Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1916-05-26


was in their shoes. Ellen stood it about
as long as she could. And then, with
lot OF dignity tucked away in her
little person, she walked into his room.
Mr.. Plum she said was taking
his dictation at the time. SO ] heard
her-"I wish to make suggestion.
When you speak so abruptly to those
boys You actually terrify them, with
the result that they don't know wheth-
er they are telling you the truth or not.
and It takes them twice as long to do
what you want them to because you
don't take time to tell them. VIII you
please give me your orders and let me
tell them? We would save great
deal of time that way"
What Ellen had said was as plain
as the nose on Plum's face and guess
1t had occurred to everyone in the of
fee but Plum loads of times before.
lie looked as il he had been hit at
first and then he Just grumbled some
thing that sounded like All right"
and when he went back to the dicta-
ton he wasn't half so snarly.
forgot to say that had been going
home with Ellen for week or so. She
lived in the same end of the city and
she was such a little mite. hated to
think of her fighting the half-past-aye-
o'clock crowds alone. 50 began TO go
home with her. And sometimes she
asked me TO come and see her in the
evening-she lived with her old father
and married sister and brother, and
such nice, neat little home had
never seen, and one SO full of simple
happiness.
But in Office hours we had little to
say to each other. That was Ellen's
way-not to let people know all her
business at once.
II was one morning when she had
been with us about three months and
was beginning 10 think OF her as the
most important thing about that office.
even If she was only the telephone
girl with only few more dollars a
week than the youngest girl. 1t was
one of Plum's nervous days. He wasn't
exactly raging, but snappy and curt.
He was giving dictation at the rate OF
couple of hundred words a minute,
and I don't know what got into me
when said. Pardon me, Mr.. Plum"
just the way Ellen would have said
it-'but when you give dictatlon SO
fast I am not able to get II complete.
We would save time II you gave 1t a
little slower"
Plum stopped short and looked at
me in surprise I thought for min
ute I was going to be fired. Then he
said, Boy, you are too valuable a man
to waste in this work. ! had thought
you were merely machine. ] see you
have brains besides. You can start
in as Office manager tomorrow. III
see about the raise"
Later. he called Ellen into his Office.
admit that ! went in the next room
where ! could hear through the par
tition. got there Just In time to
hear him say:
You are the one woman in the
world who has II in her 10 make me
even more OF success than 4 am.
have decided that | want TO marry
you
/ surely did almost fall over al
that. Naturally my first feeling was
one of pride and Joy that the girl
had discovered should become Plum's
wife, but just as the little green de-
mon of envy was creeping IN ] heard
her answer:
Il am very much honored, Mr.. Plum.
but. / am not free. I am already
pledged to another"
With that answer humming In my
brain | had to go through with the
days work, and even the note that
told me Of substantial raise didn't
much mend matters. Promptly at half
past FIVE, started out with Ellen.
told her I had heard the conversation.
who is 1t, Ellen?" ! asked inpa-
tiently. 81 am sure ought TO know"
She laughed delightfully."-. silly, you
do know. don't you? You hadn't actu-
ally asked me, but thought you knew
as well as / that you are Mr. Plum's
only successful rival"
copyright. 1916. By the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate)