The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-01
Compensation

from the office managers point of
view. OF course, If the manager had
been younger and not married Ethelin-
da wouldn't have lost her job. But
he was oldish, bald and married, and
didn't like the mistakes Ethelinda
made in addressing letters Hence
she received the blue slip in her sal
airy envelope on Saturday night.
Lena Nagel, on the other hand,
didn't remind you at all of pink in
a florists window Not that Lena
wasn't attractive in her way. but it
was more the way nice granite iron
ware cake pan in a house furnishing
shop attracts you. That is to say, she
was neat, smooth and useful-looking,
and little square at the corners. But
Lena could always get job and keep
it. There was one other thing about
Lena that didn't show at first glance,
and that was her kind heart and a
good part of it's affection was placed
on Ethelinda-
On a certain Monday noon, Ethel
india not having appeared at the spe-
cial table where the two girls ate their
oyster sandwiches at lunch time, Lena
was greatly worried. Likewise on the
| next day she was yet more worried,
| for Ethelinda still came not. Accord
| ingly, on her way home at five o'clock
! Lena stopped at the big trust company
| and inquired what had become Of her
golden-haired chuIh.
The news of her dismissal was a
genuine grief to Lena's honest heart,
and with characteristic kindness she
set her mind straight to work to find
a way to help her. She thought and
thought and thought. There was no
vacancy in her own office. and 1t was
the very worst time of all the year to
find place People were wedding
out their forces rather than taking on
help And remember, Ethelinda did
make mistakes in spelling and
couldn't be given the very highest
kind of an Al recommendation. So
Lena kept on thinking.
Some days went by and Ethelinda
stopped in to see Lena at lunch time.
Her face was a shade less rosy than
usual, her dimple was out of COM
mission and in her eyes was the pitiful
look of encouragement that comes
after you've tramped through the
agencies and from one Office to an
other with a bunch of cut-out adver-
tisements in your purse, finding moth
ing but chance to copy lists of
names on the typewriter at six a
week
elevator out from the same stepped
the chief clerk, who gazed so hard
over his shoulder at the little gold
andp pink vision that he ran into the
ice cooler and acutely barked his
shin. Lena marked the gaze, and 6
plan for the solution of the difficulty
flashed like lightning into her mind
That evening she paid another visi
to the Trust Company and applied fol
Miss Dimple's vacant desk. The man
ager scanned her neat German braids
her powderless nose and her generally
unadorned appearance. He made 6
!, quick mental calculation of how much
time probably would be saved to the
office in consequence Of these details
not to mention an economy in tele
phone calls and vacation for the of
fee mirror. She got the place.
This being settled, the rest seemed
! easy, and she could hardly possess
her practical soul in patience unit
she could put her plan in operation
| h.. tod h.
chief clerk bright and early.
But why do you want to leave us
, Miss Nagel?" he queried, when she
J had plunged through her resignation
We're very busy just now, you know
and don't see"
"Oh, can send some one RICH
away to take my place." she inter
: rupted. she's special friend o
mine too, and-why, you may posi-
bly, have noticed her here yesterday
she stopped in to see me?"
The chief clerks hand reminiscent!
/, raised itself to adjust the managerial
. tie, and he thoughtfully regarded thu
green sock that adorned his barket
shin A change came DER the spiri
Of his words.
"Oh, was that-er-was she-ahen
i do you refer to the young lady
elevator? She certainly appeare,
very Northumberland very neat
and-er-uuite so Well, of course
Miss Nagel, if you are obliged to leav,
US"
And SO Ethelinda came and LEM
, departed.
"Oh, you darling girl! How can yol
/ be SO good to me! ] don't see how
you ever thought out such wonderful
| scheme was SO discouraged, Lena
/. But know I'll never be clever enough
. to take your place here"
Don't you worry about that. Tn,
r chief clerk knows what he's doing
!, take my word for it,
But Lena" persisted Goldilocks II
an unsteady small voice. you're GO
! ing to get dollar a week less over a
the Trust Company. and I'm ASHAMED
to let you make such a sacrifice"
The businesslike Lena firmly grasp
ed her friends wrist and drew he
close
Listen while ] tell you something
It's no sacrifice-it's selfishness. NJ,
Heinrich is the elevator starter owe
at the Trust Company building. Mayb,
that's worth the dollar a week to me
what!'