The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-26
TIE EVENING STORY
"Nine and Five Are 15."
CBy Donald Allen.)

able to do the work alone, out now
the time had come when he must have
an ssistant He hadn't complained,
but the firm was not a niggardly one
+ The partners were talking 1T over DUR
.~ his lunch hour, and one OF them
said:
"Good man, but grouchy."
I'm afraid he'll have trouble keep
ing any one" was the reply of the
wonder how he'd get along with
| young woman? 2"
He'd be a bear
At that moment a card bearing the
! name of Virginia Gilbert was brought
! in, and Brown laughed and said:
I ''I'n bet hat she wants a job and
is a bookkeeper."
| "Have her come in
Miss Gilbert was a young woman or
! about twenty-five, fair looking and self
| possessed and she was not a bit fur
ried as she said:
place as assistant. I had place at
-ellman's, but his failure threw me
CUT
/ Preferences
ooh certainly"
'fwilling to take a reasonable sal
ary?"
month you can let me CO."
HIM What do you think, Peter?"
at dunno. The trouble, miss, is that
our man is something of crank He
might refuse to have woman assist
ant We were just talking about it as
you came i'm
''Then he must be an old bachelor"
smiled the caller.
"He's about twenty-six.'
well suppose you let me try I
don't think we shall quarrel. IF we
do I shall be the one to CO."
shall we take her on as joke on
King?" asked Brown as he drew his
partner aside.
eyes, do it."
eff he doesn't like her she'll have to
CO."
''She says she's willing
''Then Wen go out to lunch and let
him find her in the Office. How he will
glare at hertz
seat in the den and explain matters
when Mr. King arrived, and Brown &
Co. hurried away. She removed hat
and cloak and sat down, and after half
the young woman and stopped short in
the doorway, and it was half minute |
before he queried:
wish to see Brown & Co.?
ST have seen them, thank you"
"And-and-"
I'm to be your assistant
Huh. Nothing been said to me
@But they think you are over
worked
But, you seq
You think you'd rather have a
young man, but hope to make you
change your opinion. I have done
good work and shall not expect to be
vored on account OF my sex. My
name is Gilbert. Will you set me at
work at once?"
Mr.. King sat down and thought the
matter over for a bit, and then said:
Miss Gilbert, let us have a fair I'M
derstanding"
"By all means
'"They say I'm cranky"
THAT comes from overwork prob
aby.'
st am no hand to talk
IT can also keep my tongue still"
81 shall not tip my hat to you in the
elevator"
"And I shall not expect it,
IT shall not invite you to lunch"
st shouldn't accept if you did"
81 don't care whether you board or
''--e at home.''
Ditto, Mr.. Kingi''
I'm fact, I shall treat you just as I
would a man.
You could not do me a greater
favor. That's the trouble in a city. If
t ey would only treat a girl that has
to earn her own living as fairly as they
dc a man she'd be willing to take less
salary"
"'Um. [ guess YOU are right. Well
go to work. Oh, I forgot to say that
when / am bothered I swear"
"And want to-
When Brown & Co. returned from
of row with their bookkeepe, :, but {
nothing of the sort happened. Brown
took a peep at the glass cage and !
turned to Co" to whisper:
Say, she's right on the job!''
mol"
''Sures you live!"
And how did she ever tame him ?" !
t'You can search me!'
Miss Gilbert had taken the place
early in September. When July of +
the following year came she was q
given fortnight's vacation with pay.
She had made good and had had her c
salary raised Not one word of fault t
had been found with her. Aside from
business, she and MI. King passed no S
words. He wanted silence. and he got t
it. He swore and she seemed to be
deaf. a
The first time they met in the ele- I
vator he bowed to her, but she cut
him cold.
"I thought he'd run her out in u 4
week" said Brown to his partner. O
He isn't half as cranky as he was"
was the reply. r
The assistant went down the coun- h
try to put in her two weeks, but had "
passed one of them when a
message from Brown & Co. called r
ler back. She found the partners ex-
cited. Mr.. King had disappeared on
he fourth day after she left town. =
The partners had found an error of a Ii
dollars between his monthly
balance sheet and the cash book. His u
attention had been called to it and SO
hours later he had fled. r
There IS but one inference drawn 1o
n such cases.
why I'm almost sure I saw him h
lown the country the day before b,
started to come home" said the girl.
he was sitting on the bank of a creek, cl
IND did not get a good look at his a
ace, but it flashed over me that it was
NJ. King. He couldn't have taken a
dollars W
But why?" CO
because he is an honest man.
well, who took it, and why did he Il