Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-07-30
BRADsHAW'S RUSE.
feopyris ht, iS95.l

thinks he isg
 The mother of his charmer approved of l him and had promised friendly alliance, but the charmer herself remained neutral, \ which, you must admit looked doubtful for the alliance, and especially for Brad | shaw.
 He was well meaning, well conducted industrious young man, who by strict at tention to business had become the conf. l dentiaI clerk of Mir. Joseph w. Burphy, | wholesale dealer in tea, coffee, spices, etc., liberal discount to the trade, etc. tBut tell you don't care for him.n Miss Vera White spoke decidedly end looked straight into her mothers eyes. HHe's q young man of such nice, steady habits, demonstrated the mother. 1T know it. y "He's very much in earnest" sighed | Mrs. White.
 ESQ am I,'' retorted the daughter. 1 ttSeems to me it's thing to be in earnest | about. should say he ought to be. . "But, my dear, you let him come here." "It's you who let him. "But you talk with him and go out with him. don't think you dislike MT. | Bradshaw"
 "No I don't"
 "You'll throw over q man who'll mako l you good husband and take up with I some dashing, showy spendthrift yet" "But, my dearest mother, the spendthrift hasn't even appeared to ask to be taken | up. So what's the use of borrowing trou- ble? I don't want to get married anyway. I should have to fall in love first, you know. And, as I've got all that to go I through with, there's plenty of time" But, you know, dear, since the reduc- tion in the rates of interest our income has | grown so small can scarcely make both 1 ends meet. You need more than when you | were little-and-and I don't know what to do. I hate to put mortgage on the 1 house."
 "Oh, you mustn't do thatl will get | some work to do." It was true there was very little to live | upon. Mrs. White had been 0 widow for | ten years. Vera was her only child, and nt 19 was as unsophisticated in the ways 1 of the world as many girls are at 12. It was settled she should learn typewrit- | ing. After she had mastered it the next thing was to find something to do. Here l Mir. Bradshaw came to the rescue and got her place in Mir. Burphy's private office. | Of course he didn't want them to lose the home-he had had his eye on it for some time. His desk was in Mir. Burphy' office, | and it was an admirable arrangement. "You know" he said to the widow, "they call MT. Burphy crank. To be sure, he is an old bachelor and has stuck l so closely to business all his life that it has l made him little gruff and peculiar But l if any one could bo with him us I have | been and could see the real tenderness un- 1 derncath, the good he does in a quiet way and tho strict, fine integrity of tho man, they'd know, as do that he's one in ten thousand. Oh, I'll look after Miss Vera; she'll be all right, assure you" So Vera went to work. The next day after she began she madesome mistake in l dictation, and MT. Burpny spoke sharply l to her. The tears rushed to her eyes, but 1 she choked them back and said quietly: "I shall try faithfully to do what you wish. | If 1 make too many mistakes and don't suit, you have only to send ne away"
 There was something i'll the independ- ence of the answer that caused him to think twice about her. He studied her furtively and found the study interesting l She attended strictly to business, and he saw that she was intelligent and reliable. After time MT. Bradshaw made an un- l pleasant discovery. He believed Miss Vera was in love with her employer. The signs were to him unmistakable. It was here that he became jealous.
 Besides his own feelings in the matter, he felt that he must save young, innocent girl from wrecking her happiness on a -man who, he believed, cared no more for her than the ledger on his desk.
 So he-resolvcd on bold step. He went to MT. Burphy and told him he had reason to believe little Miss White was in love with him, and for her sake something ought to be done to cure the infatuation.
 MT. Burphy looked positively stunned, but he agreed to do his best in any plan Mr. Bradshaw might suggest.
 Suppose you dictate a letter to young lady, showing your admiration, etc. How would that doY''
 Excellent, excellentp' cried Mr. Bur- phy.
 Accordingly, the next day, after Miss White took her dictations, her employer in rather embarrassed manner gave her this:
 My Dear Miss [you can leave the name blank l-Will you ask your mother if may have tho privilege of calling at your home? I am anxiously awaiting reply
 Faithfully yours, JOSEPH w. BURPHY."
 Somehow there were so many mistakes
 in the letter she had to make Q second
 draft, and that willy old bachelor actually
 saw her fingers tremble.
 "I will address it myself, he said, talk
 ing it from her.
 "Beautiful" chuckled Bradshaw tc
 himself, seeing how finely his plan worked
 The next day there was another letter tC
 be written to the same woman.
 "I love you," it said. II want to make
 you my wife. If you care for me, say that
 may come to your home tomorrow even
 ing.''
 This time the typewriter made worse l mistakes than before, and complained o
 feeling i'll, and asked to go home llttl'
 before the time..
 As she arose to put on her wraps, MT
 Burphy sent Bradshaw out of the room fol
 something.
 "Win you please mail these letters fol
 mel" he said, handing her two. "And-
 and I wish you'd sec if I've addressed then
 right"
 She looked at them, then at him in
 dazed way.
 "Why, they're addressed to mel'
 "Yes," said Burphy shortly. "Numbe rightS Please open them and sec, too, 1
 the contents are correctP" "Good heavensI Was it dismissal?"
 She opened the envelopes with trembling
 fingers and n faint heart. ''Why, MT. Burphy," she said, tits '- mistake. Tlrse arc the letters wrote t.
 that lady"
 "No mistake at all. Quite correct, " re
 piled that businesslike individual yer.
 brusquely. "Will you have the kindnes
 to give mo my answers" "You may come tomorrow evening" sh said and ran out of the office. "How did 1t work?' asked Mir. Brad i shaw when he came back.
 "Pm afraid not just as you expected, replied the proprietor with his back t him.
 Bradshaw thought so when he got tn
 wedding cards. ALICE k. IVES.
 Heroic Little Woman.