Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1916-02-12


ness. l had thought some time,' he
unused to himself. But a man has
no time for such things nowadays. 1t
is work, work, work"
That night when Miss Nellie passed
through the office she paused briefly
at Henri's desk and in the most mat
ter-of-fact way imaginable told Henri
that she had had a chance to go to
the hairdressing establishment of
Monsieur Alfonso across the way at
an advance of a few dollars week
in salary. She intended to accept the
offer. Henri was staggered. He
merely asked her to return in the
morning to see what he could do.
That night he made a careful study
of the books, and in the morning
when Nellie came he told her that he
would equal his rivals offer in order
to keep her in his employ. But the
next evening at closing time Miss Mel
lie again came to him and told him
that the rival had added a dollar to
his offer. 1t was purely a business
consideration, of course. She would
go wherever she could make the most
money. Henri spent another evening
studying his books, and the next morn.
ing he matched his rival.
Then Miss Nellie came again to
Henri. "He has done better STILL" she
said. HE has offered me commits
sions for all the trade I bring"
Henri was pale. But do you not
see, Miss Nellie,' he said, that all
you have have given you? The GUS
tomers-have you not got them in my
employ? That wave Of yours-did
not teach it to your"
eyes, Nellie admitted. But they
are my customers. They come because
I am here. They will follow me If
I go to Alfonso. l have given you
much in return. Well, monsieur,
have given you all my life since l
was twenty. I have given up having
a good time like other girls. l never
had young men like Blanche and
Sadie l could have had them if /
had wanted to But somehow
l just put all there was in me into
the business. . And it is all business.
Now l shall do as we'll for myself as
l can" Miss Nellie did not look at
Henri as she spoke. He was speech
less.
AS she passed out of the office that
night the little Frenchman's eyes fol-
lowed her with an entreating, help
less look.
''She is very wonderful" he said
to himself. 81 do not blame her.
Still must have her back Without
her | cannot carry on the business
cannot be happy" Then Henri spent
another night over his books-plan-
ming, meditating, bordering.
The next morning Henri arrived at
Miss Nellie's small apartment before
she was out for the day. She was
pulling on her gloves in the front hall
and he asked her permission to start
out with her. They sat on a park
bench near Henri's shop and talked so
low that no one passing would have
heard them.
Miss Nellie, have but one way of
hoping" he began. Il thought it all
out last night. What is my business
without you? Nothing. l know now
this with shrug of the shoulders
that life is nothing without your smile,
too. But we will talk business first.
For those first years that you were
with me l perhaps had plans that
tnI Int
all business. We worked hard, and
little by little there were profits. You
know my ambition, to go back to that
beautiful south of France where
was born, where one lives among the
grapevines and the blue skies. That
Is why l saved so.
but 1 must keep you. l need you
Miss Nellie. Even If l did not have
you in my shop, l shall not let AL
phonse have you" Henri shuddered
and closed his eyes for q second.
THAT would be impossible. So l shall
ask what my rival did not ask you.
l will ask you to marry me, to be
Madame Henri. That is the bust
ness part of it. After that l will tell
you, Miss Nellie, how much trouble
have been feeling that you no longer
cared for me-"
Nellie had interspersed Henri's
speech with the little remarks and
gestures that made him know that
she accepted his proposition and they
both sat silently, happily, looking
down at the gravel path in front of
the park pencil.
Henri, l didn't want to leave you"
Nellie explained, but | heard two of
the girls saying one night that
didn't have anything to do but work
It sort of hurt my feelings, Henri.
I'd always thought too much of you
to want to go around with anyone
elae. So | got to thinking whether
it was fair for them to talk the way
they aid. | wanted them to know |
Wasn't sucn fool. / had to show
them. So-well, maybe hoped you'd
| ask me to marry you, Henri. Maybe
Il