Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1909-02-27
Keeping Groll
Off the Grass.
BY HENRY BERLINGOFF.
Copyrighted. 1909, by Associated
Literary Press.
BY HENRY BERLING0FF.

StuD Atiley WIS Wiling To ADMIT
that the odd man" was more i'm.
portant figure In the office than George
Fielding, but the rack itself could not
wiring from him an admission that any
one else doomed as large, least Of all
Douglas Groll, the junior partner
Groll had incurred stubs enmity the
first day the boy had come Into the Of
fice and since then he had done moth.
ing to cause a reversal of Stubs opln-
ion.
Fielding was a wholesome sort Of
chap whose very capacity for making
friends had won for him a place Of
authority In the office of Sommers &
Groll. Every one liked him. The
loyal Stub worshIped him and would
have gone to the end Of the earth at
his order.
Stub had even raised from the dead
his mythical grandmother TO bury her
at more suspicious moment because
Fielding had limited that there was
lot Of work 10 be done even II the
Champs" We're playing n double head
"a ~ tAN 6AVuiibS.
ute than this no small boy can pay
Naturally when Gertrude Vance was
looked upon with especial favor by
Fielding she became the chief goddess
in the office.
Mr.. Sommers' sonorous call Of "Pat-
rickw sometimes went unanswered.
but the boy fairly jumped to Miss
ne fhA cAffacf coll ~
"Stubw and would sharpen her pencil
or bring her n fresh set of carbons
before he answered the increasingly
impatient call Of the head Of the firm.
And because Fielding cared for Ger
trude 1t apgered Stub to notice the IN.
millarity with which the junior part
ner treated the little typewriter. Ger
trude could not very well resent these
triling inpertinenccs without losing
her place. and she could not afford to
do that when she and Fielding were
saving up every penny against the
time they should find some tiny subur-
ban home suited to their modest In
come.
They were working hand In hand
tOMuEu tuul Cn0, DUO ttAAA tAftf
pretend not to notice the hand that
rested caressingly on her shoulder
whenever Groll stopped at her desk
TO give an order or ask question.
Stub instinctively sensed her embar-
rassment, and he gritted his teeth i'm.
potently whenever he saw Groll NOV
Ing toward the typewriter's corner.
vowing with boyish intensity that he
would get even.
He watched Groll with quiet atten
ton that permitted no move TO escape,
and that resourceful business man
would have been surprised had he
realized how much Stub knew about
his personal affairs.
Stub was ever alert to get hold OF
some bit of information that he could
use as club, but Groll grew more and
more daring In his attention with the
knowledge that the girl feared to speak
10 Fielding.
Groll always was particularly Of.
fensive when Fielding was at the
bank. The firm had two branches up.
town. and every morning the receipts
from these branches were brought
down by the trusted clerks and turned
over to the cashier, who accepted the
credit slips without question and
passed the sealed package on to the
bank with his own deposit by Fielding.
The packages OF bills were made into
brick shaped forms and sealed ut eli.
Their end. The messengers were trust
ed employees. and there never had
been the slightest inaccuracy.
Stub loved to watch the arrival OF
the packages. 1t was his ambition to
be messenger himself some day and
carry a revolver under license from the
police.
The bulge In the messengers coat
pockets filed him with envy, and he
was saving his tips with the idea OF
purchasing revolver OF his own
against that happy day when he should
be intrusted with one of the leather
satchels chained to the messengers
wrists.
Then came a day when Groll went
into the senior partners Office. and
soon he and Sommers went to the
cashiers cage. Here the two, after a
brief consultation with the latter. went
toward Fielding's desk.
II tell you that saw him make the
exchange" Groll was saying as they
moved toward the closed desk II was
In the cage for a moment and saw him
bending over his desk"
did Mr.. Fielding go to his desk
after he left the cager asked Som
mers Of the cashier, and the latter nod.
ded an unwilling assent
HE had bottle Of medicine thai he
wanted to put there. He had a bad
cold"
The cashier carried the bunch OF
keys that were duplicates of all the
keys in the Office. and they soon found
the one that fitted Fielding's desk. As
the roll top was raised to release the
catch that held the drawers locked
Stub could not refrain from drawing
near The trio did NOT notice hts nm.