Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1909-10-21
Keeping Groll
Off the Grass.
By HENRY BERLINGOFF
Copyrighted. 1909. by Associated
Literary Press.

Literary Press.
o~NsssNsesNeeesNNs
Stub Kelley was willing to admit
that the "old man" was a 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
hrst day the boy had come into the Of.
fee. and since then he had done moth
ing to cause a reversal Of Stubs opin-
Ion.
Fielding was wholesome sort of
chap whose very capacity for making
friends had won for him a place of
authority in the of,ce 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 a more suspicious moment because
Fielding had limited that there was
lot Of work to be done even IL the
Champs" were playing a double head
er at the ball grounds. Greater trib-
. ute than this no small boy can pay.
" Naturally when Gertrude Vance was
looked upo 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
Vance's desk at the softest call Of
"Stubr" and would sharpen her pencil
or bring her a fresh set of carbons
before he answered the increasingly
impatient call of the head Of the firm.
And because Fielding cared for Ger
trude It angered Stub to notice the IA.
miliarity with which the Junior part
ner treated the little typewriter. Ger
trude could not very well resent these
trifing inpertinences 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
toward that end, and she could only
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 be 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 a 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 at Ell
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 a 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
brief consultation with the latter, went
toward Fieldings desk.
II tell you that saw him make the
exchange" Groll was saying as they
moved toward the closed desk ~ was
in the cage for moment and saw him
bending over his desk"
"Did Mr. Fielding go to his desk
after he left the cageT asked Som
mers Of the cashier. and the latter nod
ded an unwilling assent
He had bottle Of medicine that he
wanted to put there He had bad
cold"
The cashier carried the bunch of
keys that We're 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 his ap-
proach. so Interested were they In the
fuvaQtf on tiou