CHARLES WILLIAMS STORY Chapter 14

Notice of Pass or Fail had arrived

 

Finally the letters came. They had all passed the exam except for one, and were now full fledged attorneys.

They were all breathing a sigh of relief except the one named Marvin who was very distraught.

He had spent all his money and some he borrowed moving and renting a place to live. Charles took him aside and told him he could take the test in a year's time, and until then he was still a part of the company and would be put on salary.

Charles said we are all in this together and are a family. We will either prosper together or will all fail.

Marvin never forgot this moment for it lifted him from despair to the feeling of belonging. It would be sometime for him to realize how much he was contributing to the firm.

They had prepared mailings ready to go out as soon as they were certified and they took boxes of brochures to the post office to be sent out.

In the next few days the whole city knew about this new law firm which was down near the docks.  Then as follow up, each day there were special invitations sent out inviting business owners to come down and visit.

Many came accepting the invitation just out of curiosity and for the most part they went away with a good feeling about this new firm.

That good feeling of itself was not enough to get them to abandon the firms they had been with for years but should something happen they didn't like they knew where they would come.

Once a month, Charles would place a testimonial in the paper from a satisfied client with their permission.  This angered some of the other firms for they considered the actions Charles had taken to be vulgar and unseemly, and besides that they were losing clients.

One special day a large group had been invited to get acquainted with the new law office.  Without warning into the office came a few rowdies and they began to insult the guests.

Charles knew some of them from the days he learned to box at the docks so he told them to stop it. When they recognized Charles they immediately stopped and in the next couple of minutes the story came out.

This guy came into the pub, and bought a pint for everyone, and offered five pounds to all who would go down and create a disturbance.

When Charles asked, “Who did this?” One of the rowdies said, “There he is outside.”  Charles recognized him as one of the partners he used to work for.

Charles said, “Go get him,” and a minute later they dragged him into the office, as he gave out a stream of obscenities.  Several of the guests recognized him from doing business with him and seeing him at parties they attended.  

They told him if that was the way he did business then they wouldn't be using his firm anymore for they didn't like what had happened here.

The prospective clients realized what had occurred and didn't blame Charles' firm for the event.  

Charles told his rowdy friends to get the instigator out of here for he didn't trust himself to be alone with him; so with a few slaps and a boot to the rear end the offending attorney was sent on his way.

The leader of the rowdies told Charles if they had known it was his business they would never have did what they had done.  They remembered that he knew most of them and had helped them many times.  They also said that they would see to it that no one would ever be bothered by anyone down here.

Charles thought about his making friends of these rejects from society in times past and it was going to pay off big in the future.

 
This had been an interesting day, and Charles knew that he would have to tell Edie all about it, for she wouldn't rest until he did.    

To be Continued