The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-14
Eove i'm am GZevaf0p

Chicago Daily News
There was canary loose somewhere in
the big Aeon Magazine building A bevy
or girl compositors had left their cases
and were looking for 1t when the elevator
reached the level of the editorial rooms
at the top OF the building. In the compos-
ing room they thought much of this can
ary-much more than some of the editors
did. to whose secluded desks the shrill,
monotonous song of the bird penetrated
when the doors were left open in warm
weather.
AS they glided up the shaft Arthur
Lansing, one of the manuscript readers,
learned from the elevator boy the partic-
ulars of the mishap. They had~~1ee the
bird out of It's cage in the composing
room for few minutes, and some one
just entering had unwittingly opened the
transom, when out popped Yellowtop.
Since then. which was about fifteen min
utes ago, no one had been able to dis
cover his whereabouts
The elevator boy was full of genial ex-
citement over the affair. 1t was really an
event in his humdrum life. Every one
who came up by the elevator had to
hear of 1t. And while gliding UP to the
sixth floor there was time to tell the
story in two breaths instead Of one,
which was relief to the lungs even Of
the elevator boy.
seized Arthur Lansings mind, whether
Little Vignettes might not be concern
ed about the birds escape and have come
out also in pursuit Of it? Then he smil-
ed half-vexatiously at the thought. In
the first place, Little Vignettes would not
have reached the building at that early
hour Of the morning She was in the
art department; and that was never open
until 8 o'clock. It was now barely ten
minutes past 8. Lansing was always the
nrSt OF the manuscript readers to be at
Els desk His earlier training as me-
| chanical engineer made the Office hours
Of the Aeon editors seem outrageously
self-indulgent.
Lansing had an opera glass In his
pocket. Gle always took morning peep
at the birds in the park as he came
through.) When clear of the group of
chatterfng girls who surrounded the ele-
vator shaft he pulled out his glass and
swept the skynghted roof Of the build
ing with 1t. No canary was to be seen,
but something else attracted the manu-
script readers attention. It was a slight
streak of milky discoloration on the
fange of the wide wheel over which the
elevator cable was wound at the top of
the shaft.
Lansing's mechanical training drew his
eye to that barely perceptible streak in
an instant, and told him what it meant
1t was flaw in the f1ange. Any unusual
pressure brought to bear against that
thin rim of steel might cause it to break
and let-no one might say how many coils
of cable slip off the wheel Then the
cage would drop with frightful sudden
ness, and when it brought up again with
jerk the cable would be likely to break
and Little Vignettes might be in the
elevator
Arthur Lansing put the glass back into
rot nd lna a1a OF
appeared again at the sixth floor, de-
seended to the business managers office.
The business manager, who was an early
bird also, was just looking over his morn
ing mail. Lansing introduced himself-no
strange thing in an establishment where
you are one of S00-and told In a few
straight words what he had discovered.
The business manager looked at him SUI
perciliously while, he was speaking.
''You say you are one Of the manu-
script readers2' he snapped.
eyes, SIR"
"How do you happen to know anything
about steel fanges2'
ST have had ten years experience as
mechanical engineer.
"And quit tt?"
EYES, SIR
'rWhy?"
Ell thought had a taste for writing.
I am still hoping so. I was willing to
begin over again"
How do you happen to be on the Aeon
staff?'
''They wanted a manuscript reader
who understood mechanics. Mechanical
references in contributions and editorials
are referred to me. did not seek the
place. 1t was offered to me-"
Lansing was growing nettled by the
business managers arrogance. He turn
ed to go.
'I will consider the matter said the
business manager, resuming his letters
He did not look up again, and Lansing
promptly left the room.
Some Of the men of longer service in
the readers room had described the bus
mess manager to him as "a small, snug
economist" Lansing felt that he need
have no doubt as to the measure OF con-
sideraton that would be accorded his
warning about the defective f1ange. He
was so indignant that he would have
left the employ of the Aeon Magazine at
once If 1t had not been for Little Wig
nettes.
He had never met Little Vignettes, to
be sure, in the sense Of being introduced
to her, but he had seen her half hun
dred times, and frequently ridden up or
down the elevator with her. Her sweet,
refined face and great wistful, gray eyes
had woven about him the charm which
tible man. Arthur Lansing was thirty
eight years old, yet he had fallen as des-
perately in love as a boy Of twenty-five.
Everybody on the upper floor spoke of
Miss Pennrhyn as "Little Vignettes."
That was because she designed all the
vignettes and tail pieces and borders and
initial etters used in the Aeon Magazine
Her work in this line was the wonder and
envy Of the artistic fraternity and the de-
light of the reading public. She drew a
large salary and was greatly esteemed
in the art department
Arthur Lansing could not help falling In
love with her, but he did not venture to
aspire to her hand. That would surely
have been presumption in a humble
in his heart and perhaps. sometimes with
his eyes-theugh he never dreamed that
she know it.
Every morning for three weeks he eX-
amined the defective flange with his glass
The slight, innocent-looking granular
streak was still there. No one came tc
inspect it. No one knew of it save him
self and the business manager. Lansing
repaired-not until it had been the cause
more. He felt that he had had sufficient
experience of the small, SNUG economy
Of the man in the frescoed office below
Constantly, however. Lansing travelled
UP and down by the elevator. He made
all sorts of excuses for it. and when he
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