The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-13

into his chiefs presence and awaited
the news.
what, just got in? Late again?'
asked his chief. as he jumbled his pa
pers little as though looking for
something. He hated to tell Grosscup
what was coming to him.
Picking up the telegram, he coughed
slightly and said: "Mr. Grosscup, the
president thinks that we can dispense
with Your services after the first of the
month"
Grosscup laughed aloud at the joke
The chief looked at him amazed.
sfWeIf, am very glad that you take It
that way. I was rather sorry for you,
but
His face and manner sobered Percy
who pointed to the telegram and said:
canned
The chief looked at the message as if
he were really seeing it for the first
time He, was seeing what Percy saw.
He turned to the stenographer: Miss
Smith, please show Mr.. Grosscup how
to read categorical telegram, and
punctuate it for him."
Miss Smith, who was sorry for
Percy, looked appealingly at the chief,
who motioned her to bring the CORE
| spondence to his desk.
"You saw this before!" asked, or
rather, asserted the chief.
Percy could not trust himself to
cnooIy lint nodded bic hood
WELL" said the chief more kindly,
"then it will be a pretty hard setback,
when you see the real message. To
save time and money, we have a sort
of code. We heads try to keep SO well
posted that few words are necessary.
And taking his pencil he punctuated
the telegram, and as he read it, ran his
finger over the corresponding ques-
ton in a letter. ''The message says:
DON'T" (Don't take on another
stenographer).
"Let Grosscup go'' Getting more
now than he can or will earn till his
hat gets down to normal. He ought to,
| be called plain Bighead. Gross-Kopf
must. have been the original name).
"Pay five thousand" (For house on
| Beecher St.)
worth it," (To pay $500 to remod-
ell front.)
Appearances asset of office" $50
we are justified in paying that
amount)
The stenographer had slipped out;
she could not bear to see his humilia-
ton. The chief really had a kindly
heart, and he fumbled his papers some
more without looking at Percy.
With a groan Grosscup sank into a
| chair, his hands before his face. Tears
of modification and disappointment
were smarting his eyes. Once or twice
he tried to speak. then he arose as if
| to go.
"Sit down, son you aren't the first
| man to lose his job. You've got plenty
of time to look around We might
even extend Your time a month, till
you get settled down somewhere"
sect settled somewhere! Yes, in
that new little bungalow he burst
out bitterly. Then he opened his heart
and made clean breast of the whole
of the mornings business. He stopped
short at the maddening thought.
what will she say? How can 1 ever
tell herr" Then manfully he pleaded
his cause:
.'Just you name the figure that you
can afford to pay NE till my hat gets
down to normal. I'll go out and tell
/ the girl the whole story, then I'll marry
her on the date set just the same, if
| she'll have me. I'll see if can't come
/ out ahead of this deal after all-Td
! like to show you once what can do"
at mightn't be a bad venture" mus
ed the chief, thoughtfully, ''if you real
| ly mean it,
The curling lock fell over his brow,
and feeling the look. of half contempt
that came over his chiefs face, he
] pushed the lock back savagely: LEND
me a quarter till go out and get my
hair cut" begged Percy, ''Tll show you
( whether I mean it or not !"