The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-04-19
WHAT WAS
THE MATTER
WITH DAWLEY
A Typewriter Girl Who Talked
Slang Had a Good Deal
to Do With It.

called HIM sometimes IAN exceedingly
we'll informed young man." sometimes
"rcal bright and sometimes "fnely ed
gercatcd, but they not infrcqucntly add
ed that ne was a trife conceited, or vari-
Gus equivalents in the vernacuar AS a
matter of fact he was we'll informed, and
he certainly had the self confidence that
a certain degree of knowledge begets.
He was a good looking young man, too,
with a lofty, pallid brow and trim little
dark mustache. He wore eyeglasses.
which increased his appearance of intel
lcc,uality. and he dressed very neatly
rather too neatly, if anything
pawley felt that he was naturally fitted
for a diplomatic career or something of
that sort lie had artistic tastes ana
might have gone in for painting or sculp-
turp or even music, but fate had pitch
foricd him into commercial life-Spccihc-
ally, into a wholesale dry goods house
and he was obliged to make the best of it.
lie was not popular with the rest of the
men in the house, but they were a COM
mon, ordinary, everyday lot and they
naturally felt his superiority. Sometimes
a feeling of this sort is manifested hy
"joshing," but Dawlcy was not 'ioshed"
to great extent. Either he showed a
lofty Indifference to it or else he rctortcd
with some aggravating sarcasm. The
best thing was to let him alone. and that
course was pretty generally pursued
In society Dawley was an arbiter Of
taste and an all around authority on
things in general. If he was confronted
with pottery he would begin to bubble
over with the distinctive characteristics
Of Wedgwood, Dresden or Sevres and
bark back to the Roman and Grccian art,
with perhaps an airy and offhand allu-
sion to the Eleusinian mysteries in con
ncction with the Portland vase. If he
was invited to give an opinion on some
gem from the picture department of
down town store, he would discourse very
imprcssively of breadth and depth of
treatment and chiaroscuro and would
ring in Douw and Poussin and Giotto
When he talked about the thcater, his lis
tenerS soon became conscious that most
of the actors of the present day were on
tirely wanting in a delicate appreciation
Of the motive of their parts, and in his in
tolcctual communion with the Scvgnes
and Thrales of his circle he was q literary
Daniel come to judgment. Nevertheless
he was good dancer and he had his
mustache, so the buds did not shun him.
lie rather prided himself, too on his
small talk. On the whole, he liked the
society of women. They came nearer to
apprecating him than men did. Still,
he never particularized in this respect.
The boys down town said he was too
darned stuck on himself.
One morning there came n new stenog
raphcr to take the place of Miss Grigsby,
the dignifed, middle aged lady who had
resigned her position to become companion
to a prosperous invalid aunt in the coun-
Try. Dawley saw her at her desk at a
distance for several days before he took
the trouble to go close enough to get Il
good look at her, and he might not have
gone then had he not noticed that her
hair was of the true Titan red. For one
thing he had heard the men speak of her
rapturously as "a peach" and he thought
ne knew the kind of young person that
would interest them. She was busy mt
her typewriter when he passed her. and
he saw that her hands were plump and
white and fairly well shaped, but the
nails were disfgured by being bitten.
Next his critical glance took in her little
double chin. her tiptiltcd nose and the
whitoness and fine texture of her skin 1t
had got to this point when the young wo-
man finished the sheet on which she had
been writing; then she raised pair Of
rather prepossessing blue eyes to Daw-
leys and, nodding at him in friendly,
ouhand sort of way. said, Good morn
ing"
Dawley smiled in his most winning
manner and, returning the salutatiou,
passed on.
For week or two this morning greeting
was about the extent of their communica-
uon Then Dawley felt disposition to
hnger and sound the little stcnographer's
mental depth, if she had any. which he
feared was not the case. IIe prcmedtatcd
httle opening remark apropos Of the
typewriter on Rabylonc bricks but he
forgot that when she told him there was
Snudge on his nose.
thcrcT he asked in some confusion,
fumbIing for his handkerchief
on the right side" she said. "Thcroi
40; now you've only made it worse
'llcro give it to me. Stoop down" She
TOOK the handkerchief and, moistcuing Il
with her tongue. rubbed Dawloy's nose
vigorously aud then looked at it with her
head on one side. Just then Sparks, one
OF the coarscst beasts in tic place. came
along, with his face on broad grin.
Here, ain't going to stand for that
Miss Dixon" he chucklcd "Of course
Escic is nice boy and all that, and you
DON'T mean anything by it, but all dates
are otf between you and me after that
oh, forget it," rctoftcd Miss Dixon
lou'rc not going to let little thing like
mat worry you"
Besides which," pursued Sparks
.Eegie has got true, manly heart, and
II amt right to trifc with it,
1t was my nose she was traing with"
kald pawry Don't you mind him, Miss
Rl&on Hes merely trying to he humor
oaS and this is about MS near as he over
comes to it, lie thinks he's doing pre-; "
wen, though. and he really is--for him.
oh come or" said Sparks. Tel me
now ii feels
TT is such hard work 20 explain 49,.
thng TO you," replied Dawley as he walk
ed away.
tie felt rather disgusted with the whole
thlng, and he was still more disgusted