The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-17
THE EVENING STORY
Wanted: A stenoerapher.
(By Jane Osborne.)

propped his feet uncomfCrtably on his /
waste-paper basket and looked vaguely /
into the sleet-flled atmt sphere visible
from his twentieth story Office window.
William had come tc the startling /
discovery that he was ir love with his /
stenogra pher, Constance Peck. He did /
not know much about her save that a /
year before she had been left an or
phan, and had come to the great city 1
with its chances of work; that she had /
turned to stenography as a means OF
making a living; that she had been /
sent to him in answer to request at
the business school where she had
studied; and that she lived alone in a
third-rate boarding house.
But about Constance, the young |
woman he had fallen in love with. he
knew great deal. He knew that her /
soft brown eyes made Kim forget the |
worries and announcements of his |
struggling young law practice; that her
sweet voice reminded kim, somehow, I
of bird that used to sing in his Ia
theirs apple orchard VIXEN he was |
child; that her comic ting presence |
had become a real necessity to him, |
and a thousand other things about her
that he unused on by himself.
But William was troubled. 1t was
one thing to be in love with the young
woman who worked fo~ him: it was
another thing to tell her. He could
not, as he would have done If Con-
stance had been anyone else than his
photographer, lead up gradually to the
lall-important question Constance, ne
knew from experience, would refuse
| invitations to dinner or the theatre on
the ground that he and she were only
business acquaintances, end love-mak-
ling when he was debating business let
tiers or talking over office work was out
of the question to a man like William.
Bother it ALL said William;
don't even know where her boarding
house is. and 1 don't dare ask her to
/ let me call; she'd think 7 was plying
her, and girl like Miss Peck wouldn't
stand for that"
So William decided to let things go
on as they were; as loEg as Constance
worked for him, she would at least be
near him, and in course of time, he
hoped, she might come to feel as he
did.
Through don't see how a girl like
Constance could care for duffer like
me-" he said.
In the little outside office. where
freckled Johnny jerks, the office boy,
land waiting cIients-when there were
any-usually kept her company, Con-
stance Peck sat before he. typewriter
Her brown eyes We're filled with
trouble, and her thoughts wandered
from the quirls and f1ourishes in the
mote book by her side. For Constance
Peck was owning to herself that she
was in love with her employer.
|
herself. cit isn't his fault, though, and
suppose leaving would put him in
hole for another stenoSrapher. Well,
TN Just stick it out, an5 maybe some
time-No; a man like Mr.. Gordon
couldn't care for q girl Ike me. that's
certain. Anyway, if I stay I'll be near
him every day, and that's som ething-'
Johnny's chatter broke in unpleas-
antly on her speculations.
Jaw, pshawi' said Johnny. you're.
worse than the boss The two of you've
got something on your minds and he
nodded wisely as he tried to get a tele-
phone number.
Johnny" said Miss Peck. 1--WE got
to have quiet or I'll never get my work
done I'll give you a dirne if you'll go
take a little walk for a half an hour
So it was that, some twenty minutes
later. William Gordon, his resolve to
'1et things co. resolutely in his mind.
walked into the outer Office to find his
stenographer, struggling with similar
resolve, sitting alone before her type
writer. Tears shone in her dark eyes.
where's that scamp of a boy?". de-
manded William, fiercely thinking per-
haps the boy was the cause of the
tears.
81 bribed him to go for a walk said
| Constance. Then, without moments
warning to poor, defenseIess William,
two big tears splashed from her eyes
down on the senseless typewriter keys.
In a moment, William, regardless of
all resolutions, had Constance in his
arms and was kissing her cheeks: and
Constance, likewise regardless of resO-
lutions, was crying comfortably on his
shoulder. But in another moment both
remembered themselves Constance
pulled herself free
II beg your pardon Miss Peck. I
really didn't mean to. II just could
MT help it. never could stand tears"
They stood looking uncomfortably at
each other. At that moment the door
opened, and Johnny, radiant from the
foolish expenditure of his dime on
candy and sodawater entered the
room, Constance and William REDEEM
ed under his bird-like, knowing glance.
"As 1 was just saying. Mr.. Gordon
said Constance, going TO the locker,
and getting her hat and coat, "I am
going now-and 1 shall not come
back
And so, before William could think
of anything plausible to say, Constance
Peck. the stenographer. passed out of
his life.
A few mornings later Constance sat
in her little boarding house room in
dustriously running through the adver-
tisements in a pile of newspapers. Oc-
casionally she stopped 10 make some
remark to herself on her unhappy fate
IF only she though. ''he hadn't
said he couldn't help it. If he had
done it because he wanted to" she
broke off, blushing and vent to work
again.
Finally she came to an advertise
ment that called for a young woman of
Just her requirements t read:
WANTED, stenographe- and private
secretary. Must be acc urate and re-
fined, with some knowledge of lawyers
work" So far Constance felt that she
could fill requirements, but the next
phase made her hesitate Answer by
letter, giving reference and stating
reason for leaving last err ployer"
Clearly, Constance could not give
Mr.. Gordon as a reference. And it