The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1914-09-03
INCONSIDERATE men
BY RAY MAGilL
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,

First the telephone rang. Then the
buzZer buEEsd. Then voice from
the inner office called sharply for the
little stenographer.
You can all walt until I'm good
and ready" announced the little stem
ographer, decidedly, TO the world In
general.
After this declaration Of indepen-
dence she hastily answered the phone
then grabbed book and pencil and hur-
ried into the inner Office, pauslng an
instant on the way TO let the owner
OF the impatient voice know that she
was engaged
IT tell you" she remarked to the
bookkeeper when she returned, Il get
SO exasperated sometimes that l al
most explode! These men make me
awfully tired. Here I've been work
ing all the years that they've been
having a good time getting educated.
Then they come into the office, and,
after selecting the lightest window
and the most comfortable chair, they
think they're busy!
Here l am-with my desk piled
high with real work. And what do
you suppose that young Mr.. Babcock
wanted? He calmly asked me to take
few letters-personal thanS you let
ters-to friends OF his who entertain
ed him on his trip! And in each one
he excused himself for using a steno-
grapher on the ground that he was SO
pressed for time! Pressed for time!
Why. he doesn't know how to fill in
hours!
do you know what Mr.. Brown was
30 urgent about? He's been calling
out here for ten minutes, while was
engaged, and l thought it couldn't be
anything less than drawing up a con-
tract! But there he sat, looking over
his last months personal account, and
he was too lazy to think for himself!
He wanted me to stand there beside
him and go through the things with
him-because, as he said, two heads
are better than one! What he might
have said, II he'd been strictly truth
full, Is that my head is better than
his!
This morning Mr.. Gray came stroll
ling in an hour after things had begun,
and he sat down and read a newspa-
per and smoked a cigar before he went
through his mail. Then he called me
in to take his letters, and though l
purposely let him know how much
work had piled up he gave me half
dozen phone numbers to call for
him! And he sat there looking out
OF the window while got his numbers
on the telephone! Oh. 1t makes me
so angry, I'd like to express myself
from a public platform on the wrongs
OF busy stenographers!"
The bookkeeper listened sympathet.
ically. Il must own" he said, that
they're an inconsiderate bunchi"
'Inconsiderate!" cried the little
stenographer. They do It on pur-
pose. They've got it into their thick
heads that they're business men, and
they can't be bothered with detail
and the little things. They're such big
men! Their time is awfully valuable
and mustn't be wasted!
DO you know what I'm going to do
sometime? I'm going to accept pro-
posal Of marriage ThatTl make mo
free to do as please. Then I'm COM
ing down to the Office, the same a.
usual. When the buzzer buzzes I'll 60
in, ard I'll take the business letters.
but when q personal letter comes I'll
simply say, I'm busy today Then.
when they ask me to get some phone
numbers, I'll say. see you aren't at
all busy; would you mind getting
those numbers yourself? I've a great
deal Of work to dol Then I'll walk
out to my desk!
When Mr.. Brown calls me away
in the midst Of an important letter to
stand at his side while he leans back
IN his swivel chair so that ! may help
him add up figures and straighten
out accounts I'll say, Mr.. Brown, I'm
very busy today, and IL you've moth
ing OF Importance to say you'll have
to excuse mel
"Oh. but won't they be surprised
The only trouble is that I've been q
slave for so long that I'm afraid
won't have the courage to break up
traditions and precedentsl"
Then" said the bookkeeper, mus
fngly. you'll put on your hat and go
home, and the man who proposed to
you, 80 you could be free from this
daily grind, will say, I want dinner
early tonight and you'll hurry to get
It! Between times you'll be mending
and darning and busting, to make him
comfortable; and hen call you, and
you'll come running to hear what he's
got to say. And you'll go on training
him to expect that sort Of service, so
when he goes to his office he'll be
Just like the rest of the menl"
The little stenographer listened, fas-
cinated. why, that's so," she ex-
claimed. She paused and thought IL
over. But I guess I'll try 1t any
way" she announced, because I'll
Aora e. cav ct - zx-Ix a.