Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-09-18
this tall, clear-skinned, black-haired

s. t-. Il t@e
this tall, clear-skinned, black-haired
girl. F1s $40 " ~
He paused with his hand on the re-
cetver, and then, as If to emphasize
the fact that he considered the en-
rance of a mere new stenographer OF
no especial moment, he called for a
number and concluded his CONVERSE
ton before saying anything to her.
Pm sent to you by the typewriter
people," she said, as she handed
| Walker a card of introduction from
the agency.
All right, Miss Rankin" said
Walker, referring to the card. Here's
a book with our form letters in it, and
each one is numbered; so when say
a certain number, you'll know how to
proceed. See?"
Sure" The one word was all, but
it made Walker more uncomfortable
than the usual useless questions
asked by beginners at this point in
his explanation of the work.
You'll have to see that your desk is
stocked with supplies. If you don't
find what you have to have, one OF
these clerks over at the files will show
you where the storeroom is. Be ready
for work in five minutes"
I'm ready now" was the surpris-
ing reply, as she took a pencil from
the desk and observed at a glance
that the stationery stand on the desk
held the necessary paper, carbon n
envelopes.
Walker grunted in reply, indicated a
chair, and by the time h had seated
herself he was debating the opening
paragraph of a letter and giving her
the number Of the form to embody IN
it. The work progressed uneventfnlly
until, Just before closing time mat
afternoon, Walker had difficulty IN
getting a telephone number he wanted,
and as he slammed the telephone re
ceiver on to it's hook he almost swore
at the stupidity of the operator and OF
women in general.
OUGHT" said Alberta, holding both
hands to one cheek az If she had been
SLAPPED. "You must have got stung
good and proper by some m TO
acquire such an ingrowtng grouch
against all Of us"
Look here, young woman! Who 40
you think you are, and who 40 you
think you're talking TOLD like 10
know" thunder Walker.
"Well, as for me, I'm q human be-
ing. and I suggest that you remember
it when you speak to me-. AS for you,
why you're human, too, suppose,
under that bearlike disguise you put
on when women come onsthe scene
Alberta concluded this astounding
with an audacious laugh, u
she looked frankly into the froWn-
ewes OF Walker that before ne
knew it he was beginning to smile
himself. Then she added: Nursing
a grievance always makes 1t grow
know; besides, maybe that woman
who stung you had a grievance, 100.
You know a difference between W
people has got to have two sides to IL
or the difference just isn't there"
"By George" said Walker, pushing
his papers away from him and turned
in his chair until he sat squarely Iac,
ing Alberta. II believe I'll just tell
you a thing or two about that dl1er-
ence."
Then he told her of having been en-
gagged to a stenographer a few years
before. and of how they quarreled be-
cause the girl became active in a cluD
of office women, who spent most or
their Sundays on long cross country
walks. taking their dinners and sup
pers at roadside hotels or farmhouses.
81 insisted that it wasn't respect
able" he continued, for a lot of girls
to 20 %gallivanting over the country
that way; she said she needed the air
and the companionshtp of her W.
and l said that she'd develop into
a freakish feminist if she got too much
the society of those women, and she
said walking over the country was as
genteel as playing pool or going to the
ball games, and that II tried to map
ont everything she did before we mar
ried I'd expect her to lose all the iden-
tity she had afterward, and so on and
That might have all been smoothed
out all right if I hadn't happened to be
IN an %interurban car the next Sunday
and passed that gang Of women, n
what were they doing but walking
along in a row, each n with her
hands on the shoulders Of the n in
front of her, and the one at the very
rear called out to my-to Alice, who
was at the head Of the line: Get a
on you, Alice. If you expect to
make that Walker of yours go all the
gaits you'll have to learn to go some
Yourself Then they all cackled like
the lot of hens they were, and never
went near Alice again, and don't even
know what has become of her"
Toward the latter part of his nara
tive Walker had been fumbling with a
p~aperweight on his desk, and when he
up at Alberta he was surprised