Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-07-10

hat, with blue ribbon on it, hung en-
the bronze peg opposite the door.
"Now, then," said Cline, putting on
most forbidding air OF strict business.
''You understand that the matter for
which have engaged you is entirely
aside from the regular business of this
Office. By the way, what shall l call
vou1 Miss whatl Chalcey1 Well, never
mind the Nelly, I'll call you Miss Chalcey,
it's more business like; and don't want
YOU to talk outside of this room about
anv of the business you have to transact
here. Do you understand If you get
that straight to begin with there'ii DC
no trouble"
Then she turned her demure face to-
wards him and said, "Yes, sir, so
meekly and patiently and profounly that
he noticed her eyes. They were agates
moss agates, by Jove. Funny little
spots in them that swan and danced
round and melted into each other in tha
most absurdly molten way, as if there
might he little caldrOns under them
where the light was boiled and soitened
down into some ridiculous girl nonsense
The worst of it was they always seemed
to be Just on he point of boiling over
as of light, like music, had some kind oil
inscrutable pathos in it.
V.
So they got along very nicely without
aay nonsense. Cline would come III
about half past ten or eleven, look to
see if the sailor hat was hanging on the
per. crunt out, "Good morning, Miss
Cha,cev, " and then sit down at his desk
to omen letters. Sometimes she would
sit demurelv for half an hour, her head
turned, looking out of the one clear lit
tie pane 10 the cathedral window straight
at Bob Slocum's Gothic Office opposite,
where there was never anything to see
exec 1t Bob Slocum's window shades, and
that piece of telegraph tape that dauglei
forever from the wires overhead, in spite
of all the sparrovs that had tried to pull
it of. At other timcs Gin, woIld die
tate, and then the click of the instru-
ment drowred the monotonous chirp OF
the ianitor's bullfnch that was whistling
somewhere.
OF course she got to know all about 1t
what it was he was trying to do-and
he grew to consult her on some Of the
details. Like a good girl sac put her
whole heart into it and really tried to
help him all she could to find the wife he
wanted. How could she help it, and
then. too, she couldn't help finding out
by degrees that Cline drew some heavy
checks and had a swell circle Of acquaint-
ances.
And he-well he, like good method
ical business mau, fell into routine here
IS elsewhere. His heart was constructed
on solid clock work business principles,
and one morning when he came in the SAL
lor hat was not on the peg. Itannoyed him
at once. 1t always does annoy busi-
ness man to have things irregular. He
fdgeted in his chair. 1t was too bad.
| Nobody could be depended on, and here
were several letters to Je answered. He
called Swain in. "Where is that young
womanl"
Swain started little, as if he felt
guilty of having abducted her, and said,
"What do you want, typewriteri
Here's Wallace aud Durea and CIapp,
any one of EN- can
And Cline shouted, "Nonsensel Shut
the door,
Then he noticed the bTonzs peg. 1t
had an ironical aud plucked aspect.
He sat down in the chair by the win
dow and looked at Bob Slocums shades.
He couldn't help wondering what Miss
Chalcey found to think about during all
the vacant hours when she looked out
there, waitingiy.
The next day when she came he repri-
manded her ferccly. ''lt annoyed me
very much, he said from his chair, with
out looking round. "You should have
sent me some word. depended on you.
It's very irregular and ulbusinesslike."
She turned round and looked at him 10
her meek way. "My mother is dying,
she said. ~ have neglected her to-day
so as not to dlsappoint you"
His establishment twisted him round in
his chair, and he came plump up against
the agates, swimming in some kind Of
light he had never seen before.
"Confound it, Miss Chalcey," he said,
Jumping up. "What do you mean by
having sick mother and not telling mel
What do you mean by coming here to.
dayl Will you never get any bushes:
ideas into your headl l told you that
this room was to be confidential. d.
you call it confidential to act in this
rnauner9 I'm surprised, Miss Chalcey.
I'm burt"
He took down the sailor hat. ''Yo,