The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-09-30

OO~N ' AANOAAA' oAa4NAON.
scented bottle of hair oil, and thereaft-
er he presented himself at the office
with his ruddy locks properly slicked
down.
Only the Junior partner noticed the
metamorphosis and laughingly re-
marked to the head bookkeeper that
John Henry was evidently mashed"
on the new typewriter. Gregory Ellis
merely frowned over the long rows of
figures he was adding up, and the jun
Tor partner, finding his joke unappre-
ciated, went to tell it elsewhere
John Henry was not the only attend
ant in the office who had fallen under
the spell of Mabel Moorfield, for Ellis
had looked with approval on her trim
figure ever since she had timidly pre-
scented herself at the office with a let
ter from the typewriter company and
had quietly taken her place at the little
desk by the window. Unlike John Hen
ry, however, he was not disposed to
wear his heart upon his sleeve, and
even Miss Moorfield was unconscious
of the spell she had cast over the chief
accountant. whose only love appeared
to be his books.
John Henry was an ardent wooer No
country school mistress ever received a
more regular tribute of fruit, and no
one in the office could induce John
Henry to move as quickly as when he
was on an errand for Miss Mabel. He
was the Office boy in the great broker
age concern of Stanton & Stangefeld,
and, unlike the messengers, his duties
were confined to the Office, where he
could feast his eyes upon the dark
brown head always industriously bent
over it's work. For several months
John Henry was apparently alone in
his devotion. Then, with mingled dis
gust and delight, he observed that Ellis
was his rival.
The disgust was occasioned by the
fact that Ellis attentions were receiv-
ed with a quiet appreciation which in
dicated that they were not unwelcome.
But even in the face of this rivalry
John Henry realized that the course Of
true love never did run smooth and
that all the heroes of the lurid fiction
he affected won their ladyloves in the
face Of the most strenuous opposition.
Often as he sat at his desk by the gate
he called to mind the nonchalant fash
ion in which Diamond Dick and other
half dime heroes had disposed of all
opposition, and he had sought to decide
the manner in which he would by some
brilliant maneuver cut out Ellis and
win Miss Mabel's hand and heart. He
had about decided that he would res
cue her from the burning building, in
spite Of the fact that the structure was
supposed to be fireproof when new
element was forced into the situation.
This was nothing less than STANCE
fields sudden interest in the new type
writer AS the junior partner he was
at liberty to call upon Miss Moorield's
services, and several times John Hen
ry observed that she made her exit
from Stangefield's private Office with
flushed cheeks and angry eyes. World
ly wise as most Wall street Office boys
are, he realized that Stangefeld was
probably forcing his unwelcome atten-
tons upon Miss Moorfield, and he vain
ly cudgeled his brain for some scheme
by which he might foil the villain and
at the same time retain his position. A
villain and a rival were possibilities
that brought joy to John Henry's heart
joy tempered only by a realization
that the loss of his position would not
only cut him off from all contact with
Miss Mabel, but would undoubtedly
result in an unpleasant condition of af-
fairs at home. Therefore he discarded
his plans for summary vengeance and
bided his time.
His time came sooner than he ex-
pected. for one day Miss Mabel was
called into Stanton's Office. John Hen
ry knew '-the old man" well, and there
good to Miss Mabel Stanton closed
the door as Miss Moorfield entered, and
John Henry, carelessly leaning against
the door jamb, could hear the CONVEX
sation as easily as though he were actu-
ally in the room.
miss Moorfield,' the senior partner
began sternly, ''the letter to Coulter
that | dictated to you yesterday after
noon is being acted on in the market
this morning. No one in the office be-
sides yourself knew the contents of this
letter, and unless you can explain how
this information leaked out l shall not
only find it necessary to discharge you,
but to write the firm recommending
you that you are utterly unreliable"
That was enough for John Henry.
Regardless Of consequences. he dashed
into the chiefs room and confronted
that surprised individual. Miss Ma
bells honor, Miss MabePs position, were
at stake, and In a torrent of words in
which the English language was
strangely mixed with expressions from
the current slang and excerpts from
the Diamond Dick Library he explain
ed to Stanton how Stangefeld, who
had been operating on his own account
through Cross & Sturgis, had read
Coulter's letter stealthily over the type
writer's shoulder and going directly to
his room, had notified Cross to act on
the information of the corner that was
to be operated on the following day.
Had not he, John Henry, substituting
for Jack Symonds at the telephone
switchboard In the Office, heard the en-
tire conversation? And Stangefeld
had told Cross that this deal would
square his private Indebtedness. Some
thing In the lads earnest tones CEN