The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-16

THELETTER He NEVER MAILED}

keys. BY her side sat the private secre-
tary. whose attention was fixed on a desk
piled high with accumulated correspond
ence. He methodically disposed of docu-
ment after document until the heaps of
paper rapidly melted away. Some went
to the waste basket Others he held as
he turned to dictate and then gave them
eternal resting places in the files.
The stenographer when not listening to
dictation was testing the durability of her
machine. Mr Box had no one about him
who soldiered
Miss Clicks was not hOmely. The oval
contour of her face was pleasing. Per-
haps her mouth was not all an artist
would have wished but her eyes more
than made up the difference. Looking
at her once the defect might have been
noticeable The second glance would
have aroused doubt as TO the first judg
ment and have called for third. BY that
time one would have seen her trim figure,
in an almost severe costume with just
a touch of color. the orderly desk before
her, and the glistening machine
If one might only lnger'' was the
comment of many visitor who waited
for admittance outside the door of the
',old mans Office
The secretary was not an ogre, though
many persons who thought they had bus
iness with his chief believed so. On the
contrary ne was mild mannered-in his
home with little Charles on his knee and
his wife smiling across the library table.
Then he would metamOrphose into a
cheerful being
Miss Clicks only the ppid faro that
turned to her ninety times a day, each
turn meaning an additional page in her note
book. additional wear and tear on her
typewriter. to say nothing of the strain
of frequent revision after nervous gasps
on his part that might have meant any
thing from displeasure to positive pain.
The stenographer had learned when to
cut a sentence in half, and when three
parts were better than one which would
have extended from Dear Sir TO Yours
truly had she followed dictation. When
she had been at the desk for two sue
cessive years she even added little Occa-
slonally.
Once when she had taken peculiar lib
erty in this direction the secretary frown-
ed Then he studied the letter more care
fully and his brow smoothed out and he
gave look of approval in her direction.
An observant bookkeeper thought he saw
the beginning Of blush on ner face but
he was on the opposite side where the
light was bad
Three years the grind of office work had
gone on. Then when he had important
business the secretary handed Miss Clicks
q bunch of unanswered correspondence
with but u few general directions and on
coming in later in the day he always
found the replies ready for signatures. He
looked more than pleased
enc morning the stenographer was I'M
usually preoccupied with the difficulties
OF a tabulation of figures She suddenly
turned to ask question and found the
secretary looking at her intently.
He had been watching her as she work
ed and his mind was busily noting her
features. He commenced at the hair. He
fingered long at the eyes. whose lids were
dropping over the work The faintest
trace OF a wrinkle about the corners
troubled him The mouth he disregarded
for he had settled that before when no
one was looking. He was buried deeply in
mental analysis when she looked up from
the mass Of figures before her with ges-
ture of annoyance and appealed Tor aid.
surprising something i'll his eyes she had
never seen there before.
1t was n brief interval before he an
swered-just the length of time it would
take one thought to brush away another
and become an act.
The bookkeepe- was busily writing or
he might have seen something that time.
Wonderful" said the secretary mus
ingly that night. Wonderful" He had
dropped his paper and was looking away
which did not happen to be in the direc-
tion where his wife was sitting.
AT last you have spoken" she said
smiling.
He looked up at her startled. With
drawig his mental gaze from the attract
I've picture of q woman's face which seem
ed to spring from the air. he said. almost
embarrassed:
Did I speak?"
Then after pause I was thinking how
old Rox played a trump card today"
It's business. Mary, business.
He took up his paper and applied him
self vigorously.
The next cay was a busy one in the
Office 1t seemed as if every one Of the
correspondents Of the old man" selected
that time to write and each letter required
an answer. The secretary kept on the
jump in and out of the sanctum and die
tated like a fiend till noon.
Miss Clicks was opening her lunch bas-
ket when he put out his hand to stop her.
Come over to the home dairy with me
You've worked hard enough to deserve
hIr n,
house"
The bookkeerer in his hurry TO get his
'unch had gone out.
Merit is sometimes recognized in the
BUSINESS world and the private secretary's
taithfulness TO his employer had not es-
capped the attention Of other business
men. \ n;-tering offer for a change was
he result
That day the secretary dictated a pri-
vate letter Of his own and he wondered
at the self possession Of the Young woman
rs she took it. He left the Office imne-
diately not TO return until the clerks had
gone
On unlocking his desk this is what he
found. carefully Transcribed and awaiting
signature as usual:
Lincoln. Neb.. March 1, lso4-Harlan
& Co. 1ue9 Q Street City.-Dear Sirs:
note with pleasure the matter in your
confidential note Of today 10 me After
our conversations on ghe subject. ] feel
that the agreement might - wen be
made. but in So doing ! have one request
20 make. You VIII remember that / spoke
of the invaluable services of Miss Clicks.
our StenCgrapher ! feel il she were 10
he IL, irt .-.o-I- 800. IL III NJ.