The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1907-05-29
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
A Pantomime.
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q boy. Next was an anterOOm, next
rooms full of clerks and bookkeepers.
In tue anteroom sat n girl at a type
writer, though she was constantly get
ting up to go into the baldheaded
mans Office TO take dictation.
She was a willOwy girl, with fair
hair and large dreamy eyes. The door
of the room in which she sat opened.
and a young man came in. He was
fashionably dressed, and noticed
pinned to his vest a college Greek
letter society badge. He went up to
the girl and said something to her.
She looked up at him with half blush
on her face and great deal of pleas
ure in her eyes. Then he went on into
the room where the baldheaded man
sat, and at once l noticed likeness
between them. They must be father
and son. They chatted pleasantly for
a time, when the young man rose to
leave. When his hand was on the door
knob, the elder man called him back.
wrote out a check and handed 1t to
him. lie put it in his pocketboo.;:. went
out, said something TO the typewriter
girl that caused her to laugh and was
gone.
A few da-s later he came in again.
This time - talked a good while with
the typewriter girl. She went on with
her work, tenlng to him at the same
time. The faces of both were very
serious Presently he stole an arm
about her waist, lifted up her face and
kissed her. At that moment the bald
headed man got up from his desk and
went TO the door communicating with
the anteroOm. They were caught.
The father turned and went back
into his private office. His son follow
ed him and talked rapidly. l knew by
the expression of his face that he was
endeavoring to shield the girl. Wheth-
er he was talking about marriage with
her l could not tell l could not see
the expression on the fathers face, for
he sat with his back to me. Presently
the son went out. He found the type
writer girl with her face buried in her
hands. He took them away, displaying
two burning cheeks. He kissed her
again, spoke few words as if of en-
enlargement and went away.
Every day the older man looked
more troubled. and his son had lost
all the vivacity l had first noticed.
The next day the typewriter did not
appear at her desk. Another took her
place. l saw the son no more and con-
Guided he had returned to college. In
q few months there was a sudden re-
duction of the office force, and all the
rooms exce"t the private office and an
teroom We're given up. Then the son
appeared regularly and with an Office
boy was his fathers only assistant.
Words are not needed to indicate pros
perity or adverslty-they speak for
themselves. knew that the house of
Blank & Co. had received a financial
and late. Having to do some extra
work myself at night, l saw him
through the window working. He
seemed to be his fathers mainstay.
The older man looked much broken
and sadly needed stay.
One morning-it was the next spring,
and all windows were up again-the
son was sitting at the typewriter doing
some copying. The door opened and n
lady came in. She was handsomely
dressed. and her face had familiar
look. She advanced to the window
where the young man sat, and l saw
that she was the former typewriter.
Evidently there had been a bouIe-
versement. The young man had left
the realms of affluence. She had en-
tered them. She talked with him ear
uestly. / wished l had a telephone
connection with them to hear what
they said, but l hadn't and must be
content with pantomime. The girl Rp-
peared to be trying to persuade him.
He laid his hand on her arm and, look
ing into her face, said something i'm
preSSively. She was evidently disap-
pointed. She arose and walked impa-
tiently to and fro in the little room,
then sat down by him and renewed the
attack possibly in new form. l fan
cied that, the tables being turned, she
was mingling with her persuasion a
tritie of feminine lOvemaking, such as
wealthy woman might make to Il
poor man. Presently saw him throw
his arm about her neck and rain kisses
on her cheeks and lips.
Meanwhile the old man in the next
room was fussing with his papers, un-
conscious of what was going on so
near him. Presently the young man
arose, left the girl, entered his fathers
room and began to talk to him. The
fathers face was turned sidewise, so
that l could see his expression. From
interest 1t passed to wonder and from
wonder to pleasure. but before either
Of the first two expressions died q
smile dawned on the fathers lips.
Then the son went back and brought
in the girl. The old mans looks were
far different from when she and his
son had been caught in the act of
kiss. He smiled on her benignly. The
girl took out pOcketbOok, drew forth
a bit of paper, which she unfolded and
handed to the father. 1t was the size
OF a check. Mr.. Blank looked at it,
hung his head for n moment, then tot
tered to the girl with outstretched
arms. She threw her own about his
neck. Presently he took one of her
hands from off his shoulder and, grasp
ing the sons hand, placed the two to-
gether
1 never received any explanation of
this little drama. needed none, espe-
cially when | saw all the clerks return
and the business 90 on as usual.
F. A. mitchell.
Probable Enough.
"The feelings of woman are far