The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-08-15
EBEN LUFKIN, LAWYER.

EBEN LUFKIN, LAWYER.
Roach & Lufkin, Attorneys-at-
Law" That was the firm name, but
everybody, including the Office boy
and the book-keeper, knew that Luf-
kin, Eben Lufkin, didn't amount to
much either in the affairs of the Of
fee, as a lawyer or as an individual.
He was older than Judge Roach,
simmer, slower, more silent, an old
fashioned bachelor. AS a matter of
fact, his position in the firm was more
that of chief clerk than partner. He
wrote most of the letters ''by hand,"
small, beautiful, legible hand, of
which he was very proud. Judge
Roach "m ade allowances" for
"Eben," as he called him. They
had been classmates at college, and
the judge remembered that Lufkin
had been his guide, counsellor and
friend at school. In business, though,
things were different. Roach was as
sertive, confident, pushing. He had
up-to-date methods and wore up-to-
date clothes. Lufkin had the schol-
arship without any ability to "get
there" Roach was one of those men
who would have succeeded from Sec
ton hand to superintendency. He
got "next" to everything. After ten
years of profitable law practice he be-
gan to regard Eben more as one of
the Office fixtures than as a friend
and equal.
Being wealthy by inheritance, the
division of profits with Lufkin didn't
matter to Judge Roach, but his part
ner's cautious, hesitating, methodical
ways began to seem irksome. Luf-
kin x imagined M that he was the Safety
think he was hindrance a dead
weight. He no longer felt the need
of an adviser, and he resented criti
cism. Eben seldom ventured to in
terfere with affairs, but Roach "felt"
that his acts were estimated, his
words weighed, his manners consider
ed, his behavior criticised by the 81
lent, watchful, gentle old fellow be-
hind the desk. Even Lufkin's rusty
black alpaca coat looked like tacit
remonstrance against Roach's smart
blue serge military"
Hes too Slow" thought the
judge.
"He's boy yet" said Lufkin to
himself.
"Wonder if Eben'll stand it,
thought Roach, when he made up his
mind to employ a young woman stem
ographer.
GA good wife would make a man
of him, unused Lufkin, who didn't
know anything about the impending
innovation.
The new stenographer was the
daughter of one of the firms deceas-
ed clients. She was southern girl,
with bruno, serious face, much
wavy black hair, wistful gray-blue
eyes and a distant manner. Mr.. Luf-
kin looked at her as he might have
looked at strange, beautiful insect
when his partner stammered an in
PRODUCTION, but he took the large,
white hand she held out to him and
said
"Thank you, Miss Gildersleeve."
He was always polite like that,
even to clerks, servants and beggars,
and Judge Roach had an idea that it
was one of the qualities that helped to
keep Eben down. When Miss Gil
dersleeve had been duly installed in
her little corner, Lufkin seemed to
forget her presence altogether except
when he entered and left the Office.
Then it was Good morning, Miss
Gildersleeve, or "Good evening,
Miss Gildersleeve," but no more.
She had been in the Office two months
before he ventured to dictate letter.
But he didn't keep it up. He SEEM
ed to prefer writing his own letters
with a pen. Judge Roach, on the
contrary, never had written so many
letters. In fact, Eben, who natural
ly overheard everything, had never
known that his partner belonged to
so many clubs, went to so many
places, knew so many fashionable
ladies', was in correspondence with so
many prominent men.
But when the Judge bought a brand
new oak, drop-top typewriting desk
for Miss Gildersleeve and had it plac-
ed in his own private Office, where
neither the prying clerks nor the re-
ceptive Lufkin could overhear him
debating letters, old Eben got out
the little oilstone from his bottom
drawer, and, as he sharpened his pen
knife, whistled "The Campbells Are
Coming" in weird and dreary dis
cord. A few days afterwads he no
ticed that Judge Roach wore a very
brilliant rose in his buttonhole as he
strobe into the Office in the morning
And in the evening, after she haC
gone and the old bachelor went into
the private Office to get the morning
paper out of the waste basket, he saw
the same rose in bottle of water OF
Miss Gildersleeve' desk.
After that he began to notice 10
of unusual things in Judge Roach
dress and demeanor, and he whistles
"The Campbells Are Coming" al
the time, to all kinds of measure am