The log cabin Democrat., 1916-04-20
AUSTIN'S IDEAL


 the little stenographer. The girl was Madge Jenkins, daughter of MT. Dud ley Jenkins, senior partner of Jenkins & Barr.
 The girl had gone straight to her ia ther's office and few minutes later was seen going out again at her ia thers side apparently to have lunch with him at his downtown club.
 Somehow the air was fresher and the day was brighter to Tim Austin because of that visit of Madge Jenkins. She was just in her teens at the time and Tim, at sixteen, was beginning his career.
 Once--it was two years later and by this time Tim had come to regard the girl as his presiding divinity Madge had brought her dog to the office with her.
 Would you be so good-could you just hold him in leash till 1 come out?"
 Then, after he had returned the dog to it's pretty owner, after he had been introduced to her by MT. Jenkins him. self, he realized for the first time the breach that lay between them. What must be her contempt for him? The fact that he was no longer office boy, that he had obtained rapid promotion and had even been taken out to lunch at the club by the boss" seemed to make no difference. Then came the day when MT Jenkins asked him to have dinner with him at his home.
 As they were taking the elevator it was akin to blow to have MT. Jen- kins say: My daughter will be dis, appointed not to be at home. But it is the night of some sort of school testivity."
 Then came time when Jenkins and Barr parted company, and for busi- ness reasons Tim was retained by Barr instead of Jenkins. All that happened before Tim was two and twenty.
 Now, with anyone but Tim it might have been simply passing memory that little experience with the gold. en-haired Madge. But to Tim it was much more than that. It was even enough to account for the fact that he never took more than a very passing interest in the girls he met. At twen- ty-six or seven, when the sign over his office door read Barr & Austin,' he had earned for himself the reputation of being immune so far as pretty girls were concerned.
 "Is this MT. Barr" She, the one who asked this question, was a quiet ly dressed little person who had been ushered into Tim Austin's presence by his office boy as young lady looking for job" Austin was somewhat an- noyod by the intrusion, but as matter of fact, he needed a new typist and made rule always to interview per, sonally those whose names went down on his pay roll. This time, however, Iim scarcely looked up at the young woman. Something in her general ap- pearance and in the tone of her voice reassured him that she would be satisfactory employee"
 For a week or so Tim saw little of the new typist. Once or twice he heard Barr say that she was pretty, but the idea of prettiness ill any em- ployee interested Tim not at all. If any interest did come to him with re- gard to the new typist it was because she apparently wanted to avoid him, because she found an e:souse always to leave any room he happened to enter.
 It was in March when the big snow- storm of the winter occurred that year. and Tim Austin was not espe- cially surprised that out of the four or five members of the entire establish ment who ventured out that day and arrived at work on time, the new typist was one. Needless to say, Tim was also on time. His own sten- cured to hin that the new typist might be able to take his dictation.
 Hurriedly he made his way into the large, light room where she did her work. When he opened the door she gave a little cry of alarm. She was standing peIOTe the TduldLOT SOuCWudt the worst for her encounter with the storm. She had spread out her coat to dry and was holding her hands to the heat. But what Tim noticed and what had caused the cry of alarm was that the new typist's hair was hang ing, disheveled and moistened by the snow, over her shoulders.
 Tim stopped with sudden surprise. For tho first time he looked searching ly at the girl. Yes, it really was. It was the same hair, those were the same eyes, and that was the same voice. It was actually Madge Jenkins.
 T have always been faithful to the memory of the only girl that ever charmed me-" he said as soon as he could trust himself to speak. "I sup pose it is always that way when a man reall! loves, even if he is only cal low office boy at the time.'
 Put why did you never let me