Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-03

"lndeed!" said her employer, wit
an accent that caused her to flush sti
more; but to her relief he made no ful
ther comments. "Well," he con
cluded. shutting up the letter bool,
81 don't see what we can do about i
now. Thirteen is held to be an un
lucky number, and it would be partic
ularly SO here. Let us hope this non
descript blotch stands for five
Mildred went home that night al
most wishing she had never bee,
born. Nearly month now she hac
been with Theophilus Vaughn & Co
it was her first situation and she
had begun to fatter herself, with rea
sou, that she was giving satisfaction
At the end of her first week Mr.. Vaughr
had gone so far as to tell her so.
81 rather think you will suit us, y
he said. "You arequick, accurate, and
you can SPELL"
''Than'z you, sir; I hope L know
something about spelling," was heG
wondering response.
The young lady who preceded you
knew something about spelling," pro-
ceeded Mr.. Vaughn, with queer shrug,
''and proved the truth of the familiar
assertion that little knowledge may
be dangerous thing. ''See here!''
and opening the letter book he showed
her the copy of lett,r of about a
dozen lines in which he had under
scored with pencil three misspelled
words, and words not usually consid-
cred hard" ones, either.
81 shouldn't want to employ stem
ographer who was obliged to consult
the dictionary continually" he went
on, ''but one who didn't know enough
to look in it when she ought wouldn't
have at any price. A girl who can't
spell, or who can't learn to spell,
misses her vocation when she starts
out to become stenographer.
vue ess&Qn wanJld s--rH05oss5v;;
Miss Chadbourne," he proceeded.
ssGirls who have had only common.
school education and have neglected
their opportunities at that, whose
knowledge of spelling and grammar is
wofully deficient, and who couldn't t
write preseutable letter to one OF
their own friends to save their lives,
and yet who expect to do the CORE
spondeuce in business counting
room! A Astenographer who has to be
watched continually, lest she send out
something like this thing here-a lei,
ter that any reputable house would
blush for-such a stenosrapher =
we'll, I have no use for her"
Now, as she took her homeward
way, Mildred reflected upon these
!. ords of her employer, realizing with
shame aud contrition that she had
been guilty of sending out on one OF
Theophilus Vaughn & Co.'S letter
heads ching for which any repu-
table house would blush. There
were no misspelled words there, the
graulmar was faultless, the sentences
properly constructed, and every figure
in it, with the possible exception o.
the blurred one, had been set down
correctly; vet to send off such a letter
"a letter that looked as il it had beer
left living out overnight il the rain
was discourtesy toward the firm:
correspondents that barely fell shor
of an insult. u :,
That evening occurred the party tt
which for. weeks she had been looking
forward with the liveliest anticipation:
of pleasure; but her regret over tha
unfortunate letter, joined to her anziet!
concerning her future standing witt
Vaughn & Co.. hid brought on head
ache which of itself would have spoiled
her enjoyment efIeetually. So, atte
a dismal attempt to take part IN tn
gayety, she left early and came hom
ready to cry with disappointment.
The next day Glanced to be holl
day, and the one following it was Sun
day. Forty eight hours cf greater ap
parent length Mildred V lsure sh
never had passed. On Monday sh
probably would learn whether OF nc
Vaughn & Co. were to lose serera
hundred dollars by her blnnder-,
blunder it was; meanwhile the sus
pense she.was being kept in SCENE
intolerable.
1.-THE firm were called upon to bea
the loss, would Mr.. Vaughn visit tn
consequences, so far as he could, upo
her head and decide that he had Il
further use for so unfaithful stenoE
} rapher? Whatever might bethe ever
she was forced to admit that she d'
:, served to lose her situation, that 81
no longer merited his confidence, an
, thus, with unhappy doubts and sci
questionings, the two intervening day
dragged slowly by.
Earlier than was her custom
Monday morning Mildred reached ii
l Office. AS she was removing her ou
| of-door garments her glance fell il
e voluntarily on the pile of mail matt
1 that George had brought from Il
i postoffice andlaid ready for MI. Vaugl
t upon his desk. Twas a large pile,
n large that the upperpart of it had 81
d backward so as to reveal the edges
e some of the lower envelopes.
c She caught sight of print
name in the left-hand corner of one
1t them: ssMarshall & Hobbs. F." 5
would have given weeks salary
:, open that letter, but taking such Il
II ertv was out of the question.
.e Mr.. Vaughn arrived late, and III
u leisurely manner did he open a
g read the letters that Mildred began
s wish she had taken occasion to plf
l. that from Mars shall& Hobbs on top
the heap and thus saved herself ma
l, long minutes of tortufing snspen;
m E;nnllr uhen he reacilel 1t IN d