The Somerset reporter., 1891-08-20

i went discreet, confidential secretary
u answer correspondence. Shes got =
BE- here at ten O'Clock every morning
at nj to business strictly, and she can i.
GET a~ay TIL two or three The salary j.
twelve d ii ATS week. ID YOU think ygu
can get down TO that kind u drudgery
fof that pittsnce aud keep the busine-. IL
this roomin
All that Cline ever heard was demure
little yes, sir" that had the same sug
gestion OF tremolo 10 it as one gets from
fresh raspberry jelly
IAN right, cant bother with you %
day come tomorrow"
And Cline fell to signing checks, and
chip hat went away, and the young MAD
outside poked his nose through the crys-
tai portals OF his barrier, puckered H.
p snd tipped Two or three bars Of Il Ae
Maid with the Milking Pail after her
he little office with the cathedral win
dows took on a new feature There was
an instrument under the sash with Il
black tin roof over it, and title sailor
hat, with blue ribbon on it, hung on
the hronzs peg opposite the door.
Now then" said Cline putting on d
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 call you
Miss WHAT Chslcey? Well never mind
the Nelly III csli you Miss Chalcey, it's
more busnesslike; and | don't want you
to talk outside Of this room abou. any Of
the business YOU have to transact here.
Do you understand If you get that
straight to begin with there'll be NJ
trouble"
Then she turned her demure face to-
ward him. and said Yes, SIR" SO meekly
and patiently and profoundly that he
noticed her eyes. They were agstes-
moss-agates, by Joye. Funny little spots
In them that swan and danced round and
melted into each other in the most alb
surdly molten way, a. II there ight be
little cauldrons under them where the
light was boiled and softened down into
some ridiculous girl nonsense The
woIst Of it was they always seemed to be
just on the point of boiling over, as if
light, like music, had some kind of in
scrutable pathos in it.
So they got along very nicely without
any nonsense. Cline would come at out
half-past ten or eleven, look TO see il the
sail Jr hat was hanging on the peg, grunt
out, Good morning Miss Chalcey,r and
then sit down at his desk to open letters
Sometimes she would sit demurely for
half an hour, her brad turned, looking
out of the one cleaf o'tle pane In the ca
thedral window straight at Bob Slocum's
gothic office opposite, where there was
never anything to see except Bob Slocum's
window shades, and that piece of tee-
graph tape that dangled forever from the
wires overhead, in spite of all the spar
rows that had tried to pull it oil. At 9TH
er times Cline would dictate, aud then the
click of the instrument drowned the mon
otonous chirp of the janitor's bulhnch
that was whstlng somewhere.
or course she got to know all about it
what 1t was he was trying to do-and
he grew to consult her on some of the
details. Like a good girl she put her
whole heart into it and really tried to
help him all she could to Tn 1 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 Il swell circle of acquaiut.
anCes.
And newell, he like a good meth 1di-
cal business man, fell into routine here
as else " here. His heart was constructed
ON solid clock work business principles,
and one morning the sailor hat was not
on the peg. 1t annoyed him at once. 1t
always does annoy a business man to
have things irregular. He idgeted in his
chair. 1t was too bad. Nobody could be
depended on and here were several letters
to be answered. He called Swain in
| Nv acre is that yOuup woman"
Swain started little as If he felt guilty
OF having abducted her, and said, "What
do you want, typewriter? Here's Wal
lace and Durea and Clapp, any one of
EN- can--'
And Cline shouted, Nonsense. Shut
the door,
Then he noticed the bronze peg. 1t had
an ironical and plucked aspect
lie sat down in the window and looked
at Bob Slocum's shades.
He couldn't help wondering what Miss
Chalcey found to think about during all
the vacant hours when she looked out
waitingly.
The next day when she came he repri-
manded her fercely. 1T annoyed me
very much, y he said from his chair, with
out looking round. You should have
sent me some word. | depended on you
It's very irregular and unbusiness-lke ="
she turned round and looked at him in
her meek way, my mother is dying
she said. II have neglected her to-day
so as not to dissppoint you
His aston shment twisted him around
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 ChalceJfn he said
| N =. hot H,N l.
having sick mother and not telling me?
What do you mean by coming here to-
day. viii you never get any business
ideas into your head? / told you thst
this room was to be confidential. Do you
call 1t confidential to act in this manner:
I'm surprised, Miss Chacey. Pm hurt
He took down the sailor hat. "You
are to 60 back to your moth rat once
He opened the door. Here, Swain
get me coupe And Swain saw the
sailor hat in his hand.
1t was about week after this The