The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-10-31
AEEAlR OF LIE RookKEEPER.

The boys in the brokers' office always
had made a butt Of Bunker. Bunker
was the boOkkeeper, taciturn and rather
soIelnu-looking at all times. The boys
called him the old man. Bunker was
90. and the boys We're q or there
abouts. All sorts Of jokes We're played
on old Bunker, but he never showed the
slightest sign Of resentment. II any o.
the shafts Of weak wittcisms 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 been nobody perhaps but
Bunker himself knew definitely, but he
was a good bookkeeper, and that was as
FAR as the real old man OF the Office
cared 70 inquire
TEDDY" Long. the office masher, who
wore patent feathers from Christmas TO
Christmas. and knew all the latest things
in fancy vests and flowing ties, used 10
say that if a woman should speak 10
Bunker the old man would fall dead.
When it happened on rare occasions that
a woman would drop into the Office TO
make an inquiry about something Bunker
would send one OF the boys to answer her
questions. Once OF twice the cubs sue
ceeded in getting Bunker himself 10 wait
upon the female visitor, and then they
lay back. metaphorically speaking. and
enjoyed themselves hearing tn old man
stutter and stammer and in seeing him
blush rosy red while trying TO answer the
fair visitors queries. They came 20 the
conclusion IN the office that Bunker was
not a woman hater simply because it
wasn't in his disposition TO hate any
thing or anybody. They put it down that
with him it was a plain case Of just
woman scared.
The office was on the twelfth floor, and
its windows looked out over the roof OF
low building and stared into the twelfth
story windows Of a big building just
beyond. Teddy Long had a desk al one
window. Teddy frequently was more &C
cupied with the Office behind the windows
in the twelfth story Of the building be-
yOnd than he was with the business in
his own office. 1t was a law firm that
held the premises opposite, and the law
yers We're known 20 the boys in the bro
ker's office for the frequency with which
they changed their typewriting star.
About once q month a new face, and
always pretty one, would appear in
front Of the machine back Of the legal
windows. One morning 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 a few
minutes after. this new face hau all the
others that had gone before beat 10
DEATH
shes a daisy fellows" said Teddy.
when you get chance go TO the win
dow and shy a look over there. She's
got black hair, swapping eyes, red cheeks
and a daisy figure"
Distant inspection by the other young
members of the brokers' staff fully con-
flrmed Teddy's opinion of the new arri-
val The next morning Teddy sat at his
desk biting the end of a pencil and strok-
Ing his upper lip where there was just
the faintest substance Of things hoped
for the evidence Of things not seen"
Teddy had been casting languishing
glances in the direction of the typpewrit-
ing charmer in the lawyers office. He
knew she had seen him. but as far as
any evidence that she cared to pay any
attention to him was concerned the girl
might have been a stone wall. Teddy
was nettled. Things had been easy for
him al other times. and his bump of con-
ceit now had a dent in II. JOY! All at
once the charmer looked up and smiled.
showing set Of even white teeth in n
framework OF scarlet. Teddy smiled
back and nodded almost imperceptibly.
There was very decided bow in return,
and Teddy went soaring. Instantly, how
ever, the young woman turned again to
her machine and her white fingers went
flying nimbly over the KEYS.
Teddy half wheeled his chair around.
the pIeasurable little excitement still
glowing within him. There at the next
window stood old Bunker, the book
keeper, with a face as red as a peOny
and standing first on one foot and then
on the other