The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-12-13


w0rk--for she always stayed at her
post whenever he was at the Office
were not telling on her, too. But she
never murmured and she seemed al
ways In the pink of condition.
One day Bolton began wondering
about Alice Blair. He wondered why
she did all this for him--whether 1t
was just the result Of her training plus
a keen mind--was 1t induced entirely
by the forty dollars a week that she
had demanded! Perhaps it was. But
the effect it produced was the same
1t really did seem as If some one cared
now and that, after all, Bolton con.
cluded, was what made the big differ
ence. Still he kept asking himself, did
Miss Blair care? How did she keep
up her strength and courage for the
long hours? There were a hundred
petty home and social duties that
usually distracted his women en-
ployees-had Miss Blair none Of
those?
Mr.. Bottoms last question was an
swered one day when he CHANGED to
look through the carbons for the out
going mail Of the day, when he had
returned unknown to her, after din
ner at night. He came upon the dupli-
cate Of letter Of personal nature,
yet before he had realized what he
was doing he read it. 1t was simply an
order to one of the morning papers for
the insertion of 'help wanted" ad.
vertisement., This was the advertise
ment:
wanted: A young business woman
wants to get in touch with young
woman whose duties will be similar to
those Of wife to a busy man. That
is, she must be an educated, agree
able young woman with the willing
ness to take seriously the task Of max
Ing q small apartment a gea home.
She need not do the actual Homework
but she must zee that 1t is done with
out confusion and without complaint.
She must have the instructive knack
Of attending to the little things, COM
bined with the ability to be interested
in the really big things. For such a
young woman good home and fair
remuneration will be given"
Mr.. Bolton read then re-read the
paragraph. What occurred to him
first was that it contained perfect
description of his own ideal Of what
wife should be-and 1t was Alice
Blair's ideal. Only 1t was Alice Blair's
idea of the companion she wanted, not
the companion she wanted to be. STILL
she understood. She at least realized
that with such an ideal woman at
home man or woman either might
endure the strain Of business worries
that would otherwise be uncomfortable,
Apparently the letter advertising for
such a companion had gone out. Boil.
ton wondered what results would come
of it. He almost wished that he, too
might secure the wife he was looking
for In some such quick-courtship man.
ner. Then he decided to speak to Alice
about it-perhaps, perhaps, she cared
enough
Bolton came to the point rather alb
ruptly.
81 had thought the most important
thing In the world was to have a per
feet secretary" he told her the next
day when he had called her to his
office. "Now I have decided that q
perfect wife is much more important
Pardon me for reading your adver
tisement--I see you understand part
Of my own ideal for such a companion
she must be real companion,
Alice" he said, changing from his alb
rupt business manner to boyish
pleading tone that Alice had never
observed before.
Alice blushed and the blush seemed
to tell Bolton that she really did care
for something beside the forty dollars
a week.
as 1t only because I would be 9
congenial companion, and good house
wife-only because I'd keep the wheels
running smoothly in your home as
have in your Office, is that all?"
Then suddenly Bolton wondered how
1t had ever seemed as though those
things could really have been para
mount. All he could see was the shad
ow that lurked beneath Alice's down
cast eye, the delicious curve of hel
lips and the graceful lines of the
small, determined little chin.
"Alice," he sqid little huskily, "Tf
want you to marry me If you were tht
worst housewife In the world. Some
how / see now why so many men d.
marry the women they dol suppose
they love them as love you"
And so in spite of the first develop
ments of the year Bolton filled thu
second half of his resolution instead
Of the first.
4