Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-09-03
The Hand Across
the Way

A country man by birth, poet by
nature, Stanley Dix disliked the grim,
close Office in which he all day long
wrote dreary paragraphs and edito-
rails for a trade journal as he disliked
the work that had SO ungraciously re-
placed his early dreams of literary
fame and fortune. Day after day he
looked from his desk to the dingy
building across the alley on which his
office gave, and for nearly two years
found the prospect altogether unal-
Turing. Then suddenly one summer
his eyes fell on a refreshing sight.
This was a pretty hand at an oppo-
site window. The owner, evidently a
busy little stenographer, sat we'll back
at the side window, so that only her
left hand with an occasional glimpse
of snowy sleeve or FURNISHED hair as
she bent unwontedly far over the ma
chine. was visible to the pleased
watcher But the hand, SO small and
white and dainty-DiX loved it at
sight.
Long time he wondered as to the
girlish personality to which it be-
longed, but the girls office, like his
own. was at the back of its building,
and repeated study of the said build
ing from the front street taught him
nothing: neither, since he could not
exactly locate the window at which
the hand was visible did repeated
strolls about the third floor, on which
he Judged the Office to be situated.
At last little Jimmy, the rude, clever,
lovable, unbearable office boy, who
ruled the office and who saw every
thing without taking his nose from
his dime novel or other subject of
nefarious attention, came to his res
cue
"Pretty mitt, that" remarked jim
my, wiping up the mucilage he had
spilled all over Dix desk and shoes.
Girl must be a good locker, I'm
thinkin'"
'sWho is she, Jimmy?" queried Dix,
with affected lightness
Shrewd Jimmy winked a merry eye.
Don't know, but l guess kin find
out through some of the pape' kids in
the alley" was his answer, and when
silver had passed between them jim
nv was taken suddenly i'll and asked
permission to visit the corner drug
store for headache medicine. At noon
he mysteriously informed Dix that
the girl was Miss Alice Graham, a
public stenographer, and "corkln
beauty" giving the number of her Of
flee. Then he went off to spend an
extra half dollar, and Dix, after re-
garding himself in the glass for an
unwonted period, went around to IN
uuire Miss Graham's rates for some
mythical typewriting he desired done.
Miss Graham's rates were reasOna-
HE. so. in order to see her again, Dix
wrote some short stories, some OF
which. to his great surprise, were ac-
cepted and printed. Miss Graham,
fast becoming more than friendly IN
response to his open regard and ad-
miration. was unselfshly delighted
with her patrons success and urged
him to write more stories. But the on
" story he really cared for was that
he told her, in low tones, and trem-
bling, one night in the park.
The clever Jimmy had gone to a
new Job before the happy day daWned
for Dix. who had just secured more
promising position, so his old Office
remained in ignorance Of the pretty
romance so simply enacted.
But the man in the next office, a
grim and crusty bachelor, took up his
work one morning with a sense OF
something pleasant missing. By and
by he realized that it was the pretty
hand across the way.