The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-18

His Substitute Stenographer
ny STACY e. BAkER

accounts the advantage. When Dave
1 Dalton was financially able to rest
| from the labors of his early years
and take his pleasure with the sugar
and-cream youth of the land he found
| the inexplicable fear In his heart that
would have been weaned away had he
had the time to mingle with the fair
sex in early youth.
He watched them from a distance.
Despite the work turned out by this
! girl substitute she was unusually fair
to look upon. Dalton revealed In her
! presence. even though he writhed at
her spelling, her punctuation, her
proneness TO error,
a month passed Dalton. now blind
ly accustomed to an extremely bad
stenoErapher, wondered at the pro-
| longed absence of Miss Moore.
t5y the way, Miss Holly" He APP
preached the subject without a symp-
! tom of the bashful preamble that
would have weakened the phrase
some months before: He and the
slim maid at the typewriter were on
| a firm footing of friendship. When
! is Miss Moore to RETURN"
| Results were surprising. Miss Hol-
~ turned a painfully red face to her
employer. and her eyes were deep
with the old appeal.
| Am lam / not doing the work
all right The question quivered
on the sensitive lips Of thu girl.-nal-
I foT-streve his best to hide the tell
/ tale light in his eyes, as they rested
| upon the becoming stain covering
| her cheeks.
why. certainly" he FASTENED to
assure her. only IL seems to me
that she is taking an unusually long
vacation Probably she Is making
l1u he =, at IN Il
| anyhow. ! don't care. She has
never been away before. and--er--I
rather like IT, She can stay as long
as she likes"
To Dalton's amazement. the CIR
flung her pretty arms recklessly down
on the protesting keys and burst intc
convulsive sobs.
In an instant the youth was out oi
his chair. and bashfuIness and this
ethics OF well regulated business
office forgotten, was on his knees be
side the girl, one firm arm about her
''Do-d--don't," gasped the weep
ing maid You don't know what
have done
but l don't care" protested Dial
ton, the victim OF conflicting emo
. lions. "only. for heavens sake. stoI
crying You don't need to worry
You--you can have Miss Moore's job
III discharge her wnen she returns
Listen, girl, i love you: / want yol
near me always" He fioundered
, | wildly. Cant you see how ii Is
IL want you To marry me.
Through tear-misted eyes, the sub
siituta stenographer looked up at him
suddenly calm
Il must confess" she began tragic
ally. and resolutely thrust his arm
aside '"There--there is no Mis-
Moore"
rs no Miss Moore?" reiterated he
employer, namely.
"Nol" gasped the girl. "Nor--no
no Miss Holly"
Never mind soothed Dalton
Tell me some other time. You ar
! hysterical. dear"
The girl flushed. Miss Moore wa
. my aunt" she said, ''and-and sh
/, wanted to marry. aud--and she did
and so there is no Miss Moore. Sh
told me to deceive you until / Learned
, TO do the work better. ] am sorry
a alb. | really AMI aEa-asrf fully sorry
Then, half reminiscently: II didn'
know that anyone could be as nice a
i you"
n II love you, girl Dalton's svoic
was husky with emotion. Isn't tina
reason enough for being good I
: you?"
, "Ya-us." faItered the voice of tn
maid ''But--but my name isn't Mis-
Holly. II Is Holly Moore. !"