Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-03
AN TNPR0FITABLB HURRY.
By FRANK NJ. B1cKNELh

book and was looking at it with pu7
zled air. He spoke quietly, but hi
tone caused the young stenographe
to start from her chair and approach
him with trepidatiou.
What do you call that figure,
three or ive?" he asked.
As she caught sight OF the blurred
press copy of the letter she had takel
from dictation and sent to Marshall
Hobbs the evening before, she fushs>
guiltily and with a premonition of ap
preaching trouble Mr.. Vaughn's le,r
fore6nger was pointing to the fourtl
atem IN long column of figures, quo
tations of prices furnishodto one o.
She firms best cusEon ners, and Mildred
Chadbourne suspected that the trans
action involved was one OF unusual
Importance,
To hide her. confusion she bent low
over the page and anxiousiy scruti
nized eheindistinct copy; but to do
her .oest she could not decide whether
hstfourth item was thirteen or fifteen.
Late on the previous afternoon Mr..
Vaughn had dictated this letter to her,
slowly and with extraordinary pains,
charging her touse all possible care in
getting the figures down correctly. He
had seemed to he: quite unnecessarily
deliberate, for she was impatient to 60
home that she might finish a gown
she was making, and she had planned
to leave q few minutes before the GUS
tomary closing hour.
When the dictation was completed
he had rushed of to his train, although
tirst charging her to write, copy and
post the letter that night without fail.
Inwardly rebelliag, she had ratified the
important communication through the
writing machine at railway speed, and
then, rs the Office boy was invisible,
she had undertaken to copy it herself.
It requires care to copy letter as it
should be copied. If The tissue leaf
not wet enough the result will be a
faint copys too wet, n blurred one,
and.in that case the original sheet will
sometimes be so badly defaced by the
washing of the ink rs to be almost IL
legible. -. . - :. s,=.. ~
through the copying press with quite
as much haste as she had put into the
typewriting Of it. She had passed q
dripping brush over the leaf and then
had neglected to absorb with blot
ting pad the supecfuous moisture. In
CONSEQUENCE. the COPY had turned out
a. slovenly one, and the original had
been seriously. defaced.
She knew then as we'll as she knew
afterward that haste had made waste
and'that her plain duty would have
been to DO tie work over again from
beginning to end; but the letter was
a long one, 6 o'clock was drawing
near, and just then the completion OF
her new party gown was OF more I'M
portance to her than the business con-
Germs of Theophilus Vaughn y Co.
Moreover, if she were to send the
letter off as it was, probably she never
would hear from it again; as Tor the
@copy,'that might be a matter OF little
Importance. Not half the copies IN
the letter book ever were referred tc'
They were put there because it was
business custom to preserve them, bu
they seldom proved to be of-vital con;
sequence-that she had discovered II
her experience thus far.
ss So she had crowded the water
logged" sheet hastily out of sight II
an.enyelope and sent it away Now
"a hours later, it had occurred to Mr.
Vaughn. to glance over the copy, ant
time of reckoning lad come.
ST can't make it out, sir, she said
desperately, after keeping silence a
long as she. dared. Il can't tel
whether it is five or three. vii
look at my notes and sec what
ought to be. /.
sI know perfectly we'll what
ought to be, " he commented, dryly
ut ought to be five. What 1 an
anxious to learn is what it is. y
ct have it FIVE here, sir, said tn
girl, who had been consulting he
shorthand notes.
1.-The point is, did you get it dow
o five here?" her employer returned
NIildred's opirits sank, and she dare
not meet Mr. yaughu's gaze, but stoo
before him hot, silent and thorough
uncomfortable.
s'These quotations, :" he proceeded
indicating the column of figures, "wer
furnished to MARSHALL q Hobbs
their requesttoenahle them to subm
a bid for large contract-an unusua
s,ly large one, I iufer-which they al
hopine to secure shortly. They aske
for bedrock figures, and I gave the
our very lowest. Now those casting
there, which intended to quote at II
teen cents, they are going to. want
great many Of thousands, in fact--aa
at fifteen cents we should make OF
cent profit, while at thirteen we shou
sustain corresponding loss. So "
see if they have gone ahead and p
in their bid on basis OF thirte'
cents we naturally shall have to stal
back of our figures, and-well,
concluded significantly, lit will ma
a difference to us.
eyes. sir" assented the girl, IN fa'
tines.
That's wretchedly poor COP
Miss Chadbourne, he remarked aft
few seconds of uncomfortable silen
uncomfortable to her, at least. "Y
must speak to George. He is gettl
TO be unpardonably careless. ii
thinking too much about his own &C
Germs, fear" ,-.,,
::y.ves. sir" stammered Mildre
reldening fugiously. Il will Inc
-Mr. Vaughn, to tell the tru