Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1896-03-19

ness was most inconvenient
his housekeeper from the doorway.
Miss Ramsay, SIR suddenly said
+ Raymond Rose turned in his chair,
none too pleased at the interruption.
( Thank you," he said, and stared
! stared at his visitor, wondering for the
moment what her business with him
could be. Mechanically he placed
chair for Ter.
Il have come about some typewrit'
/ ing" said she, hesitatingly.
Raymond started. He remembered
now.
This however, was no! the kind of
| typewriter with whom he usually
dealt.
The woman who had done work for
| him were angular and Manufactured,
abrupt in manner, and as careworn as
| they could be. Miss Ramsay was
mere girl, we'll dressed slight of figure
and prepossessing of face. Her com
plexion was good, her small mouth
/ prettily formed, her eyes large and
lustrous, her hair pretty brown color.
Raymond found himself noting all
these points about his new typewriter,
| Suddenly he awoke TO the fact that
she was waiting for him to speak.
Yes" he said, Il require a volume
of short stories typewriter. Unfor-
tunately," he added recalling his
thoughts of a few minutes ago, they
are not quite ready. More than one
will want doctoring, if not rewriting"
Il might take them one by one"
suggested Miss Ramsay. THAT would
save time. If you have one ready
yes, that will be our best plan
interrupted Raymond.
And shall l do the work here or at
home?" she asked
(Which would be the most con-
convenient for you?" inquired Ray
mond, trying to stifle his personal in
clinations as regards the matter.
IF you will show me your writing
that is, your MS" said she frankly,
Il can tell you. If it is difficult | had
best come here; if easy"
1T is rather difficult" returned the
other. Perhaps you had best come
lhu uo JlC Wolh hCi hS luuSdr
with quite unconscious eagerness.
The mornings would suit me best
Very WELL" she said Good morn
ing. | will be here tomorrow.
The door closed behind her. Ray
mond rose and tried 10 settle down to
work again. But he miserably.
Thoughts would not come. The pen
scratched and spluttered like thing
in a bad temper. Each story as he
tackled it grew worse under his alter
atoms. However, he made a desperate
effort, and completed one ready for
the morrows typewriting. Then he
got up and went for g walk, wondering
what had come to him. The visit of
the morning would recur to his mind.
Nevertheless, as became bachelor OF
35, he refused to acknowledge that his
cOmfortableness had been i'll any way
disturbed by it.
"Absurd"' muttered he. The fact
is, | want a little change-change of
air, change of scenery, change of
people-change of life
The last was quite an afterthought.
The next morning Miss G. Ramsay
arrived-tyrewriter and all. Raymond
gave her the story. She read it
through and prepared to set to work.
What do you think of it?" asked
Raymond.
AT any rate it is not 'sex-mani
| acal, :" she said.
No" replied he; Il am glad it is
not"-and began his own work,
He thought that she did her type
writing very we'll When the story
was finished he took the liberty OF
telling her that the work was more
| than satisfactory.
! She only replied that she was
pleased to hear him say so. After her
departure he found himself wondering
whether the G.. before her surname
stood for Grace or Georgiana.
In the days hat followed he learned
a good deal of her history. She had
come to London with her brother, who
was clerk in a brokers' office and re-
ceived an annual stipend of eighty
pounds On this, and on what she
|
their living, for the parents had died,
! leaving them penpiless. 1t was COM
mon enough tale, yet Raymond Rose
considered it remarkably interesting.
He always asked her what she
thought about a story. Miss Ramsay
often gave him valuable suggestions,
so he told his friends.
Il think that your stories improve,
observed Miss Ramsay one morning.
You seem to probe human nature
more than you did, and your sentiment
is not so artificial
THAT is due to your influence, he
replied, calamity and sincerely.
The dark, lustrous eyes looked up az
him, and her face assumed a half
frightened expression. Perhaps she