Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-06-01


concerning her future standing with
Vaughn & Co. had brought on head
ache which of itself would have spoiled
her enjoyment effectually. So, after
dismal attempt to take part in the
gayety, she left early and came hons
ready to cry with disappointment.
The next day CHANGED to be holi-
day, and the one following it was Sun
day. Forty eight hours of greater ap-
parent length Mildred was sure she
never had passed. On Monday she
probably would learn whether or not
Vaughn & Co. were to lose several
hundred dollars by her blunder-ii il
blunder it was; meanwhile the sus-
pense she was being kept in seemed
intolerable.
If the firm were called upon to bear
the loss, would Mr.. Vaughn visit the
consequences, so far as he could, upon
her head and decide that he had no
further use for so unfaithful stenog-
rapher? Whatever might be the event
she was forced to admit that she de.
served to lose her situation, that she
no longer merited his confidence, and
thus, with unhappy doubts and self
questionings, the two intervening days
dragged slowly by.
Earlier than was her custom on
Monday morning Mildred reached the
office. AS she was removing her out
of-door garments her glance fell in
voluntarily on the pile of mail matter
that George had brought from the
postoffice and laid ready for Mr.. Vaughn
upon his desk. Itwas large pile, so
large that the upper part of it had slid
backward so as to reveal the edges of
some of the lower envelopes.
She caught sight of printed
name in the left-hand corner of one of
them: marshall & Hobbs" She
would have given a weeks salary to
open that letter, but taking such lib
erty was out of the question.
Mr.. Vaughn arrived late, and in so
leisurely manner did he open and
read the letters that Mildred began to
wish she bad taken occasion to place
that from Marshall & Hobbs on top OF
the heap and thus saved herself many
long minutes of torturing suspense.
Finally, when he reached it in due
course, he showed the most exasper-
ating calmnessin making acquaintance
with its contents-quite as if the los
ing Of several thousand dollars were q
matter of no Importance whatever.
While pretending to be busy herself,
Mildred watched him with tremulous
anxiety. His face, however, was ut
terly inscrutable, and after having
held the open sheet in his fingers for
full five minutes-or so it seemed to
her-he turned and extended it toward
her, remarking briefly, "This may in
terest you"
She seized the letter in what came
near to being frantic clutch and re-
seating herself, for she felt too weak
to stand, began to read:
Your valued favor of the Goth inst.
has been received and contents noted.
The letter has been somewhat defaced
in the copying-probaoly from too
free use of water by your Office boy
but we think we have been able TO
make out all of it except the estimate
given for the No. 1909 castings. We
are in doubt whether the figures in
tended are 13 or l5. Please telegraph
the correct amount on receipt of this.
as we cannot delay much longer in
submitting our bid"
'The moral of that seems to be, :"
said Mr.. Vaughn, quizzically. eff you
must make mistake make such very
bad one that nobody can decide what
on earth your driving at. Now, Miss
Ohadbourne, Iwish you would go out
and telegraph Marshall & Hobbs that
the proper figure is fifteen. Prepay
the charges, and have the message re-
peated, so as to make sure it is right.
Do you understand, and can I trust
you to do that?"
eyes, sir" the girl answered, blush
ing at what she fancied to be a covert
sarcasm. "And, Mr.. Vaughn" she
thought it best to add, ST want to tell
you how sorry am for my carelessness
in copying that letter. You may be
sure such a thing will not occur
again.
81 trust not, indeed" was all the
response he made, and she left the Of
flee in some uncertainty as to how her
apology had been taken, but as he did
not refer to the matter afterward she
was finally encouraged to hope he had
not lost faith in her entirely.
She never really knew whether that
important figure in the hufriedly writ
ten letter was three or FIVE, but
she never allowed herself to be trou-
bled with any painful doubts as to her
figures again; one escape from disaster
was enough.
Thereafter she made sure to have
every letter she sent out exactly right
in all particulars before it left her
hands, and she was never again known
to neglect her employers interests
for her own pleasure or convenience,
as she clearly recognized she had been
guilty of doing in the case of her "un-
profitable hurry. youths Compan-
ion.
Teeth Made Out of Paper.