Morris tribune., 1911-12-22


vate Office was assigned to her by the
obsequious superintendent, Mr.. James,
who assured her that it was Nahum
Meade's own sanctum and had been
reserved for her use by Oliver Craig.
who had been elected president OF the
company at a meeting where Cedelia
was represented by Mr.. Ashbee.
Cedelia removed her hat and gloves
and sat down in a giddily revolving
chair before the great mahogany desk.
In a little room to her right sat
round eyed typewriter girl, with note
book and pencil, nervously alert to Jot
down any letters the new treasurer
might care to dictate. The new treas
urer did not care to dictate any letters,
although a formidable pile confronted
her on the open desk.
A row of electric push buttons were
ranged beside her desk. Over each one
| was a tiny card bearing the name OF
some slave Of the button who would ap-
pear if she touched it. Miss Smith
| that would be the round eyed typewr1t-
er girl; ''Mr. James, the superintend-
| ent: "Willie''-that must be the office
boy who was diligently reading the
morning paper outside her door.
| Cedelia's head ached, and the din and
clamor of the riveters resounded across
| the big yard that divided the office
| building from the foundry. She press
| ed one of the buttons desperately, and
instantly Mr.. James popped into the
room. Cedelia held out the package OF
letters with supplicating glance.
"Do take care of these this morning.
Mr.. James," she pleaded, land give
that round eyed girl in there something
to do until get my bearings here.
Cedelia thought that last sentence
| sounded businesslike in the extreme.
Certainly. Miss Meade" said Mr..
James, although his SNUG cOuntenance
wore an expression Of doubt. 49,.
Then Cedelia was alone, for the su-
perintendent had mercifully carried the
| typewriter girl away with him. She
was calmly surveying the framed pho
tographs Of Meade locomotive boilers
| that hung on the buf tinted walls
when there came tap at her door.
"Come in" she said.
The door opened and admitted man
tall as CedeIia was herself. He was
| the handsomest man Cedelia had ever
seen, with a strong, intellectual face
lighted by deep gray eyes. In turn ne
gazed at Cedelia, who happened to be
the most beautiful young woman he
| had looked upon, and as he parted bis
| lips to address her there fell upon the
air the most horrible din imaginable.
1t sounded as though hundreds OF
riveters were banging away at a score
of boilers, and probably that was the
case. Speech was impossible. and Ce-
| della put pretty white hands up to her
shocked ears, and the strangers hand
some brows knitted in a frown.
Suddenly it stopped. II am be-
gan the stranger, but the noise began
again and drowned his words. Three
times his voice was lost in the chaos
Of sound, and then, when the two OF
them stood helplessly laughing at each
other, the din ceased.
|
thing" said the man decidedly.
''Then you must be Mr.. Craig said
| Cedelia, holding out her hand and
quite forgetting all about the Meade
Craig feud.
81 am, Miss Meade, and dropped in
to see how the treasurer is getting
along. If there is anything I can do
to help you along-but I'm afraid l
| don't know much about it myself-so
| therer'
81 don't know anything and l con-
fess haven't the slightest desire to-"
remarked Cedelia What does a
schoolma' am know about making boil
ers"
"What does q poet know?" complain
ed Oliver Craig.
"a poet? Are you a poet" asked
Cedelia, interested at once.
He smiled ruefully. "My friends say
so, but my enemies declare it is not
true"
"Onver Craig-Oliver Craig-ah. Oil
yer Craigland! That is the name you
use?" Cedelia sat up suddenly, her
cheeks very pink. her brown eyes
ashine with delight. AS he nodded as
sent she continued: "Oh. what are you
doing here when you can write such
beautiful verse? The world needs all
Of such poetry that you can write"
Thank you. That is the sincerest
praise / have ever received" he said
earnestly. "Funny idea. isn't tt-that
of poet working in boiler factoryT
When they had stopped laughing Ce-
della and oliver Craig had serious
conversation, the result Of which was
that both the president and the treas
urer of the Meade Boiler works deeid-
ed to employ y: Npetent private Sec
retaries who, under the tutelage Of the
very efficient Mr.. James, might take
| the cares of office from their unof-
fetal hands.
Thus the business went on In its