The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-03-17

MS UNLUOKY SIGN.

Doutdu insurance Company, with MS
hands deep in his pockets, was staring
down into the street from the window
of his private Office on the sixth floor.
Being a young widower of two years
bereavement, it is not strange thag ne
was thinking of Miss Craig. his ston-
ographer ePrhaps every unmarried
male attache of the Office was also at
that moment thinking of her Certain
" Joyce, the bookkeeper, was. lnvesti
cation might have, et that particular
instant shown that Tommy. the office
hoy. was deeply immersed in some dog
a;erel verse in which he was striving 20
make "idolator" rhyme with "stenoG
rapher" But anyhow, Manager Dover
was thinking Of her--only of her
when. with subconscious interest Als
eyes fell upon shabby,looking man
standing in a street doorway on the
opposite sidewalk
I'm afraid she's a bit of a lirt."
Dover was thinking as he watched
the man edge up to the curved sign
that proclaimed the presence of ths
Paris Cafe on the second floor" Per-
haps she's already in wonder If
she likes Joyce better than me?"
Then he lost Eis thread of thought,
for the shabby man at the opposite
doorway had suddenly moved UP to
the sign. and, with a swift motion,
pulled from behind it white paper
1T might have been letter thought
Dover, and he watched The wayfarer
walked to the corner. opened the letter
and read it hurriedly Then he looked
up to the very window where the man
ager was standing and walked swiftly
away. After that when Dover got into
a brown study about Miss Craig be
tried TO make himself believe that it
was that sign which interested him.
causing him to spend hours watching
il.
She had just left the Office in the
twilight one evening. and ne had as
suAned his fayorite attitude at the win
dow. Presently he saw her passing up
the opposite side. When she came IN
front of the Paris Cafe she paused
hesitating for a moment and then
darted into the hallway
"Humph!" mused the manager, so
she's going to sup downtown tonight p
But as he watched she came out
again at the door. reached behind the
dingy sign, and walked swiftly away
with a letter or some white thing in
her hand.
For weeks Manager Dover mad been
serewiug his courage up 10 the point
of proposing. He was in love with
Miss Craig, and as he saw that eyers
man In the Office was in the same hx,
he was determined to be the nrst to
ask her. But her little tryst at the
sign Of the Paris Cafe pnt a damper on
his enthusiasm He must have wasted
two hours the next day watching that
sign. About 3 in the afternoon the
same shabby young man he mad first
noticed was there again. He pucked
a letter from behind the lettered tin
and replaced it with another Then Tor
days Mr.. Dover was very busy. ID
couldn't keep that queer postoaic,
mystery out of his mind, but he hadn'I
time to watch. Sundly evening", afiel
particularly troublesome week, dur
ing which he thought incessanty OF
Miss Craig and her apparent affair with
q very poor-loolxing fellow he chanoec
to pass by the Paris Cafe entrance. lie
went in. turned back, stood in the door
"a moment looking up and down The
street, and then Nobody saw him
but he almost ran to his office. Then
opening the letter he had found. M
read:
Dear Hazel: ~ may go TO wori
Monday as conductor on the L road
Do you think that will satisfy you
papa? II you pass Rush and superio
at 8 Monday evening I may be there
II not you will know | am at work.
suppose you have not heard of any
thing will answer all the ads in tn
sundayn ewspapers, but office job
seem to be scarcer every day. You
loving WILL
The following Sunday driven by thD
torment OF uncertainty and more thai
ever In love with Hazel Craig, b
again rihed the queer mail box, fxiE
the time OF his theft early in the morn
ing. so as TO eyade any watch tia
might have been set He found this
eeDarest viii; Haven't lost an
more letters think that one mus
nava hloa,, auvav Keen nm Won