The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-26

D~A HE sleek, brown head bent
lower over the typewriter
y and the nimble white fin
n gers made the keys click
gaily. Miss Annabel Char
IA ters was in good spirits
There was a smile lurking
about the corners of her
mouth and her eyes snapped beneath
the long yelling lashes. Miss Annabel
Charters was good to look at, as Mr.
Ford Hampton could cheerfuly testi-
fy. In fact. Mr.. Ford Hampton was
now looking at Miss Annabel Charters
from within his little private den that
opened off from the large apartment
In which she was so nimbly manipu-
lating the keys. Mr.. Ford Hampton
had been looking extremely blue and
dscontented, but his eye suddenly
frightened when X fell upon MISS
Charters. He glanced at her little
while and then came forward.
Miss Charters" he said, II want
to talk with you for moment or two.
May l interrupt you?"
1T is your own work." said Miss
Charters as she glanced at her last
line and then leaned back.
Miss Charters" said Ford, "you
have been here long enough to know
a good al about my business. Prob
ably almost as much as / do. You
know that things haven't been COM
ing my way lately to any considerable
extent OF course, il is well enough to
say that luck will turn, but that $
small comfort \and no relief for pres
ent strngencie y You can see that |
am struggling along in an almost
hopeless way because l have no cap
ital to come and go on. There's that
plot in the south end, the one, you
know, where the eccentric owner de-
mands an immediate down payment
of $1,000 cash before he will sign the
papers. If I had the money | could
make a very handsome thing out of
the land. But as you know l have
written the owner, telling him that l
cannot accept his conditions"
Yes" said Annabel.
Il don't want to bother you, Miss
Charters, with my hard luck stories,
but l want a little advice. Don't you
think II would be better for me to
shut up shop and go back to a salary
again?"
NO" said Annabel Charters, after
a brief pause, II wouldn't do that just
yet. 1t seems like running away from
the field of battle"
'It seems to me-" said Ford, with
short laugh, that the field of bat
tie is rapidly slipping away from me
1t wouldn't make much difference to
you, Miss Charters, If l broke W
here, would it?''
mo, / think not" replied Annabel
'I suppose I could find another place.
But I don't like the idea of your
throwing up your hands in this way.
Stick to it a little longer
Ford looked at her with a faint
smile.
Perhaps you and I could change
places with mutual benefit" he said.
Then he suddenly added: But, here,
might as we'll explain to you why
feel particularly blue this afternoon.
Read that" and he tossed her dainty
note, mildly perfumed and quite up
to all the social requirements.
And this was it's contents as Anna
bel quickly discovered:
Nv Dear Ford Your letter very frank
that at first | thought you were iooling. But
papa assures that you are right. lie said
that you seemed to have lost your grip Oh
course you can readily understand that g'r
brought up as ! have been could scarcely ht
fitted fer a poor mans wife. Pm not hero
ine ] know, and feel quite sure that hardshT'
and disccmforts would break me down. Oi
course if there is anything to look forward to
would be quite willing to wait. But papa
doesn't think there is. So wc must look al
these facts in a common sense way, and, really,
feel quite sure that the best thing we can do il
10 drop our engagement at once. ] will returr
sour ring by special messenger. l hope that