The Somerset reporter., 1904-09-01
z II 2
OCL e. y G]
DRFDE
BY KEITH GORDON


When the senior partner is young,
handsome and unmarried and the wo-
man in the office of a quiet elegance
of face and form, subtly suggestive of
drawing rooms. it is apparent that
complications become possible.
Oglesby himself had vague con,
seriousness of the fact at the end of
Miss Wentworth's first year there.
1t was not SO much that under the
charm of her personality, a Turkish
rug not originally included in the plan
of office furnishings, had found its way
into Ter room-that was small mat
ter! But that he perceived q certain
incongruity in the fact that her slen-
der, well shod feet rested upon pol
ished floor. while he and Stanton
walked on rugs, was more significant.
When incongruities of this sort attract
a business mans attention he should
beware.
Miss Wentworth, to be sure, had an
atmosphere all her own, which seemed
to demand a proper setting for her.
To this silent demand of her indiyid-
uality Oglesby made a good many con-
cesslons from time to time almost
without knowing that he did so. He
had whimsical theory that she WAS
like fine china and should be treated
with the greatest delicacy.
She herself never seemed to suspect
that there WAS anything unusual in the
attention that was paid to her COM
fort. If n rug We're put down In her
room, well, surely it was no more than
proper that there should be a rug
there. If Mr. Oglesby showed a real
anxiety to know whether the chair that
she occupied was as comfortable a
one as could be procured, Miss Went
worth supposed that it was but the
usual kindness displayed by employ
ers for their employees.
1t was not until the little room occu-
pied by her contained every office con-
venlence that Oglesby was brought to
a consciousness of the fact that there
might be some personal motive In his
thoughtfulness.
I'm! Seems to me- old man, that
you're daft on the subject of our fair
assistant" observed his partner when
for the third time In as many months
he had suggested some Improvement to
be made in the stenographer's equip
ment.
Oglesby answered him somewhat tart
ly and in q manner meant TO convey
that an Oglesby could under no cir
cumstances whatever become interest
ed in woman not of his own class.
Still the fact that Stanton had noticed
anything unusual in his behavior irri-
tated him He remembered, with sharp
discomfort, a number Of times when
hd had worked hard-harder by far
than he ever had with any woman of
his own world-to win a smile from
her. lie even found relief in the
thought that with tact rare in girl
unframed to social life she had added
zest to his efforts by her calm, well
bred, but by no means encouraging
manner.
"An Oglesby and daft on the subject
of stenographer" he repeated to him
self with scorn as Stantons remark
ranked in his mind 81 guess not"
1t was fortunate that he should have
encountered Miss Wentworth on the
street one day while this resentment
was still warm In his mind. AT the of
-, e 10 hfg mo
ner was unchanged. over and over
again he forgot that the cold, serene
young woman who looked at him very
much as If he were mere detail Of the
office furniture was simply his stenog.
rapher.
But when he met her on the street
that day a sudden remembrance Of
Stanton's speech embarrassed HIN.
After all, the Oglesby pride whispered,
stanton was right" With this thought
in his mind he checked the smile OF
greeting that rose to his lips and
bowed with elaborate and somewhat
patronizing gravity,
Intends to be just as courteous to
me as If did not write his letters for
so much per month";" was the thought
that flashed wickedly through Miss
Wentworth's mind. Her acknowledg-
ment of his greeting was reduced to a
flicker of the eyelids that came peril
ously near to being imperceptible.
The effect was by no means lost up
on Mr.. Oglesby and produced in him a
queer mixture Of triumph and indigna
ton.
"Jove," ran his thoughts apprecia-
lively, "she has the air Of a grandf
damep
Then a quick transition took place In
his view of the matter. and he expert
enced thrill of righteous indignation
ut her treatment. Had he not bowed
to her precisely as he would have done
to Miss Ten Eyck, with n mere trifling
impalpable difference of expression
which person in her position couid
scarcely be expected to detect?
Just what was going to happen II
the future can never be definitely
known, for at that moment the vision