The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-08
The Evening Story
Business and Bungalows.
(By Keith Kenyon.)

l
| friends had advised. On Monday
morning, as she arrived at her office
| in her usual stunning tailored clothes,
she found no stenOgrapher at the desk
where a competent but comely maiden
had busted herself for the past year.
Miss Candy felt a sickening sense OF
| things gone awry as she saw on the
desk a letter addressed to her. 1t was
addressed in the stenographer's hand-
writing, and Miss Candy opened 1t
hurriedly.
when you read this I'll be far away
on my honeymoon" was the first as
founding statement, and there fol-
| lowed apologies for leaving her en-
p1oyer in the lureh. Miss Candy
scowled and dropped Imply into her
swivel chair, but, thinking of impor-
! tant work requiring immediate atten-
ton, she shrugged her shoulders and
reached for the telephone to ask the
| typewriter agency to send her good
stenographer.
..Quick and capable, mind you," she
concluded. 1T must have one who is
! sure to have both those qualifica-
| TONS"
Half an hour later. a faint odor of
| sachet or toilet water or talcum caused
| Miss CARLY to raise her head from
set OF plans that had absorbed her
mind. AS she looked up her name was
questioningly pronounced by slim,
saucy-eyed little girl of about twenty,
modishly dressed in rose-colored lin
| en- gown, with white sport hat and
high. white shoes. A white-gioved
hand passed the typewriter's agency,s
card of introduction to Miss Candy,
who felt many misgivings about the
| applicants capabilities. But her need
| of steHographer was immediate and
dire, so she rose and began to outline
| the service she required.
MY work can't be done with one
| eye on the machine and the other on
| a box of chocolates, Miss Elkins. 1t
| takes concentrated attention to avoid
inaccuracy in the details, which mean
days of work as well as dollars and
cents for many other workers beside
you and me-" Miss Canby's curt BUSH
ness voice unconsciously softened as
| the big brown eyes of Bessie Elkins
looked smilingly up at her.
THAT will be lots nicer than writ
| ing Yours of the 10th received and
| contents noted" And Bessie smiled
fdisarmingly UP at Miss Candy and
drew off her gloves preparatory to be-
ginning work.
wen see if it proves as agreeable
as you expect" said Miss Candy, as she
| looked carefully to see that the type
writer desk was fully equipped with
tnaterials.
| After the first few days of Bessie s
service, Miss Candy began to hope that
she had found a treasure and after the
La Lew WSckS sue D6Sdu 10 I6dF LndL
| the treasure she had found was too
good to last. Quickness and capability
were but two of many qualifications
/ OF Bessie, and her cheerful, chirpy way
of going after difficult work had
brought many a smile into Miss Can
by's usually serious gray eyes. AS for
Bessie. she admired Miss Canby's dig
nifty and poise SO much that she some
times felt fleeing desire to become
permanently settled in the business
| world. Invariably, though, when Miss
Candy would leave her alone to go on
long afternoon trip to some building
site, Bessie would find herself with lit
| tie to do and would turn through a
| book of bungalow plans, alluringly il
| Illustrated in colors, and would dream
of some day sitting in a lowered gown
on a bungalow porch while the dearest
boy in world came up the walk with a
smile of loving greeting for her.
What on earth has happened to
| you, Bessie Elkins?" asked Miss Cam
by one morning, as Bessie appeared
with hollow eyes in which no smile
lurked and with colorless cheeks and
a dropping mouth. Are you ill?''
mo; but I wish I WERE" sobbed
Bessie.
Don't be silly; you wish nothing of
the kind" said Miss Candy abruptly.
| II suppose you've quare1ed with your
sweetheart, thought
why, how do you know" Bessie's
surprise broke through her tears
How could any woman help know
| ing?" Miss Candy smiled. But cheer
up. 1t will all blow over in a day or
| two"
Not this time-it's a real quarrel ,,
A flood of tears swept speech tenn
| porarily away, but, under Miss Canby's
encouragement, the turbulence sub
sided and Bessie explained further.
You see, we'd been spatting over lit
| tie things and just to be pert. I said:
| oh, well, I've decided to be a big
| business woman like Miss Candy, any
how If he hadn't acted such a goose,
it would have ended there, but I'm
ashamed to tell you what he said
| about you"
Don't mind me-go on. I suppose
he called me hen or a cat"
He called you a miserable old cat,
and 1T made me so furious that don't
know what I said. He told me to go
on and be carpenter-which he pre-
/ tended to think you were-since I'd
made up my mind not to live the sort
or life every woman ought to live 1
| told him he had his nerve to man ont
a program for every woman in the
world, but he could understand he
wasn't to map out any part of my
program. So he went off in a huff
and I haven't seen him since but,
here sobs interfered with the story
but I happened to learn today that he
/ mas advertised the lot ne q bought for
sale, the lot we were going to have a
/ bungalow on
Bessie's head went down on her
crossed hands upon her desk. Miss
Candy stood beside her and laid a.
hand on her shoulder. Then she drew
| a chair to Bessie's side and spoke
quietly, but determinediy
This is serious. but it's going to
stop before it gets more serious If I
had found out at your age that a ca
reer IN business doesn't compensate
/ for losing a woman's real career, I'd
never have been here to supply the
subject for your quarrel. I'm going
to see your sweetheart and straighten
/ out this tangle."
"Oh, no. 1 won't let your cried
Bessie. i.
And won't ask you" snapped Miss
/ Candy I believe his name is Robert
| Davis and he's a salesman for the Elk
! hart Paper company. Now, battle
your face and Straighten up YOUR desk