Top-Notch, Vol. XV, No. 6

Catalog Note This March 15, 1914 issue of *Top-Notch Magazine* opens with the serial "The Firing Man," a commercial fiction story by an unattributed author. The narrative follows Barry Crane, an unemployed ranch hand seeking work at the enormous Waldron Brothers department store in Herald Square, New York. On his initial visit, he dramatically apprehends a fleeing suspect pursued by store security—a man later revealed to be an espionage suspect rather than a common thief, snooping in the advertising department. Impressed by Crane's courage and physical capability, the store's general manager Olcott immediately offers him employment. During this sequence, Crane encounters Miss Sheridan, the sharp-witted manager of the cloak and suit department, who had first noticed the suspect's suspicious presence. The story emphasizes both the scale of modern retail operations and themes of opportunity through decisive action. The narrative concludes as Crane ascends toward the administrative offices on the eighth floor to begin his new position.