The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-16
CHAPTER x.
TnvR

CHAPTER x.
LOVE
A poor sfc1aoGrdpher-The positive young
lady under altered ctrcNmst0nces-Mtss
Gcntlcs' stor1eA hard road TOR tender
feet-S0ctal and scnttmcntal-A mtsusl-
dcrstnndtnQ-Wht hitch u made right In
the only tUoy-My boss tnrttcs Us to din
ner-Anothcr kind of tcomo,-A tpo-
mans shrcDdness-The social gtft-At
the opera-Bustness and pleasure-Sa-
roh ON Mrs. Dround.
m Iswas a hot day in August three
years after the trial. l was
sitting in Carmichaeps Office
trying to get breath of fresh
air from bis vast meadows. I called
old Peters and asked him to send me
up a stenographer.
Haven't a good one in the place,
Mr.. Harrington" he said. "All the
smart ones are of on their vacation.
There's Miss Gentles, though. The old
man generally keeps her for himself.
but he's gone home by this time"
"Send up anything SO long as it can
writer
"Well. she amt much good" Peters
replied.
I had my head down behind my desk
when the stenographer came in, and l
began to dictate without looking up.
These stenographer ladies' were all of
a piece to me-pert. knowing misses
all but Miss Harden. She was fifty
and sour and took my letters like biting
off thread. This one evidently wasn't
in her class. for pretty soon she sang
out:
please wait! I can't 60 SO fast"
So I waited and looked up to see
what had to do with. This young wo-
man was q good looking, ladylike per-
son with a mass of lovely brown hair
and long brown eyelashes. She was
different from the other girls in the
Office. and yet it seemed to me had
seen her before. She was dressed in
black. q sort of half mourning, judg-
ed Pretty soon she got stuck again
and asked me to repeat. This time she
looked at me inploringly.
Il am not very good" she said, with
a smile.
"No. you are not" replied.
She laughed at my blunt answer
laughed pleasantly. like a lady who
knows how to turn on harsh truth,
not firtatiOusly. like most of her pro-
fession.
Been long at itT' I asked the next
time she broke down.
mot 20 very. I graduated from the
school about six months ago. and
have always worked for Mr.. Dround
since then. He doesn't talk as fast az
you do. not nearly"
She smiled again at me frankly and
naturally. Suddenly remembered
where had seen that face before. and
when she locked up again l said:
did you ever find that purse. Miss
Gentles?"
She looked puzzled at flrst: then a
light spread over her face. and she
stammered:
"why. Of course; you are the MI.
Harrington who But you have
changedr'
Rather, hope! And the light
wasn't COED In the police station that
morning"
Miss Gentles leaned back In her chair
and laughed, blush spreading prettily
over her face.
ITS all SO funnyr' she exclaimed.
"Funnier now than 1t was then"
admitted.
II am very glad to meet you again.
No: never found that purse. The
Judge still twits me when he sees me
about changing my mind. He thinks
Then she stopped in embarrassment,
and 1t was some time before found
out what the Judge did think.
Have you been back to that place in
Indiana" she asked. And we had
quite \ chat. She talked to me like q
young lady who was receiving a caller
in her fathers house. 1t took q long
time to finish the few letters l had
started to write. When she went got
up and opened the door for her. !
had to.
Good afternoon. Mr.. Harrington"
SO glad to have met You again."
Old Peters, who was in the outer Of
dee, looked at us In considerable sur
prise. When Miss Gen:ies had gone he
remarked in a goesiping way:
$50 you know the young woman
Il met her once years ago" admit
ted. How did she land here1 She
doesn't seem to have had much expert
ence as stenographer."
mo: she hasn't Her father died
several years ago and didn't leave .
cent He was ! very popular doctor.
though-a southerner. They lived kind
80 h1Uh I sr1n~o -hil> <h>r> -. 49,