Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-04-16

"Confound 1t all, l didn't want my
offices turned into a florists shop, but
I'd brought the thing on myself by
accepting her miserable sweet peas and
by asking to do something for her like
a driveling idiot, so had to consent
and do 1t with good grace too. How
ever, that venture wasn't as bad as 1t
might have been, because we got quite
reputation from those window boxes"
"Well, old man." remarked Mr.. Har-
ris encouragingly, 1T is n nuisance to
have woman messing around place
Of business, but your Miss Blake doesn't
seem to have done very much damage"
NO" admitted Mr.. Tyler slowly,
but then" he added, cheering up a
little, you haven't heard all of It yet.
That's small part Of II.
"There's the time she Jumped on
Brennan. Brennan's mighty smart
chap and good, solid, reliable sort of
fellow, but he's also very grouchy.
well. one day she went In to speak
to him about some papers and found
him sitting in his usual position, with
his hat on the back Of his head and his
feet on his desk and staring vacantly
out Of the window. Miss Blake began
explaining the points, but Brennan
went right ON looking out on the street
and apparently not paying the slightest
attention to her. She kept It up a sec
ond or two and then she stopped. At
first Brennan didn't notice that she had
stopped but when 1t dawned on him
that she was standing there looking al
him hard enough to bore a hole In his
back he jumped around In his chair like
lightning, and to do that he had to
remove his feet from the desk.
"'Now that I have your attention,
said Miss Blake, I will ask you to re-
move your hat Oh, my" cried Mr.
Tyler, Shaping his knee with great
enjoyment, "Pd love to have seer
Brennan's face! guess he never had
been spoken to that way before. How
ever he may have felt about 1t, though
he took his hat of and listened while
she explained the business all oveI
again straight through to the bitter
end.
ut was just about this time that
Watkins took to staying at the office
after o'clock thought there must
DO something up, because in all the
| FIVE years or more he has worked fol
me have never before known him to
do such a thing. happened to stay
late myself one evening and caught
him, and he looked as guilty as though
he had been getting into the safe.
miss Blake was in her room, 80 In
passing through asked her why Wat
kins was staying that night
al couldn't say, Mr.. Tyler she said
as demure as you please, unless he's
getting up material for a divorce case.
~ was halfway home before it dawn
ed on me what she meant. Every
body that knows Watkins knows that
bis old lady is as jealous as you make
them and threatens him with suii
for divorce every time he looks at O
hosiery advertisement. But you may
take my word for II, Miss Blake wasn't
bothering about Watkins.
1--WE had about six office boys In
three months" Mr.. Tyler went on
"She worked them too hard and was
total disbeliever In dying or dead
grandmothers. which injured their sen
sitive family pride. 1t was an awful
job picking out new ones, and l final
ly tired of 1t and told Miss Blake that
II the present one left she'd have to do
the selecting after that. He left the
next day.
II made out an advertisement for a
new one and gave 1t to Miss Blake to
take down to the Sun Office, but she
asked me to hold 1t back for day OF
two, as she had some one in view.
Meanwhile things at the office were
getting worse and ,worse-not the filing
system, of course. That was rs ex-
cruciatingly perfect as-well, as Miss
Blake herself. But the men weren't
doing a good days work in the whole
course OF week
"They were 80 occupied in carrying
out Miss Blake's wishes that they had
no time TO give to my orders. Even
Brennan used to jump around like an
Office boy for her, and II Is the solemn
truth that Watkins busted her desk for
her every day. while Peyton watered
the window boxes-those window
boxes, by the way, that she was going
to attend to entirely herself My
clients were being neglected, the work
was falling behind. and everything
was In regular mess when she march
ed in with girl Office boy In fowl
''rhat was just little too muchp
exclaimed Mr.. Tyler.
"Well, wellp said Mr.. Harris, almost
regretfully. $50 you fired her."
"Fired herl" cried Mr.. Tyler defiant
ly. what do you take me for.
fool2 married her, manp
"Jehoshaphat" remarked Mr.. Harris,
with the calm Of an amazement too
deep for expression.
AS the two men sat staring at each
Dther in silence the door of the private
Office opened, and delicate vision en-.
tered the room. followed by a rather
plain girl.
"oh, John" murmured the embodi.
ment Of charm In sweetly languorous
tones, "Pve fixed II all so nicely for
you. Here Is Miss Parker. who will
continue my work on the files. I've
given her the most minute instruc-
tons. dnd ! think she's going TO do
just exactly as well as did"
Eyes, my dear" said Mr.. Tyler in a
voice that was hardly more than a
whisper. you've fixed It. all right"