The Portland daily press., 1893-11-02
49,
what it was he was trying to do--and he
].

what it was he was trying to do--and he
grew to consult her about the details.
Like good girl she 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
swell circle of acquaintance.
And newell, he, like good methodical
business man, fell into a routine here as
well as elsewhere. His heart was con-
structed on solid clockwork business prin-
ciples, and one morning when he came in
the sailor hat WAS not ON the peg.
1t annoyed him at once. 1t always does
annoy a business man to have things irreg-
ular. He lidgeted in his chair 1t was too
bad. Nobody could be depended on, and
here were several letters to be answered.
He called Swain in.
Where is that young woman"
Swain started little, as if he felt guilty
of having abducted her, and said: do you
want u typewriter, sir? Here's Wallace
and Liurant and Clapp, any one of 'em
CAM
And Cline shouted: Nonsense. Shut the
door,
The next day when she came he repri.
manded her fiercely. SIT annoyed me very
MUCH" he said from his chair, without
looking round. 'You should have sent me
some word. depended on you. It's very
irregular and unbusinesslike.
She turned round and looked at him in
her meek way. my mother is dying" she
said. 'Ihave neglected her today so as not
to disappoint 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!" be said
jumping up. What do you mean by hav-
ing mother ill and not telling me? What
do you mean by coming here today Will
you never get any business ideas into your
head? told you this room was to be con-
fdential. Do you call it confidential to act
in this mannerP I'm surprised, Miss Chal-
cey. Pm hurt"
He took down the sailor hat. ''You are
to go back to your mother-at once"
He opened the door. "Here, Swain, get
a hanson"
It was about week after this. The room
had half o ton Of letters in it. Cline used
to come in, look at the bronze peg and 90
away again. Then the sailor hat reap.
peared.
Miss Chalcey was there waiting; SO was
her little lunch that she always ate when
Cline and Wallace went out to a swell
restaurant, and on Cline's desk was a tiny
bunch Of violets.
He shook hands with her, congratulated
her on her mothers recovery and said:
''Pshaw, don't mention it, my child am
about as kind as the average business man
mo more, no less. We've got terrible
lot of business here"
Cline was in particularly good spirits
that morning. 1t was so comfortable, don't
you know, to have the Office routine 60 on
in it's regular businesslike way-to hear the
click of the instrument, to get side glimpses
of two white wrists dancing gallopade, to
know that the sailor hat was covering up
that COMPOUNDED bronze peg.
It went on for week, with little bunch
of violets every morning on his desk, which
he always put in his buttonhole when he
went out to lunch. There were two days
when he hadn't got pin, and she had, and
SO she fastened them on for him.
Then the whole affair came to sudden
STOP These things always do in real life.
1t was Monday morning. She had hung
up her hat and busted her machine when
Cline said, with a horribly sad expression
of countenance:
miss Chalcey, you've been a very faith
full and efficacious secretary, and Pm sorry
I've got to lose you, but the fact is I've
found the woman want, and of course I
shall not need you any more"
She was looking at him dreamily, as if
she wondered where the paragon came
from that satisfied him.
Eyes," he said, strange as it may sound,
I've actually picked out the woman who
is to be my wife, and I shall not want Sec
rotary We've had very pleasant time
here together, haven't WEI"
Eyes, SIR"
'And you remember all the qualities that
Twas fool enough to expect in one wom-
am"
Eyes, sir.''
swell, I've found most Of them"
''I'm very glad, SIR"
do you think, Miss Chalcey, from what
you know of me that she will have me if I
ask her?n
''Yes, SIR"
you truly think SO on business prin.
ciples?'
Eyes, sir"
'"Then, by Jove. I'll marry her. You can
consider yourself discharged, Miss Chal-
cey-but, Nelly. will you marry me?"
The only unbusinesslike thing that they
did was to both try to look out the ridicu-
lous little window pane at the same time
and no two business people could do that
simultaneously without looking like Sia-
mese twins.-Exchange.
Door Opener and Shutter.
There is new electric door opener, by