The Story Is Told About 3 Brothers Who ...  PRO

ILL. The story is told about 3 brothers who started working at the same time for a fur company owned by an old friend of their father.

After working there for more than a year, one son was still receiving the same salary as when he started, & seemed to be unhappy with his job. The second son had received a raise; while the third son had received a very generous raise.

Curious about this, the father went to see his old friend, the president of the company & said, "Jim, my 3 boys all work for you & I appreciate your giving them positions in your company. But I have a question. You pay one of them $2,500 a month, another $3,000, & the third $5,000. Why the difference?"

The president leaned back in his chair & was silent for a few moments. Then he answered, "Well, maybe I can show you why. Do you have enough spare time to wait around here for a while?"

"I can stay all day," the father said. "Well, I hope it won’t take that long, but let’s see." He picked up the phone & called the $2,500 a month son & told him, "I hear the Ontario has just docked at the wharf, loaded with furs. Please go down there & see what cargo she’s carrying & let me know."

About 3 minutes later the president’s phone rang & the young fellow said, "I didn’t have to go down there to get the information. I just telephoned them. They’re carrying 1,500 sealskins." The president said, "Thank you."

He buzzed the next son, the $3,000 one, & said, "The Ontario has just docked. Will you please go down & see what she has on board & let me know at your earliest convenience? About an hour later the phone rang & the son reported, "I just went down & checked the Ontario. She has 1,500 sealskins & some miscellaneous skins on board."

Then the president called the third son, the $5,000 one. He said, "The Ontario has docked," & told him the same story & made the same request. Four hours later the young man was back & came right to the president’s office. He said, "Well, she had 1,500 sealskins on board & all are in good shape. I contracted to buy them for $25 apiece, & filled that order we had from one of our customers. He bought all of them from us at $40 apiece."

"The Ontario also...