River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-03-06

10Sl Tie I}IUO1S NC SdH u SJ@ilC dA1
! the strenuous task Of final polishing
derided the medium of notes. He
/ dropped in daily to discuss the tricks
! of the trade. There was usually some
member Of the family reading before
/ her study fre-sit was such good,
| quiet place" Their presence did not
| interfere with the consulate Her
| desk stood in bay window at the 9TH
er end Of the room. As ,ong as the
weather continued cold he went
through the formality of knocking at
her closed door; but when it grew
| warm enough to open the window on
| the gallery he went in that way, and
| neither of them noticed any irregu-
larity in the proceeding. He would
stop to exchange civiities with who
ever happened to be present and then
pass on to her desk, where he would
be seen holding forth over a proof
| sheet. He rarely remained over 10
minutes and never sat down. Neither
did she rise or go through any form
Ct greeting.
''See here" he said, stopping beside
| her chair one morning late in March.
'These fellows are trying to rush US.
They want that last batch of proofs,
| and you haven't hadrtim to look at
| it, have you?" He thrust one hand into
his trousers pocket and glanced down
with a bothered look al her belittered
desk.
She paused a moment to make sure
of her eyes, as she always did, and
then leaned back to meet his glance.
"Oh, yes; I finished the proRfs an
hour ago. It is this bit of outside work
that is about to drive me to the wall.
Has to go off by the next mail"
"Then [ had better take the proofs
and clear OUT He reached for the
roll as he spoke and she mechanically
| resumed her pen.
'But about that''-the rest of the
sentence vanished from his intelli
gence His hand slipped from his
trousers pocket and his heavy ring
rang against her chair. He bent down
in sudden forgetfulness of the third
person and when he raised his head he
was wildly conscious of that other
presence Also that he would have to
meet it face to face before he could
leave the room
But the girl had never overlooked
the third person. AS soon as it hap
pened she plunged her pen into the ink
and began to write rapidly. The man
stood watching her busy pen point.
His hand rushed back to its pocket and
he toyed nervously with the roll Of
proofs. He had got himself into the
very deuce of a scrape.
She realized it all and arose to the
emergency.
"Will you have time to run over that
before you go?" She showed some
sheets toward him and spoke hriskly.
He caught them quickly, and, rest
ing them on the top of her desk, drew
out a blue pencil and began to draw
fine parallel line with painstaking
zeal.
"What cannot understand" he said,
in worried tone, sis why [ couldn't
have done it one of the hundred times
we have been alone together
''There was no need for you to do it
at all she replied, and her pen ran on
with increasing faplQlty.
The lady by the open window closed
her book with a slight yawn, cast
careless glance toward the two busy
people at the desk and went out.
"Now is your chance" the girl said
without looking up. go on. I'llfnish
that"
He obeyed instantly. The girl wrote
steadily for a moment longer, then she
threw down her pen and reached for
the sheets.
AS soon as he gained the open air
the mans sensa ton underwent a sud-
den change. The horror of his unpre-
meditated act vanished All that re-
manned with him was the clnging de-
liciousness of that long, warm kiss. He
still felt the yielding pressure of her
lips beneath his own. They had not
shrunk from his-he stopped in his
rapid walk and stared in black con-
tempt at the unoffending roll of proof.
''Blithering idiot! Talk about I'M
Outstanding the tricks of the trade,
and then go around for six months
not knowing what is the matter with
you. And she-knows."
This time there was no third person.
He realized that much as he went
through the window. His ring rang
against her chair before she was aware
of his presence and she showed aside
"a sheet immargined with fine blue lines
rather hurriedly.
Sim sorry | spoiled your copy that
way. l was so bothered-of course l
| ought not to have done it-that way,
without saying anything. Can't you
see how it is with me? T."
He wheeled her chair around and
drew her up to him.
Cant you see how it is?"
At any rate, the third person VIII
looked in just then saw how it was
She closed the door noiselessly and
beat rapid retreat.
Il thought that was what he did,"
! she murmured, in a tone of satisfied