The Washington times., 1909-03-24

y cry GOOD. 10U may take OH Nooi
hat and sit down at that machine. Les
| lie will give you some envelopes to
! address. / suppose you can address, en-
velOpes on the typewriter eh?'
"Oh. yes OF course 1 can. sir
And you can do neat and careful
| typewriting and takc from dictatjon at
! the rate of a hundred words minute,
as you say in your letter eh?"
Yes, sir
VERY good I am sure you will suit
| us. Your salary will be ten dollars per
week. and your hours are from a. m.
to p. m, with an hour for lunch.
Il think you will find the position
! a pleasant and congenial one, and there
is no reason why you should not get
along splendidly here, If you pay strict
attention 10 business and don't let any
thing else occupy your attention
With this brief utterance the senior
partner turned on his heel and went
back TO his private office. A second
later he rang his bell for Wilbur.
Where is my brother?" he inquired
Il don't know, sir He went out
some time ago, understand and hasn't
returned yet
'Humph, You saw that foreign look
ing man who came into the office a
short time ago and called my brother
out. Do you know who he is. Leslie?"
NO, sir, 1 do not"
Did you ever see him before2''
Wilbur hesitated; but quickly decid-
ing that it was no use confiding TO
Frank Darlington what he knew about
this man, he replied. mo, sir; don't
think L have ever seen the fellow be
fore"
We'll. if you ever get the chance
try TO find out all you can about him,
Leslie. Be sure TO Iet me know every
| time he calls here TO see my brother.
And don't forget what I told you about
watching my brother and that girl out
side. Remember. 1 want you TO repeat
to me every word they say TO each
other
/ Il won't forget, sir" replied Wilbur,
and as he stepped out OF the private
office he said 70 himself, Now l won
der what all this means. 1 wonder why
Frank Darlington wants me to spy upon
his brother and the girl and why he
wants me 70 find out all can about the
villainous looking Italian. Can 1t be
that Frank Darlington knows something
about this mystery in which his brother,
the Italian, and the girl are involved?''
meeting with the girl Of his dreams and
f; the joyful discovery that she was hence
! forth to be an inmate of tile office. Will
bur had temporarily forgot, 4 until now
all about the mysterious and apparent
/ " sinister attitude toward her mani
tested by Arthur harrington and the
Italian with the scar on his forehead.
But now the senior partners words
recalled the situation to him and he
suddenly realized that the girl herself
might be able TO offer a solution of the
mystery surrounding her picture.
I Doubtless Miss Laura Hamilton
could explain why the Italian and Ar
thur harrington had resorted to suci,
I desperate measures IN their ATTEMPT to
( get possession of the photograph. Per
haps also she could explain how the
! picture had got into the volume Of
! Sherlock Holmes he had borrowed
7 from che library.
He resolved to interrogate her on the
subject ar the very first opportunity.
/ What a good joke it would be, he re-
/ nected, with a smile. II he could tell
his friend Steve Clayton, when ne saw
him that night. that he had reached a
I solution of the mystery without the as
sistance Of Steve's detective ability.
When ne stepped into the outer Of
fee, he found that the girl had already
taken her seat at the typewriter and
was inddstriously polishing the top bars
with a greasy cloth she had found in
the drawer Of the typewriter desk.
Danny, the errand boy, was standing
nearby gazing at her with frank ad-
miration in mis- eyes. Although Danny
was not yet in his teens. he rather fiat
tered himself that he was d good judge
of Feminine puIchritude, and in his ex-
pert opinion the new s,enographer was
certainly a peach
Wibur's glance fell upon the boy and
it occurred to him that it would be a
good thing to have the youngster OUT
Of the way for the next half hour.
'DauRie," ne said. we're all out OF
I pencils. Run around 70 Stacey & Co.,
on Battery place, and order a gross
The errand boy departed somewhat
unwlIlingly. and after he had gone. VIII
/ bur turned eagerly TO the girl.
Il guess you'll find that machine is
n pretty good condition., he remarked
ITS several days since it was last uSca
our last stenograp her left a week ago.
/ YOU know-but ! have taken care 20 oil
1t every day since then. Are you IA
mTiar with this make OF machine. Miss
| Hamilton
"Oh, yes replied the girl, y learned
/ how 10 operate nearly every make OF
/ typewriter at the business college 1 at
! tended"
so YOU learned typewritins at a
business college, eh?" remarked Will
bur. after a pause May T ask you II
YOU have ever had any actual expert
ence in an Office
no, I haven't. This is my first Job, -
replied the girl, with a smile. But 7
graduated with high honors from the
business college, 50 ] feel fully compe-
tent TO fill this position"
us the business college which you
attended located in New York;" in
quired Wilbur with distinct purpose
In view.
ooh. yes. It's on One Hundred and
Twenty-fifth street-Small's Business
and Stenography School for Men and
! Women. you know"
so you are a New Yorker. Miss
Hamilton"
yes. / was born in New York and