Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-30
PERFIDY UNVEILED.
An End to the Jekyii-and- III yde Game OF q
bookkeeper In . Chicago sky scraper.

An End to the Jekyii-and II yde Game Of a
bookkeePer I'm . Chicago sky scraper.
Prom the Chicago Daily Tribune
by George, thAt's another oner'
The blonde young man with the plastcred hair
and Old gold mustache chuckled softly 10 him
self and looked again across the way.
And shes a better looking one than the girl
at the window" he soliloauized. after as crit
icai an cxaminasion Of the new face As the M
ture of the case would permit.
he was bookkeeper in the employ Of a real
estate firm whose Office was on one of the upper
noors OF q downtown sky scraper. and for sew
eral hours each day, while the members of the
nrm were securing the streets for business or
giving exclusive scoops" to every real estate
self '''"h 70 MN
During the frequent spells Of loneliness that
came upon him he had cultivated by degrees
the acquaintance Of a typewriter girl who sat
AZ window across the court that separated
the two wings of the great Office building The
acquaintance had begun bv his layisbinV .
smile upon her and securing in return a cold
stare lie persevered with his smiles. however
as opportunity offered. until she began rercen-
hoiy to melt, and when. after an absence II
some days, she returned one morning and be-
gan work at her desk a. usual he yenturcd upon
q nod. she nodded in reply.
mus II had come to be understood that their
regular morning greeting, repeated now and
then during the day. was a smile and nod on
his part and nod and smile on hers.
lhis had been going on for several weeks.
One day, while temporarily at work nj ano; b,r
desk thsn bis own, he CHANGED 10 look across
the court ANA found himself opposite a wind Wv.
near which sat another typewriter girl whora he
had not seen before. and. az already related. she
No. l.
Thereupon he set himself TO work 20 cultivate
her acquaintance also.
IL was slow process. II took him some
ume merely TO impress upon her. as a circunl-
stance worth noting, the fact that he wa there
But he persisted. Without suffering his ac-
quaintance with Typewriter Girl No. 10 lapse
In the slightest degree, il became his custom
while suffering from his lonesomeness-
tired feeling-to repair 20 the desk that brought
typewriter Girl No. within the range of his
VISION, lean his head upon his hand and look
at her with an expression OF deep melancholy
on his face that would have softened the heart
Of u cab driver
For long time she seemed oblivious. but
one day, while he was regarding hsr with his
most pensve and woe-begone gaze. he vas
surprised TO see her lean her head on her hand
and fix her eyes upon him with an exaggerated
look OF anguish on her own face.
The mimicry was perfect, and in the laugh
hRhed on q basis of reciprocity.
The regular selu.ation between the volng man
and Typewriter Girl No . thus cane to be diff
ferent from that of No. l.
After he had exchanged his nod and smile at
his own desk with No. he would wander in a
casual way 20 the other desk, out of signt of No
j, and exchange a loox Of the most profound
melancholy. usually followed by wave Of the
hand, with No 2: and in these recreaSions and
diversions the blonde young man relieved the
monotony OF his lonely hours. and plumed him
SELF not little, moreover, upon his powers of
fascination.
What it might all have led to mad not an unex-
pected occurrence, even: bordering closely
upon tragedy, broken in upon the current of
his existence-but let ms not anticipate
One morning there was an alarm of fire close
at hand. From the court between the two sec
tons OF the building only glimpse of the
street could be had, but the sentimental book
keeper ran to the nearest window. raised IT,
thrust his head out and looked toward the street
to see If the fire engines were gathering.
Directly across the court two windows. per-
tanning to two different Offices. were raised at
the same moment and two female heads were
thrust out simultaneously.
They were the heads of Typewriter Girls Nos
ard 2.
No. looked AZ him with smile and nodded.
No. 2 assumed an expression of the most
lugubrious melancholy and waved he- hand in
the usual manner.
The blonde young man looked helplessly
from one to the other and wilted
His hour had come.
He couldn't smile and nod In one direction
while looking melancholy in the other.
II is simply impossible. Try il and see.
As he stood there, gazing vacantlv at nothing
IN particular. shrinking yisibly in his clothes,
and feeling his plastered hair rise slowly on
end. the two typewriter girls. happily oblivious
hitherto Of each others existence, turned and
looked at each other
Then they looked at him again with an ex-
preston OF frozen scorn in their eyes, two win
dows came down with a simultaneous bang and
Nos. and 2 went to their work.
From that time to this they have utterly
ignored him.
He has moved his desk to corner OF the
office where he can see neither window.
He tries to look cheerful and unconcerned
but he is a changed Young man.
His old gold mustache. once his pride and
the object of his loving care, looks discouraged,
forlorn and dropping
The fire has gone from his eve and his hair.
its glossy smoothness all departed, has a wilted.
frowsy look about it that tells Of once glowing
but now dead and gone ambition.
And as he goes about his daily task. with his
trousers no longer creased, the quarter of an
inch long nails that once gave an aristocratic
air to each little finger now roughly gnawed of
a faded tie about his neck, old slippers on his
feet, a three days growth of beard on his face
and the general look Of a person who hasn't
anything to live for and doesn't care TO have,
he affords a solemn warning TO all young men
not to undertake rashly Irritation with two
typewriter girls at the same time
MN NunVUNS