The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-10

ola Bookkeeper in a sky-scraper.
From the Chicago Daily Tribune.
"By George, that's another oneP
The blonde young man with the plastered
hair and old gold mustache chuckled softly
to himself and looked again across the way.
"And she's a better looking one than the
| girl at the other windown he soliloquized,
after as critical an examination OF the new
| face as the nature of the case would permit.
| he was a bookkeeper in the employ of
real estate firm whose Office was on one of
| the upper floors of a downtown sky-scraper
| and for several hours each day, while the
| members OF the firm were securing the
streets for business OF giving exclusive
scoops" to every real estate reporter in the
city, ne had the room to himself.
During the frequent spells of loneliness
| that came upon him be had cultivated by
degrees the acquaintance of a typewriter
| girl who sat at window across the court
| that separated the two wings of the great
office building The acquaintance had be-
gun by his lavisning a smile upon her and
| securing in return a cold stare He perse-
vered with his smiles, however, as opportun-
isy offered, until she began perceptibly to
melt, and when, after an absence Of some
days, she returned one morning and began
work at her desk as usual he ventured upon
| a nod she nodded in reply.
Thus it had come to be understood that
| their regular morning greeting, repeated
now and then during the day, was O smile
and nod on his part and nod and smile on
| hers
This had been going on for several weeks.
One day, while temporarily at work at an-
| other desk than his own, he chRnced to
| look across the court and found himself op-
| poSite window, near which sat another
typewriter girl. whom he had not seen be-
| nd Nia aoIr FL oh, L. b.,
as being an Improvement upon No. l.
Tnereupon he set himself to work to Gull
tivste her acquaintance also.
1t was slow process. lt took him some
| time merely 60 impress upon her, as q cir
cumstance worth noting, the fact that he
was there.
But he persisted. Without suffering his
acquaintance with typewriter girl No. l to
lapse In the slightest degree, it became his
| custom while suffering from bis lonesome
ness his tired feeling-to repair to his
desk that brought typewriter girl No. 2
| within the range of his vision, lean mis- head
upon his hand, and look at her with an ex~
preston Of deep melancholy on his face that
would have softened the heart of g cab
| driver.
For long time she seemed oblivious, but
one day, while be was regarding her with
| his most pensive and woe begone gaze, he
| was surprised to see her lean her head on
her hand and tx her eyes upon him with an
| exaggerated look OF anguish on her own
| face.
The mimicry was perfect, and Ia the laugh
THAI followed it the acquaintance was es-
taolished oc basis OF reciprocity.
The regular sGlutation between the young
man and typewriter girl No. 2 thus came to
be different from that of No. /.
After he had exchanged his nod and smile
at his own desk with No. he would wauder
In causal way to the other desk out of sight
OF No. l. aud exchange look OF the most pro
found melancholy, usually folio we'd by a
wave Of the hand, with No q; and in these
recreations and diversions the blonde young
man relieved the monotonY Of his lonely
hours, aud plumed himself not little, more
| over, upon his powers of fascination.
What it might all have led to, had not an
| unexpected occurrence, an event bordering
closely upon tragedy, broken in upon the
| current Of his existeuce-butl let us not On
| ticipate.
One morning there was an alarm of fire
close at hand. From the court between the
two sections OF the building only glimpse
| Of the street could be had, but the senti-
mental bookkeeper ran to the nearest win
| dow, 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.
pertaining 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 and 2.
No. l looked at him with smile and nod
ded.
No. 2 assumed an expressio OF the most
lugubrious melancholy, and waved her hand
10 ths usual manner
The blonde young man looked helpIessly
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.
1t is simply impossible. Try it and see
AS he stood there, gazing vaoantly at
| nothing In particular, shrinking visibly 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
expression Of frozen scorn in their eyes,
two windows came down with a simuta-
neous bang, and Nos and wentsto their
work.
= =
From that time to this they have utterly
ignored him.
He has moved his desk to a corner of the
office where he can see neither window.
He tries to look cheerful and unconcerned,
but he is changed young man.
His old gold mustache, onceehis pride and
the object OF his loving care looks disoour-
aged, forlorn, and dropping.
The fire has gone from his eye and his
hair, its glossy smoothness al departed, has
a wilted. frowsy look about it that tells of
once glowing but now dead aud gone ambi-
ton.
And as he goes about his daily task, with
his trous 9rs no longer creased, the quarter
Of an inch long nails that once gave an ar
istocratic air to each little finger now
roughly gnswed off, faded tie about his
neck, old slippers on his feet, three days
growth of beard on his face, and the gene
raj LOOK Of person who hasn't anything TO
live for and doesn't care to have, he affords
solemn warning TO all young man not to
undertake rashly Irritation with TWO type
writer girls at the same time.
The largest university in the world IS at
Cairo, Egypt, and has II 900 students. They
come from every part OF the Mohammedan
world, and study Mussulman law, history,
theology and othsr branches needed to confirm
them in the faith of Manomst. They sit on the
floor OF an enormous court and study al I'D,
and the western visitor who calls on them dur
ing study hours might think he had struck the
original tower Of Babel
This climate of yourn haint no great shake,
eZ ! eau see. ."
Arkansas Native-You wait till our ager gifts
I mind