The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-06-13


now don't interrupt me for the space Of
minute. You're sad chatterbox,
Miss AddiDgton.
He stopped and laid an unmanicured
forcfnger against his grizzled temple.
"Im preparing the way to a graceful
transition. | would be telling you some
thing that is for your amusement.
am an observant old molo, l was say
ing, and now | can't be giving you one
particle of useful information as to
whether or no the boss is going to sell
the paper out to the Republicans next
week nor rs to what will become Of
you and me if he does, though l dare
| say there are other blind moles that
! have discovered all that, but I'm about
to toll you that that big brute Bentley
| is il love with that old proOfreader's
| little girl, and none in the Office knows
it but me and him, and it's ten to one
| know it best Yes, sure thought
you'd be grateful to me for n little di-
version like that It's not every day
| you can see or even hear what brass
monkeys like when it's in love. It's OK
| perience much more resembles that Of
white man than you would ever imag-
inc, and that's the truth. No. he's not
trying, as he would say himself-worse
luck to him-he's not just trying to
mash her f; he 8 in love- Pm telling you,
and his feelings are not dissimilar to
those depicted by Tom Moore and other
poets that the hulSing iguoramus never
heard of. and there is the paradoxical
for you. Me bald spot was bigger than
trade dollar before l could have be-
licvcd such u contradiction possible, 30
think what an incxplicable surprise 1t
must be to him. that has no more power
of ratiocnation than me blackthorn
there | have been industriously gath
ering the evidence for days, till me con-
viction was complete, before I'd como
to tell you.
"Wcll, now, the first l noticed was
the way ne went white and red when
she came to speak to him about his copy
one day. 1t fills me with rage to think
of that it does indeed. To think Of him
having the additional impudence to ex-
hibit capacity for changing color like
girll''
Maloney staid an hour and l am
sure missed an assignment, telling me
with infinite relish of detail all the ins
and outs of Bentley's maneuvers.
lie uScu 10 WIlIo ClGaI
copy, you know" said he. "He has nc
more education than me pet cat, but
he can write like grocer clerk, anG
he used to do it. I've edited his copy
for I'll he makes such big money. WheI
, old Sheffield was managing, he used tt
call on mo to help him out when hi
was inCapacitated with drink. He sait
, but it's no matter what he said; hi
betters have said more. But I've edited
, Bentlcy's copy when it was clear al
, print, and now, if you'll believe me. 1
looks little better than your own, beg
ging your pardon. That makes business
, now and again with the proofreader
, you understand. and somehow he
, hocus pocused things till 1t seems as
Martin read nearly all his stuff, bu
I I've not found out how he man age
! that" Maloney added the last sentence
in n tone OF Apologize regret.
, "Does the little girl notice all this
do you think2" l asked
, "Indeed and l wish you were dowl
, there to sec yourself. How can tell
a The little white still ones like that
, the old one himself can make out moth
ing about them And Bentleys sly
2 wonderful sly, all around l don't un
: derstand him, though. How should eve
| an 1rishman comprehend the way O
the likes of him with his brass and his
| slynessY Why doesn't ho go ut it like 9
man and display to all the world that
, he's in love up to his eyes and he's
: proud of it? That's what woman
\ likes be she old or be she young
= Overweighted as | was with Bent
tn1 f~ "a,
upon it by discussing this point, and
q said that undoubtedly woman wa.
- apt to like that kind of tribute, but
;. was not sure that it always followed
a that 1T made her like the man equally
a "And If he can give her what sh,
!. likes ought not he to be satisfied,
say, and if she does not like him so ar
J.. IDENTIFY ism t there the less chance tha
a he ii marry her, to the sorrow of both o.
emf"
told Maloney that he made my heat
p ache, and he went away. pledging IN,
a to secrecy about Bentley. Nevertheless
q l was not wholly surprised when tin,
y next visitor from the Office quoted Ma
a loney as authority for the news tha
q Mr. Bentley "was making that is, h,
o was paying attention, not exactly pay
ing attention, but Mr.. Maloney though
O. he was going to pay attention to tina
. Miss Martin"
q This visitor was the managing ed
4 itor's typewriter, an elderly young wo
man. not bad looking, but with a con
strained manner, grayish hair and
deep lying desire for human intercourse
that should be labeled intellectual, OF
n her own phrase, to be sociable an
improve herself with literary people
literary people being, in her opinion
any who earned living by the use O
abuse OF the written symbols of Ian
guage.
MIR. Maloney says that Mr.. Bentle,
ls-that he cares about her." she sail
tentatively, sitting uncomfortable O,
the edge OF her chair.
l conquered the inevitable tbrob n
resentment that felt at the discovery
taintly expected though it was. thai
Maloney was inst as confidential will
the typewriter az with me- AS [ ha6
ielt myself rarely gracious in appreciat
ing Mahoney's ont at elbows charm onf
had credited him with becoming sense
or my Kindness, this required nm in.
sthhI communion with my higher
sell ana then | was rewarded by n de-
lighted perception of how utterly like
Maiohey 1t was to lapse into intimate