The herald., 1914-10-29
INCONSIOERATE MEN
BY RAY MAGILl.

First the telephone rang. Then the
buZzer buzzed. Then a voice from
the inner office called sharply for the
! little stenographer
You can all wait 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. pausing an
instant on the way to let the owner
OF the impatient voice know that she
was engaged
II tell you." she remarked TO the
bookkeeper when she returned, Il get
SO exasperated sometimes that l al
most exploded These men make me
I awfully tired! Here I've been work
, Ing all the years that they've been
having 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 thank you let
ters-to friends Of his who entertain
ed him on his trip! And in each one
he excused himself 70, 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 1t 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 onei What he might
have said, II he'd been strictly truth
ful, 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 /
nMrnnGnly LOT hty,,
work had piled up he gave me half
a 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 public platform on the wrongs
OF busy s,enographers!"
The bookkeeper listened sympathet.
ically. Il must own" he said, that
they're an inconsiderate bunch!"
"Inconsiderate!" cried the little
stenographer. They do 1t on pur-
pose. They've got 1t 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. That1l make me
free to do as please. Then I'm CON-
ing down to the office. the same as
usual. When the buzzer buzzes I'll go
In, and Ill take the business letters,
but when a personal letter comes I'll
simply say, I'm busy today Then.
when they ask me to get some phone
numbers, I'll say. I see you aren't at
all busy; would you mind getting
those numbers yourself? I've a great
deal OF work to do!' 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 30 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 a
slave for so long that I'm afraid I
won't have the courage to break up
traditions and precedents!"
"Then," said the bookkeeper, mus
lngly, you'll put on your hat and go
home. and the man who proposed to
you, so you could be free from this
daily grind, will say, I want dinner !
early tonight and you'll hurry to get |
t! 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
lust like the rest Of the meni"
The little stenographer listened. fas-
cinated. why, that's sol" she ex-
She paused and thought It
over. But I guess I'll try 1t any
way" she announced, because I'll !
iare to say 7 won't for he can't fire
mel"