News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-08-27

people want to do is to make up an
. stop all this" He paused with a il
dicial air.
, " How did you know this ?" the VIC
! man asked. ''Does Mr.. Griswold max
II cOnfidant of an office boy?'
SWipesey was all dignity then. "Yor
are mistaken there. He never said
word to me about it. l don't know
very much about it, only have pu
two and two together. | remembe
about six months ago, when h
bought the paper, that one day SOM
one was in the office and asked hin
about you. He all to once became
very cool, and said, in an uneasy wa
that you was in California for you
health. And one day | was cleaning
up his desk, and | found a picture
there-yOur picture. l put it bacl
where | found it; and one night, wher
had to come back to the office with
some copy to leave for the compost
tors to begin on in the morning, ]
found him in the dark at his desk
sitting there and crying, with the pie.
turein his hand. He didn t knowI saw
him. but | did just the same. And
that's why I'm sorry for him; | had
never seen man cry before. And
when he's cross and hard with us peo-
pie about the office, l know he ain t
really that way, but that pain drives
him to it, and he is trying to forget
about everything"
The office boy told all this in a
grave manner, and his quietness evi-
IDENTIFY impressed itself on the woman
in his favor, for she said nothing and
allowed him to go on.
Sometimes | would see in the
other papers that Mrs. Griswold, wife
of Editor Griswold of the Briggsville
Bugle is in Santa Barbara for her
health, and then you would be in Ia
coma and all sorts of places; but he
never spoke of you in his paper and
you never came here. | have heard
talk too, OF a quarrel yon two had,
| and-Ot course L haVe-surmiSed that
something was wrong. Idon't know
what separated you, or why you left
him, or he you, and it isn't any ofmy
business; but now you have come
back to him, l hope you will stay
with him."
The woman looked at Swipesey's in
telligent freckled face, and saw the
brightnes of his small gray eyes. She
was impressed with his red hair and
his snub-nose. And she humored him
by asking, ''Is that what you advise
me to do?"
Certainly" answered the boy.
| 70 hnf
would advise you to do"
"But suppose he wants me to come
more than half way? Suppose after
all, he doesn't want me to stay?
"That's all right. I'll fix that. |
can manage it. He's been waiting
for you a long time, guess, but he's
too proud to tell you to come back
to him. He's upstairs now, writing
a letter, and''-here Swipesey looked
at her brightly-'I think it is to you.
| Sometimes he has started letters,
which l have found in the waste-bas-
ket torn or partly burned, beginning,
''My dearest wife," but | don't think
he has ever sent them. However,
that is none of my business. But to-
day what do you think he did? He
sent everybody home in order to be
alone that he might write. 1t was
nothing connected with the paper, |
know, for the copy is all in. | think
he is writing to you upstairs to come
back, and he doesn't know you are
| here already"
eff he will only say he was wrong,
and ask my forgiveness" the woman
muttered, looking out of the window
at the pattering rain. Then she
started up, seemingly unaware of the
boys presence. But | mustn't ask
too much. | was in the wrong as
much as he"
''Now tell you what to do" said
Swipesey with eagerness. eff you put
this into my hands We'll fix it up all
right" His eyes shone and he took
a few steps forward with his small
hands clasped together and his face
raised hopefully toward the woman.
"You let me go upstairs and sort of
prepare him. III not say who wants
to see him, but I'll just give him a
hint. And then you go up and sur
prise him; and if you look at him and
smile, and if you tell him you are sor-
ry, don't think he would send you
away; now, do you?"
The woman looked down at the lad
and smiled sadly at him. She could
not help being amused at his eager
ness to help her and the lonely man
upstairs.
/ He seemed to divine what she was
thinking of, for he said, ooh, you
mustn't think | am dipping my finger
into something that amt my bust
ness for | should like to hear him
laugh as he did a long time ago; and
besides it is not right for two people
to be apart the way you and him
are"
The woman laughed nervously 81
don't think you had better meddle
after all - she said. "YOu may be q
very bright boy, but it might make
him angry to think l had allowed
81 never set up to be bright" said
Swipesey, in an injured tone. "If
was an entire stranger he might not
like it: but being on the staff, why
it's entirely different-see?"
The woman laughed again and theI
asked; "What do you propose tc
do?"
"Well, you set right down in that
chair again and I'll run upstairs. III
not be gone but a minute, and ther
I'll come back for you"
Before she could say a word to stol
him, he had whisked out of the room
, and she heard him going up the stairs
two steps at time. She sigheC
again and looked down and watched
the people passing.
Then Swipesey was back with {
,, cordial encouraging: "Come along
,, I've fixed it. He'll see you. ="
And they went up the stairs-up in
to the office, which had become quit
dark now and was but a cherries
| place at best.
Swipesey threw open the door, say
ing: "Here she is, sir.
The old man was scribbling. II
had laid aside the typewriter for tn
pen and he kept on for moment
J Then he looked up in a bewildere
p wav. threw down his pen, rubbed hi
: ewes, sprang up and with a boun
was across the room. "Gracel' wa
all he said.
1 And Swipesey smiled in self-sati'
: fed sort of way, and closing the doc
d left them alone. And when the edito
: came down stairs into the lower otfic
g a half hour later, with a shining, hal
DIV look in his eyes, he found Swipese
O sitting in the chair with his feet hig
q nm on the desk and his hat tilted o