Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-05-22
AN UNLUCKY SIGN.

NJ Dover. manager q the Ccsno
po.itsn Insurance company. With a..
hands dep u h.sp1cks's. Es- -tsr.rg
DOM into the st-es- from The E.Ic8E
ofLls private Office % the sixth for
Beng Young zic5Eer q -35 yesrs
berrayemert. % = L5- strange that
be vss thinking Z NJ Craig. lis
EtstoE-zp1sr. Perlsp- every Urnar-
nd male sttacae q the Office rs- also
e. that mcmeItthiLk.Eg other. Ger
ts.1.y joyce. tie bookkseper, Eas.
investigation might have, a. that par
ticu.ar instant, shown that Tommy,
the office boy. Ess deeply immer-ec
II zone doggerel verse in which be
EssstryLgto make -idolat5r7 rhyme
vita @.teI0grsPher.7 But. anyhow.
Manager Dover va thinking q her
Only q her-Ehen, with subooE-
sc.ous interest bis eye fe.l upon =
thsD5y-.ookiHg man standing u .
street doorway OF the opposite side
walk.
@I'm afraid shes BIT Of f.rt. "
Dover vas thinking, as he watched
the man edge up to the curved .ign
that proclaimed the presence Of the
"Psr!s cafe on the second fOor."
"Perhaps she's already in love-won-
der # she likes Joyce better than me"
Then be lost his thread Of thought
for the shabby man az the opposite
doorway had suddenly moved mp 10
the sign, and, With a swift motion
pulled from behind it a white paper.
at might have been letter" thought
Dover, and he watched The way
farer walked 20 the corner, opened
the letter. and read it hurriedly. Then
h looked up to the very window where
the manager was standing and walked
swiftly away. After that when Dow
er got into a brown study about Miss
Craig be tried 10 make himself be-
lieve that it was that sign which inter
ested him, causing him to spend hours
watchingit
She had just left the Office in the
twilight one evening, and he had as
fumed his fayorite attitude at the
window. Presently he saw her pass
ing up the opposite side. When she
came in front Of the Paris cafe she
paused, hesitating Tor a moment, and
then darted into the hallway.
"Humphp unused the manager, go
she's going TO sup downtown To-
night"
But a. 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 hsndl
For weeks Manager Dover had been
ecrewing his courage up to the point
Of proposing. He was in love with
Miss Craig, and as he Jaw that every
man in the office was in the same fix,
he was determined 10 be the first 10
ask her. But her little tryst at the
sign Of the Paris cafe put a damper
on his enthusiasm. He must have
wasted two hours the next day watch
ing that sign. About three in the
afternoon the same shabby young
man he had first noticed was there
again. He plucked a letter from be-
hind the lettered tin and replaced il
with another. Then for DAYS Mr..
Dover was very busy. He couldn't
keep that queer post office mystery
out Of his mind, but he hadn't time
10 watch. Sunday evening after
particularly troublesome week, dur
ing which he thought necessarily Of
Miss Craig and her apparent affair
with a very poor-looking fellow, he
CHANGED to pass by the Paris cafe en-
trance. lie went in, turned back,
stood in the door moment looking
up and down the street, and them
saw him, but he almost ran o
bis office Then opening the letter
be had found, he read:
Onaar Hazel. 4 may No 10 uo,L