The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-18
Such a foolish tale!

Such foolish tale!
Just about a high backed revolving
chair in bookkeeper's Office.
The bookkeeper lived in an exclusive
little den, separated from the main Office
by grating. painted silver. with window
in it, at which the men used to stop and
talk, for the bookkeeper was popular.
He had his desk and his chair in there,
and was very happy and comfortable in
deed, for his back was to the window in
the grating. and If he did not want
to talk, he pretended to himself that
he had some fearful, knotty account
to wrestle with, and kept very quiet. and
the back of his chair was so high that
no one would imagine he was there. for
he could not be seen at all from the out
side
The bookkee2er always wens away on
Thursday afternoon, SO the chair and the
den were vacant, and then She used to
come out Of her oflce. leaving the noisy
typewriter to have a rest, ard slip into
the big chair to do some renewing She
always had on Thursday afternoon
And il was just because She sat there
one particular Thursday afternoon last
month that this exceedingly veracious
narrative comes to be written.
It was raining, and She vas feeling
lazy. so She hurried through her reviews,
and sat there, doing nothing but just gaz-
ing at the blue wool dog with red eyes
on which the bookkeeper wiped his pen,
and which he regarded as being quite the
happiest artistic product OF the nineteenth
century.
So She was sitting there her thoughts
| converg5ng toward very interesting OBJ
| jective point, when the outside door
| opened and closed with a bang, and He
came in She could always tell when He
came in; He jumped the last two steps
| and gave the door swing which made
| it close after him with a hair-raising bang
but He didn't care
There was that fearful hang now All
/ at once She thought of something which
made her give the blue wool dog such 8
squeeze that some cotton wool blood
| dripped appeaHngIy from his left paw;
| then She put one Of the bookkeepeT's
cough drops in her mouth, tucked in her
sleeves. touched her knot of hair 10 make
sure that it did not show over the TOP Of
| the chair and then She sat extremely
/ stll. and waited
Very soon He came along to the win
dow in the grating and vouchsafed Are
you there. Scott2'' for you remember that.
yvi4aa the chair was turned around 10 the
desk. no one could see who was in it.
Yes. I'm here. came a hoarse and
,7,,-fF4a.E --cfrs from within
Well. turn around. won't you2 want
/ to talk to you"
= don't want 10 turn around" said the
Voice Grossly; I've got q cold, and sore
threat. and the light hurts my eyes, and
! I have q cough drop in my mouth; If you
want to talk. 90 ahead. and I'll listen"
There was d little pause. and the owne
Of the Voice squeezed the blue wool dog
until he really should have howIed, but
| he was a long suffering dog; and then He
said listIessIy-
Rotten weather."
s-Y-yes
Many OF the men in today"
Quite few"
.weli'-a brief sigb-.T guess I'll have
to finish that COMPOUNDED report The
sound Of retreating footsteps. a short and
undecided shuttle, and then
Scott"
..welI2"
~Dtd-did she wear those violets I left
for her this morning."
| Yes
She didn't say anything about them.
/ did she2"