Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-11-07

leaf fan who immediately cooled the
mounting ardor of the staff. ''Old
John" as they Familiarity called him
behind his back, never could be
b. -ght to approve of jokes between
eight ia the morning and six IN the
afternoon. Those were the hours OF
business. But in truth business with
old John had all hours and seasons
for its own. He was business all
through. He had never found time
for amusement; He had never Ito Mr..
Insteps regreO fouZd time to cult
vate society; he had never found time
to marry, and when Intercepted on
this point frankly acknowledged that
he never expected to find time to mar
ry. He had never seen much OF
women, never cared very much about
them in his calculations. But after
fifty years-or forty nine; that don't
seem quiet so antiquated-of absence
the femme element was about to 90
trude itsef apon Old Johns life. be,
in short, it is who acts as hero. if hero
there be in this simple middle aged
romance.
The following Monday morning
Bailey and his friend the cashier hap
pened, by a coincidence that seldom
repeated itself, to cross Boxtoc &
Instep's threshold together. A mo-
ment later Bailey had opened his
pocket book. placed a crisp, fresh '
in the others hand, and said IN a
voice whose every accent expressed
the resignation which sometimes fol-
lows utter defeat Here take 1t,
Tommy; we won't wait till Wednes-
day"
Just inside the door of old Johns
office sat woman of about 80 or 35.
Beside her stood a typewriter opened
for work, in her lap lay notebook,
and her hands were just putting the
finishing touches on three or four
pencil points. She was attired neatly
and trinity in simple gray, with plain
white linen at her throat and wrists.
Not a curl, or frill, or furbelow. And
as our two young men entered she
lifted a pair Of calm gray eyes and
said, in a serene and matter OF fact
tone: Good morning"
eve won't wait tifF Wednesday, J"
repeated handsome George in an
awed whisper, while a fiendish
chuckle came from the boy, whose
head was popped up over case of
Congress CATERS not far away.
The iady's name turned to be Kat
| herine. She was introduced, however,
as Miss Grant, who had undertaken to
shorthand and typewrite the firms
correspondence and Miss Grant she
was called, and nothing else, until
Upon the arrival of old John she
began work on the morning mail.
She took down. from dictatIon be-
| tween 8 and II, and an hour of click
! ings followed before she rose togo out
to lunch. During her brief absence
one or two venturesome spirits took
it upon themselves to investigate the
progress of her work. Why not? they
said it's firm matter, amt ii? of
course; and SO they turned over with
some awe the twenty odd pages of
alge6raical, pyrotechnical, and cabal
istIc ScratchiNgs which her note book
contained, and tried to trace some
correspondence between the first let
ter in the book and the letter at the
bottom of her little pile of printed
sheets. Though they failed totally in
this matter, still they tiptOed out with
a certain respect for shorthand and
an expressed opinion that she seemed
to be pretty nice woman and that
old John would probably find her a
considerable help.
lie did. lie was a man upon whom
precision, punctuality, and good
general capacity were never thrown
away, and by the end of the first
week he had come to wonder how he
! had ever got on SO long without help
of this sort and had reached the firm
conclusion that he should never be
able to dispense with ii in the future.
| Everybody else in the Office, too, be-
came impressed in the proper degree
with the promtitude and capacity with
which MISS Grant discharged her du
ties, and she soon gained the complete
respect and good will of the house.
Even Mr.. George Bailey was carried
along in the general wave, and &C
! knowledged that he liked the new
conner none the less even if she had
distinctly begun to discourage the or
nate attentions with which he seemed
rather disposed to favor her.
Such treatment comes to me like
something of "A novelty" he modestly
said one day; but perhaps 1t will do
me good. Shes a nice little woman,
all the same, and ought to have made
some man a good wife long before
this"
She may yet, said the credit man,
| briefly he happened to overhear.
| hnn tYun fl,rnn he
| later, the cashier cast knowing look
in the direction of Mr.. George Bailey,
and in the course of the next half hour
inquired in discreetly lowered voice
if Mr.. B. had any idea where he had
been last night and what he h ad seen
by being there.
mo, replied George. "Wnerc were
you and what did you see2"
Theatre said the cashier. II was
up in the first balcony, in the front
row, you know; best seats in the
| house; wouldn't sit anywhere else
and along i'll the second act | happen
ed to look down, and there right under
me, SO help me gracious, was-who'd
you s'pose2'
"Couldn'tguess, responded Bailey,
briefly; "who2'
"Old John; that's who! Old John,
do YOU understand? | haven't seen
the top of that head every day for
four years for nothing. And who
who-who 10 you think was with
! him2'
80, that Dubuque man-Shank, or
whatever his name ISL"
" Not ut all, cried the other, with
great citation; 'hot at all. The person
with him was an accomplished phono-
grapher and typewriter operator, as
I'm living sinner. You ought to
have seen them. 1t was the Lady of
Lyons. They mingled their tears
together. Old John hasn't been to a
play for years, and tender as a chick
en- don't express 1t. And Miss Grant
WAS"
Are you telling me, asked Bailey,
that Old Joha has been taking Miss
Grant to the theatre2"
II am.
Bailey gave prolonged whistle.
The dime museum is nowhere" he
simply said.
A week later he received another
surprise; this time from the boy who
was death on girls"
Bailey was IN the deep recesseS of
the stock when a juvenile figure came
. l.. a Il.