The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-03

head.
He laid his hat and cane on chair,
drew from the depths Of his pocket his pipe
and then glanced about the room for my
tobacco bowl 1t was not In sight fact
that caused him to gaze upon me In mute
wonder
"I'ye stopped" said, smiling.
"Stoppedp he shouted, humping his
pipe on the arm Of his chair. Moved into
this fat I'm the skies and stopped smokingi
Man, man, what have you not done while
1 have been away You've given up -"
He ceased abruptly and looked toward tho
door.
Had I known that you were coming
would have had little Of the weed on
hand, but 1 thought you were far away
from town"
st suppose should be more welcome IL
/ were far away. Things have changed In
the last six months. In the old boarding
house days Swash was always welcome to
your easy chair and your tobacco bowl.
go away; i return, and TO see you have to
journey TO Harlem, pick my way through
front stoop full of fat dwellers, climb
five flights of stairs and get out my pipe to
find that you have given up tobacco. Ex-
plain it all, Dockboy, explain 1t. "
When the conservative house Of Jute
Bros. began to consider the necessity Of de-
parting from an old rut and introducing q
typewriting machine into it's office was
one Of the strongest opponents of the pro-
posed innovatiOn--so strong, in fact, that
Cyrus Jute, himself business man of the
old school, delayed for u year the change
from our system Of autograph letters
But it had 20 come For this reason I
had from the very beginning an antipathy
for Miss Evelina Wiltkin. Against the
young woman personally had nothing,
but it was only natural that she should be
the victim of some of that aversion which
/ had conceived for the post that she occu-
pied.
When she entered in the morning, I
bowed and after that she was nothing TO
me. never even heard the rattle Of keys
behind me, although her desk was but
few yards distant.
Such being the condition of affairs, 10
was impossible for me not TO be surprised
startled, might better say--when Cyrus
Jute, one morning when / was in his pri-
vate Office, seized my hand and cried heart
lily, "Well, Dockboy, wish you joy"
"Mr. Jute, please explain yourself" I
cried, for was greatly puzzled.
My dear fellow, although You will de-
prive us of charming typewriter''-
"It Is n terrible mistake, L interrupted,
with warmth. 1t was all plain TO me now.
In some manner my name had become
linked with that of Evelina Wiltlxin. In
reply TO my remonstrance Mr.. Jute
whirlcd around three times on his office
chair and laughed.
Come, come, Dockboy," he cried. "I
know you are a shy fellow, but why deny
thisi 1t has been the talk of the Office for
a week. Young Harry Butternut declares
that 1t was a case Of mutual first sight,
but the assistant bookkeeper is positive
that she didn't get 'em until you began the
violet scheme"
"Mr. Jute, there Is some terrible mis-
take" said solemnly. "As for young
Harry Butternut, | have suspected more
than once thar he had 'em himself, as you
put Ii, for constantly hear him behind
me whispering to her. and am sure that
q Columns neglected to balance up his books
the other night when il rained that he
might take her to the al" station under
his umbrella. know that Books, the ship
ping clerk, sent her valentine because I
saw the envelope in the scrap basket and
1t was in his handwriting, disguised AS
for me, I assure you sir, that l have never
given the young woman thought. 1 have
been oblivious TO her presence. Why, you
know how / objected to her introduction
into the Office at all F"
''It is useless for you TO deny it," retort-
ed my employer. IF have been little
premature, beg pardon. But you know
the boys gave me to believe that there
were grounds How about the violetss"
"Violetsl What violetsf" l was as
founded.
"Now, see here, Dockboy, this coyness
Is depressing. You know as well as do
about those violets; how every morning
for three weeks Miss Wiltkin has found u
bunch of them on her desk. All the boys
deny that they are responsible, and SO no
one else but you could have done 1t. And
they say her smile when she gets them Is
worth-well, positively envy you"
Apparently every mans hand was
against me. Confusion to them ALTO
Cyrus Jute, the impudent young Butter
nut, Columns and his superior, High
stule, Books and the whole crew of the
outer otlicel
81 deny it all, Mr. Jute," cried And
with that fled from his presence.
i thought over the violet problem long
ana carefully, In VAIN euuouNor 10 ueclue
whether 10 was possible for any one but me
70 have put Them on the desk.
Butternut at sic per week could not af-
ford them at winter prices. old Hi0hstu,e
was married and the father of eight chill
dren, Columns was too notoriously eco
nomical 20 waste his salary In such direc-
tions, Books supported his sister at wom-
ans college, Finnc9an, the office boy, had
been saving for months TO got money with
which to buy baseball suit.
Three possibilities were left Cyrus Jute,
Mike, the Italian. porter, and myself-the
first impossible, the second Improbable,
tho third certainly not guilty.
Could there be conspiracy on the pars
of tho Office 20 drug mo from tho sholl OF
single blesscdncss In which had incased
myself for 90 years, Co crush IN day those
boarding house ties IL had taken decade
TO form, TO Danish mo TO top floor, IL
room fat In HarlcinS
WINS at the Office few minutes earlier
next day, and the first thing that met my
eyes was bunch Of violcts on Miss Wilt
kin's desk A few minutes later she ar