Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-09-24
THE JUNIOR
PARTNER.
BY Madeline Lewis.
Copyright. 1905. by Associated Lit
erary Press.

menus WHICH uuuultuo wv nave az
gwered them in vain term heartless:
''Young lady stenographer and typist
wanted in a business office. Must be
quick and accurate State salary want
ed"
OF the thousands who read it and
the scores, if not hundreds, who an
swered by letter was Kitty Burnham,
daughter of a widow living in one of
the suburbs of the city. She had seen
and answered many such before.
There was grave need that the little
income left by the father should be
eked out in some way.
She had little hope when the answer
was sent off in its blue envelope that
II would be heard of again, but to her
great surprise and almost to her con-
sternation she received a curt message
asking her to call To make her way
to a business Office, to be questioned by
the abrupt manager, to be tested as to
her qualifications and perhaps told that
she wouldn't do at all-all this was a
nightmare to her, Then she must state
the salary wanted. That in itself
showed a want Of fairness on the part
of the firm 1t was taking advantage
Of the applicants.
Kitty spent an hour figuring so
much for street car fare daily, so much
for lunches, so much left at the end of
the week out of the sum she had made
up her mind to ask. 1t would be only
a pittance, and yet she must take it
and hope for advancement No man,
old or young, could put himself in the
place of a girl of nineteen applying for
q situation for the first time in her life
and being ushered through an office
where a dozen men were at work into
the sanctum Of the manager. She ex-
pected to meet an ogre and to be shout
ed at She had only entered the door
when she would almost have given
her life to be flying down the street.
Next moment the feeling disappeared.
There was no ogre. There was no
shouting A kindly faced man of for
ty-fye looked up from q letter he was
writing and greeted her thus;
"Ah Miss Burnham, l was expect
ing you. Please sit down, and will be
through in a moment"
The kind words rallied her. and three
minutes later she was answering ques-
tons and saying to herself that the
man probably had a daughter of his
own and was sparing her as much as
possible She had heard over and over
again that there was no sentiment in
business and that the woman who took
a mans place in an Office must expect
to be treated like a man, but here seem.
ed to be proof to the contrary.
MY name is Mr. Gray, and am the
junior partner in the firm" said the
man when he had finished his letter.
"As this will be your first place you
cannot expect the salary Of an expert
enced girl. What figure do you think
will be rightY
IL had thought of IS a week" she
replied, but if you-you think that is
too much I'll take Sc" She didn't
want to run away now. She wanted
the place, and she didn't want the firm
to think her too grasping.
Let me see as to your stenography,"
said Mr., Gray. with a smile. mo need
to be bit nervous. Just imagine that
you have been here for weeks"
He was not a lightning dictator. He
did not tramp up and down the room
and interrupt himself every moment TO
substitute words In quiet easy way
he dictated letter, and when it was
finished be nodded toward the type
writer in the corner, and the girl sat
down and Transcribed her notes
1T couldn't be better" he said as she
handed him the sheet To-day is
Wednesday, but as ! am a bit hurried
you might come tomorrow instead of
waiting till Monday. As TO the salary,
you will be worth $40 a week TO start
on. Good morning, Miss Burnham.
About $40 in the morning, please"
Five minutes later she was on her
way home TO tell her mother the good
news, and five minutes later Mr. Gray
was saying to the head clerk in the
outer office:
."Mr. Benson, have a new stenogra-
pher coming in the morning Miss
Yes, sir
1T is her first place"
Yes. sir"
"She is 10 he treated as a lady. Please
see TO 1t that there is no fishing for I'm.
Productions by the young men If she
does not bring her lunch with her she
will 90 out alone Should I encounter
her in the elevator or on the street |
shall lift my hat to her"
II understand. sir"
Mr., Benson returned TO the outer
Office and communicated the news
The young men Of the bookkeeping
staff winked at each other and smiled
They were made up Of the average
young man. no better or no worse One
Of Them went beyond wtnking and
sninng. lie said 70 the mar M MS
elbow;