River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-01-23


one foot and then on the other.
"Great Scott said Teddy to him
self, "the old man had his eyes on
the charmer and thought she meant
that smile for him. He looks as
though he were going to faint. That
smile for him! Why, the poor old
geezer He's Anticipated. I'll put
the boys next"
So Teddy told the boys of how the
girl had smiled on him and how the
old man thought the smile was in
tended for him, and had blushed like
| girl and fdd1ed with his fingers.
''We'n have some fun with the old
guy, fellows. I'm going to get an
| introduction to the girl over the
way, and I'll tell her all about
Bunker, and how if a woman speaks
to him he has a fit, and she can just
| lead him on bit, and We'll have all
sorts of fun here with the doings."
The next day there was another
sweet smile from the typewriter, and
Teddy responded in kind. Curiously
enough, old Bunker was at the 9TH
smile came across the areaway he
blushed like fire and cast a furtive
glance at Teddy. Teddy saw it..
"We've got him going" he said to
himself, "the old fellows hit sure.
[ hope he don't die of apopiexy be-
fore he makes out the pay roll. He
looks as though he were going to
choke"
Three days afterward Teddy ap-
peared at the office beaming. II met
the charmer Last night" he said to the
boys, lover at Browns dancing school.
Her name is Mary Halbert. l was in
PRODUCED by her cousin. Say, she's all
right. When told her that old Bunker
thought that smile was for him she
laughed and laughed. I said | couldn't
conceive how anybody could be such
fool as to try to grab off a smile that
wasn't intended for him. She fell in
with our game, and at nine o'clock
every morning she's going to bow and
smile, this time really at old Bunker.
It'll set him nutty."
Teddy went to the window at five
minutes of nine. A minute or two later
the old man shuffled off his stool and
sided up to the twin window. The rest
of the boys pretended to be hard at
work, but their eyes were all twisted
at an angle. Nine O'Clock and the room
was absolutely radiant with the smile
that came through the windo w. Bunker
sidestepped, wiggled his hands, bowed,
smiled and then put on a face like a
furnace fire. Teddy was in raptures.
Saint it great?' he said afterward to
the boys. Gee, the old mans an easy
mark!"
So it went on for weeks. Teddy met
the charmer occasionally and sent her
into ecstasies of laughter over the ac-
counts of the fun they were having with
old Bunker.
"Why, when you smile," he said to
her, "the old man goes up into the
nineteenth heaven. I'm glad you smiled
over at me that morning, for Office
work now is as good asa show"
One morning Bunker showed up with
a red carnation in his buttonhole.
When Teddy looked through the win
dow he saw that there was bunch of
the same kind of flowers pinned to the
waist of the neighbor over the way.
After Bunker had received his morning
smile Teddy spread the news of the
flowers. "The old mans got 'em bad"
he said. It'll be awful tough on him
when the girl gives him the throw
down. [ saw her last night, and told
her to let the old fellow down easy
when it came to a pinch, and she 'told
me she'd be easy with him all right
enough. Gee, but there's no fool like
an old fool! She told me she's going
to take her vacation beginning to-mor-
row, and as Bunker's going, too, our
fun's all up for a week. Well rig up
something else, though, when the old
duffer gets back"
Bunker went on his vacation, and the
smiling face was also missing from the
window in the lawyers office. The
Wednesday morning following Bunk
er's departure every man in the office
found a square envelope on his desk,
which when opened contained an an
nouncement reading like this: ''Mr.
and Mrs. Joel Halbert announce the
marriage of their daughter Mary to
Mr.. Henry Bunker, Monday, October z,
at st. Chrysostom's cAurch.''
One envelope contained a second in
closure. 1t was that which was ad-
dressed to Teddy Long. Teddy read
the marriage announcement with star
ing eyes, and then picking up the in
closure read this neatly typewriter
communication:
'Mr. Bunker and have known each
other for five years. We were engaged
for five months before I went to work
in the lawyers office. can't conceive
how anybody could be such a foolas to
try to grab off a smile that wasn't in
tended for him.-Mary Halbert Bunk
r.'-Edward B. Clark, in Chicago Rec
ord-Herald.
GA Lot o. AIR.
The inhabitants of the little town
of Somersby, in England, where Ten
nVSOn was born. are frank in OiVin or