The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-04-21

&C. $abonf assiong as she could. And
sthen. with aflotSof2dignity atuckedtaWay
in her little person, she walked into
his room.
"Mr. Plum" she said-I was taking
his dictation at the time, so heard
Eher--"I wish to make a suggestion.
When you speak SO abruptly to those
boys you actually terrify them, with
the result that they Don't know wheth-
ler they are telling you the truth or
not, and it takes them twice as long
to do what you want them TO because
don'titake time toitell them. VIII
you please@give me your orders ana
let me tell them? We would save a
great deal Of time that way"
Wha. Ellen had said was as plain
as the nose on Plum's face and l guess
1t had occurred to every one in the Of
fee but Plum loads Of times before.
He 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-
.tion he wasn't half so snarly.
/ forgot to say that had been go
Ing homo with Ellen for week or so.
She lived in the same end Of the city
and she was such a little mite, | ha-
ted to think of her fighting the half
past.fve o'clock crowds alone, SO be-
gan to go home with her. And some.
times she asked me to come and see
her in the evening-she lived with her
old father and married sister and
brother, and such a nice, neat little
home / had never seen, and one SO full
of simple happiness.
But in3ofTce hours we had little to
say to each other. This was Ellenfs
way.-not to let people know all her
business at once.
1t was one morning when she
had been with us about three months
and | was beginning to think OF her as
the most important thing about that
office, even ii she was only The tele-
phone girl with only a few dol
lars a week than the youngest girl.
1t was one of Plum's nervous days. He
wasn't exactly raging, but snappy and
curt. Hc was giving dictation at the
rate of n couple Of hundred words a
minute, and ! don't konw what got
into nc when I said, Pardon nc,
MIR. Plum"-just the way Ellen
would have said it-'.but when you
give diCtation so fast | am not able to
get complete. We would save time
II you gave it a little slower"
Flum stopped short and looked al
ME in surprise. thought for a minute
l was going to be fired. Then he said.
boy, 0 are too valuable a man to
waste in this work. had thought you
we're merely a machine. see you
have brains besides. You a start in
as office manager tomorrow. Ill e
about the raise" .Gs &
Later, he called Ellen into his Of
fee. ] admit that went in the next
room where 1 could hear through the
partition. got there just In time
to hear him say:
you are the n woman In the
world who has it III her to make me
even more of a success than | am.
Il have decided that | want to marry
YOU"
/ surely did almost fall over at
that. Naturally my first feeling was
one OF pride and joy that the girl II
had discovered should become Pium's
wife. hut just as the little green de-
nor OF envy was creeping in | heard
her answer:
"a am very much honorcd, Mr.. Plum,
but I am not free. l am already
pledged to another" 5
With that answer humming in my
brain / had to go through with the
days work, and even the note that
told me OF a substantial raise didn't
much mend matters. Promptly at half
past five, I started out with Ellen.
told tr.s'I had heard the conversation.
Who 1t is. Elem" ] asked impati-
entity. II am sure I ought to know"
She Laughed delightfully."-. "SiliY. Won
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"