547

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

absence.  Oh, I was like a kid with stage fright and I confess it readily.  I know what Whitey meant when he told the gang when he went in as Manager that he was "scared to death."  But as the day wore on and with Henry's help, we gradually disposed of one thing and another, I began to feel easier and realized that the curve from ultra-nervousness to relative calm would be a steep one probably, and after a week of this, I would have at least a measure of poise.  But I realized today what it means to " sit in that chair", as Miss Giblin put it, the middle man, pressed from above and criticized from below, and I gained far greater respect than ever before for Whitey and his job.  However, I feel strongly that I can make good at this - only I need a course of sprouts lasting a year or so, and fortunately it appears that will be possible.  When so nervous this morning, I reasoned with myself this way - "old man, you can't expect to step overnight from your old job to Whitey's, which so utterly different, and handle everything as well as he would.  But give yourself some time and you can do as fine a job as anyone."  And I believe this is true.

As I have been promising Ken Wolf a little outing some evening and tonight seemed like the last good opportunity, and also, as I felt the need of a little relaxation after the nervous strain of today, we went out tonight on a little beer drinking foray that put me home at 1:30 AM, slightly later than I had bargained for thanks to Ken's meeting his old friend Mrs. Griffin in the City Club, followed by an extra bottle of beer with Mrs. G. and Mrs. Donovan, who I found was from Paris, Ky. and seemed much nicer that I had expected.