Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-02-03

the predatory habits of lifetime de.
voted to Cuisines" closed in upon him
again, perhaps bringing about reac-
tionary irritation Today, when the
question of salary was settled, he drop.
ped back in his leather chair and began
Il little conversation. He was always
above the familiar, cheap affectation of
being impossibly busy.
He asked where lived, as he had
done more than once before, and what
rent paid, and what kind of doctor
had, and then he said inconsequently,
with his own odd compound Of humor
suspicion, scorn and simple human in.
terest You'll be getting married
some of these days, just like any other
fool They say that ass Bentley is in
love up there" pointing with rough,
fat thumb to the ceiling.
al knew he'd turned almighty no
account lately" he went on. $50.
when l got hold Of this, sent for him
and gave him some good advice. But
he told me he wanted to marry the girl
had a notion to dismiss him on the
spot"
He drew down his overhanging brows
and looked at me as piercingly as If he
were moved by some weightier motive
than simple elephantine, interruptions
desire to betray me into an amusing
burst Of sentiment
only said now justifable such step
would be and how right he was In pub
fishing Mr.. Bentley's unworthy senti-
ments. His temper ruffied little.
"a good deal more justifable than
you'd think" he asserted aggressively.
~ wish I'd never knocked under to
hire women
"Oh, WE'LL" I replied soothingly,
"you can comfort yourself with the re-
Election that you did 1t only to save
money" '
He shot another acowling. scrutiniz-
ing glance at me.
"Do You know the girlf" he asked.
No, said had never spoken to her.
"She must be queer fool" went
on the man of reason. "Why don't she
haul him in and get the thing over
withf She can't expect to do any bet
ter
said that perhaps she did not want
to marry him. My employer snorted
with genuine irritation.
"Wantl What else are you women
always wantingT" and then he added,
after obviously swallowing an oath. q
special courtesy | much appreciated
"UnlesS there is every reason why you
should want it, unless you'd be some
good to somebody married, then it's q
fact there is no telling what fine scru'
Piles you'll set There's no counting
Then. interrupting himself. he said,
with q change Of tone and q return e
his habituaI grim rudeness Of manner.
rudeness differing from that he had
previously shown in this conversation,
inasmuch as it put an end to inter
change. ~ don't like lowering around
the shop; l amt going to stand much
Of it, and with that he began to shuttle
the papers on his desk in aggressive un
consciousness Of my existence.
got some pleasure out of the famil
lar comedy Of this dismissal and my
own manner Of exit, but still it gave
now, AZ always, little special emphasis
to the distasts felt for the down tow
world, and l found myself hurryinl
through my battle Of business in tn,
counting room, which was complicated
by frank established system of small
thefts from employees. that l might thu
sooner get home, out of this wilderness
Of primitive savagery modernly dissuis
ed, into a world where civilization ha
made little progress. l was so glad I
be in my own fat that not till afte
dinner did let my mind turn back t
the afternoons incidents and inspec
certain reflections which was half con
scious had made. now discovere
that l thought Bentleys courtshi
might cost more than it would come to
There had been something very SIMS
ter in Higgens' manner while maxim
his final remarks He had disclosed the
an irritation he had masked before.
knew he would not discharge Bentley
II he had been going to do that, b
would never have limited at il as
possibility. and why should he get ri
Of Bentley when Bentley would nc
care rap and some other paper woul
receive the acquisition of highly Ell
terprising and gifted reporter No;
was old Martin who would suffer. an
to old Martin the loss Of his place woul
be a sadly important matter. He wa
past the age when men easily find ne'
masters; he had been in The Appea
!, Office deal longer than the boss him
, self; he was just the kind Of faithful
, old fixture that the boss had a tempera
!, mental tendency to Dust. despite eve
! the whisperings of self interest. an
,, self interest could not be counted o
, for much service here-fair proofreadei
|, AZ not rare
|, forgot Martin for a minute in II
pleasure Of contemplating the folly {