Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-30
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
Affair of Bunker,
the Bookkeeper

The boys in the brokers' office al
ways had made butt of Bunker.
Bunker was the bookkeeper, taciturn
and rather solemn looking at all times.
The boys called him 1.-THE old man."
Bunker was forty, and "the boys We're
lwenty-one or Whereabouts. All sorts of
Jokes We're played on old Bunker, but
he never showed the slightest sign of
resentment. If any of the shafts of
weak witticisms which were hurled at
him day in and day out pricked, there
was no wincing. The cubs finally came
to the conclusion that Bunker was
dense physically and mentally. How
this may have bee nobody perhaps
but Bunker himself knew definitely,
| but he was good boolkeeper. and
that was as far as the real old man Of
the office cared to inquire.
The office was on the twelfth floor,
and its windows looked out over the
roof of n low building and stared into
the twelfth story windows of big
building just beyond. Teddy Long, the
office masher, had n desk at one win
dow Teddy frequently was more oc-
cupied with the office behind the win
dows in the twelfth story of the build
ing beyond than he was with the bust
ness in his own office. 1t was law
firm that held the premises opposite,
and the lawyers We're known to the
boys in the brokers' office for the fire.
| ,,,o,,o,. Will, xx,IioI, tAav chap0ad thpir
typewriting staff. About once month
q new face, and always pretty one,
would appear in front of the machine
back of the legal windows. One morn
ing Teddy Long cast his eyes across
the way, and there he saw a new face
behind the big window pane. AS he
told the other boys few minutes aft
err, this new face had all the others
that had gone before beat to death"
"She's Il daisy, fellows" said Teddy.
when you get a chance, go to the
window and shy n look over there.
She's got black hair swapping eyes, red
checks and Il daisy figure"
All at once the charmer looked up
and smiled. showing n set of even
/ white teeth in Il framework OF scarlet.
Teddy smiled back and nodded almost
impcrceptibly. There was very de-
cided bow in return, and Teddy went
soaring. Instantly, however, the young
woman turned again TO her machine,
and her white fingers went flying MIN
bly, over the keys. Though she might
be bit given to flirting. the young wo-
man apparently did not mean that the
little weakness should divert her mind
too long from her work.
Teddy half wheeled his chair around.
the pleasurable little excitement still
glowing within him. There at the next
window stood old Bunker, the book
keeper. with face as red as peony
and standing first on one foot and then
on the other.
Great Scottr' said Teddy to himself.
'The old man had his eyes on the
charmer and thought she meant that
smile for himi He looks as though he
were going to faint. That smile for
him, Why. the poor old geezer. he's
addle pated! I'll put the boys next"
So Teddy told the boys of how the
girl had smiled on him and how the old
man thought the smile was intended
for him and had blushed like Il girl and
fiddled with his fingers. Wen have
some fun with the old guy. fellows.
I'm going to get an Introduction to the
girl over the way, and I'll tell her all
about Bunker and how if n woman
speaks to him he has a fit, and she can
just lead him on a bit. and We'll have
all sorts of fun here with the doings."
The next day there was another
sweet smile from the typewriter. and
Teddy responded in kind. Curiously
enough, old Bunker was at the other
window again. and when that smile
came across the areaway he blushed
like fire and cast furtive glance ut
Teddy. Teddy saw it. We've got him
going" he said TO himself. THE old
fellows hit sure / hope he doesn't die
of apoplexy before he makes out the
pay roll. He looks as though he were
going to choke"
So it went on for weeks. Teddy met
the charmer occasionally and sent her
into ccstasies of laughter over the ac-
counts of the fun they were having
) with old Bunker.
"Why, when you SMILE" he said to
her, ''the old man goes up into the
nineteenth heaven. I'm glad you smil-
ed over at me that morning. for Office
york now is as good as a show"
One morning Bunker showed up with
a red carnation in his buttonhole.
, When Teddy looked through the win
} dow, he saw that there was bunch of
the same kind of flowers pinned to the
waist of the neighbOr over the way.
After Bunker had received his morn
lag smile Teddy spread the news of
the flowers. ''The old mans got 'em
bad" he said.
Bunker went on his vacation, and the
smiling face was also missing from the
window in the lawyers Office. The
Wednesday morning following Bun
ker's departure every man I'm the office
found a square envelope on his desk
which when opened contained an an