The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-03-16
0 o 0 G Q 0 Q Q @ o Q 0 O @ @ c
0 THE DAILY STORY 9
2 tses ~ &
1 2 9 c Q 90 G CO 90 op aR e
HIS Substitute Stenoarapher
lRV Stacy 10. BakerI N


infatuated young insurance man, the
Mettiesl girl in all the world Her
dark. wavy hair, black eyes and her
slight, graceful form were indeed all
that was TO be desired, and the fresh
dalntineas of the maid subjected her
employers heart to excited pt-a-pats
each time she entered the affice
Miss Moore, Dalton's regular typist.
Iand an antique that had been handed
down TO the successive owners of the
business since It's establishment, was
yinegar-iaced person, and her mere
presence in the Dalton sanctum had
been a keener incentive for him to
plunge recklessly into the complex.
ties Of business Miss Sophia Moore
vas conspicuously homely.
Miss Moore was not demonstrative
She either answered yes or no TO her
employers rare questions. and she
knew his Business better than he did
| himself. In all his five years at the
head Of the local branch Of the busi-
ness his sIenographer had been faith
fully at her desk each day. Nor had
she availed herself Of proposed yaca-
tions.
Therefore Dalton, arrivin 8 one
morning, was most agreeably surpris-
legeto find taa office ancient ssubsti-
ftuted by a most pleasing creation in
lfrmininity. R&' t9 e'e
She raised her ewes in compre-
hensiye inventory OF Dalton and then
cropped them demmely. a. u Va
II am Miss HollGI'ra wci-bred lit.
Ftlr voice explained Miss MooTe' sub
! stitute stenographer.'
| ii was like Miss Moore, in her su.
pcrior egotism, to put some one in her
place without first consulting the
wishes of her employer.
( Isis Miss Moore ill?' Dalton was
( tashful in The presence Of women
( especially when they were pretty wo
men. He would have liked to give a
! fiigid touch to the question, but to
his intense disgust his voice broke
10 a frightened squeak The red
blotted the bronze from his thin
cheeks A8'
ooh, no." Miss Holly glanced curl
cuslv at be young proprietor "She
isn't ILL., She has decided to. take q
vacation, that is all"
Funny" mused Dalton aloud
that sne didn't say anything about
il. Not he added ironically, F'that II
i any of my business, only-well, Of
flee etiquette, you know--er--sort OF
preserves the custom.
II was the girls turn TO blush.
Il am sue know nothing about
IT, she advanced coldly. Then, with
a touch of the hauteur of the real in
4 cumhents of thar particular chair oi
! s;enography. she said: ANY letters?
Dalton luffled the thick, black hair
ever his broad brow with puzzled
fingers.
II believe So he responded, his
r'pmeni of temeritv gone "I-f-why
yes, believe there are a few
The girl was no adept either with
the machine or pencil Several times
she cast appealing eyes toward the
young man. causing him to founder
i woefully in his dictation. Telepathlc-
ally, Dalton received this message:
Not 50 fast please. Once spotless
sheets, upon their enersion from the
typewriter. were spotless no longer
bui smudged, and bit into by an
cmery-toothed ink eraser. Dalton ging
ely fingered an effusion positively
bristling with errors.
by the way, Miss Holly" casual
II asked the real estate man What
business school did you graduate from
and where were YOU employed pre-
Yeus To your coming here?
An eloquent silence caused him to
! turn and stare al he white faced girl
TRere was Il terrorized, hunted look
IL her eyes hasd TO define.
''Neyer mind' added the man hast
! ". Mere idle curiosity you know,
Re ended weakly "I-er-just won
I dered."
Miss Holly gave a relieved gasp.
"One would have thought | HAD
sentenced her to be shot" grumbed
Dalton TO himself His thoughts re
'srted to the absent Miss Moo Q, and
+ i'er sublime nerve in leaving this in
capable slip OF a girl in her place
! And still
+ He was glad,
/ Dalton, although uncomfortable in
the presence Of pretty girls, was 4
most anreciative admiser-at a dis
lance. The other sex. in whole
some, honest way. appealed 10 him.
kut hard struggle with Fate has
given more frivolous youths with dot
ine fathers and unlimited bank ae-
counts the advantage When Dave
Dalton was financially able to rest
from the lahors OF his early years
and take his pleasure with the sugar
Gi'd,cream youth of the land he found
I the ineXpicable fear in his heart that
would have been weaned away had he
had the time to mingle with the fair
se in early youth
He watched them from a distance.
Despite the work turned out by this
2ifl substitute she was unusually
faiI 10 look upon. Dalton reveled
in her presence. even though he
Withed AZ her spelling, her punctua
tioN, her proneness TO error
A month passed Dalton now blind
Is accustomed to an extremely bad
slonographer, wondered at the pro
lcpged absence of MissrMoore
by the way, Miss Holly He ap
rroaehed the subject without symp
tom of h3shful preamble that would
haya weakened the phrase some
months before, lie and the slip palt
VT tho tynewriter were ON a flE mot
ing of friendship. when is Miss
More 10 Ieturn?'
Results were surprising. Miss Hol-
ly turned a painfully red face TO her
employer, and her eyes were deep