Omaha daily bee., 1897-07-24
ARTISTIC
How n snubbcd hoy Squared
ACcnnnts with n Stennurnnhcr.

a.'f - ~ ~" "
Accounts with n St~enogrnphcr.
The elevator boy was a genius, although
nothing of the kind had ever been charged
up against him. When the fat-that is to
say, stout, for only men and the lower an
finals are fat, women of that style of ar
chitecture being invariably "stout'-when
the stout stenographer on the ninth floor
repulsed the admiring chances Of the elc-
vator boy, relates the Chicago Record, she
did not know that she was laying a mine
IL not of herself. The elevator boy brooded
upon the snubbing he had received and re-
solved that he should be gloriously re-
venged.
But how? as the cheap novels say.
The elevator boy did not know at first,
but the next time the stout stenographer en-
tered his car to ride to the ninth floor an
inspiration, came to him.
The inspiration came on Monday morning.
At noon of the same day the elevator boy,
shooting downward from the pinnacle of the
building, found the stout stenographer wait
her cup OF coffee and peach pie a la mode.
"iSine, down.. piped the stout stenog-
rapher. The lift stopped, and with great
opened the door. The stout stenographer
entered: The moment her foot pressed the
floor of the cage the elevator, sank two
inches. The elevator boy closed the door
without a word, a glance, or a smile, and
The downward journey, was resumed. The
however, gazed about with II wondering ex-
preston on their faces. When thir eyes
lOOH III lIt DIOIOIl lo1lS u lHt STOUT SlGIOR-
rapher a satisfied look came into their
countenances. They understood why the
elevator had dropped two inches under the
pressure. The stout stenographer colored
a rich, autumnal red, and looked daggers,
sabers, broadswords, and other cutlery at
The boy. He said no word-other than
After the luncheon hour the stout stenog-
rapher ,sauntered into the rotunda of the
the incident of the two inches. Going up!'
cried the elevator boy, and she accelerated
and two women were inside; The boy again,
with princely politeness, held the door open.
She entered. At the pressure Of her foot
The four men, aroused from after-luncheon
reflections by the sudden lurcn, looked about
ra8pher any smiled anIeY S TSe two tMe w stSne s smiied
with smiles of even greater dimensions and
duration, The boy was a hewn monument
rapher glared about her. She half suspected,
but could not be certain.
In the evening 1t was the same way. When
the stout stenoerapher entered the elevator
TO ride down to the street she gave 1t. a two
inch start on the way, The other inmates
looked at her rather sympathetically, and
she knew that they We're wondering how in
the world she managed to stand the hot
weather. But nobody spoke. The boy was
1t was in this fashion that things contin-
ued for six days. She tried to catch the boy
attention was attracted to other things
the cigar stand, for instance-but all such
enueaVorS were unaValllnS. ma tatal drop
of two inches always manifested itself. She
felt that she was a marked woman and the
talk of the town. Once She resolved to
walk up the nine flights of stairs rather
than submit herself to the ignominy of that
elevator. but, by the time she had reached
the fifth floor, disheartened and perspiring,
she rang for the lift. HE will not expect
to catch me on this floor" she said. But he
did; She stepped inside; The elevator
to sell wire fencing on the eleventh floor,
snickered. The stout StenoGrapher turned
upon him, but, seeing the quiet, solemn
face of the elevator boy, she remembered
in time that she was a perfect lady.
On the sixth day the stout stenoyrapher
capitulated. She caused this advertise
ment to be inserted in a newspaper: