Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-11

y
Weir" he finally volunteered. "Miss
Morrison has asked to be transferred
to our Midland branch Mr.. Allan
recommended you. The work will not
be hard. but l must have someone de-
pendable and discreet, and careful to
avoid errors. / think you will manage
it very nicely if yOu-ah-have no OBJ
lection to giving up the more general
work of the office for this. The salary
will be considerably more"
'If you consider that my work will
be satisfactory" Miss Weir began.
Il don't think there's any doubt on
that score. You have good record in
the Office" he interrupted smilingly.
''Now let us get to work and clean up
this correspondence"
Thus her new duties began. There
was an air of quiet in the private Of
flee, greater luxury of appointment,
which suited Miss Hazel Weir to a
nicely. The work was no more diff
cult than she had been accustomed to
doing-a trifle less in volume, and
more eXacting in attention to detail,
and necessarily more confidential, for
Mr.. Andrew Bush had his finger tips
on the pulsing heart of a big business.
The size of the check which Hazel
| received in her weekly envelope was
increased far beyond her expectations.
Nelly Morrison had drawn twenty dol
lars a week. Miss Hazel Weir drew
twenty-five-a substantial increase
over what she had received in the ship
| ping department. With that extra
money there were plenty of little
things she could get for the home she
and Jack Barrow had planned.
Things moved along in routine chan
nelS for two months or more before
Hazel became actively aware that a
| subtle change was growing manifest in
the ordinary manner of Mr.. Andrew
Bush. She shrugged her shoulders at
the idea at first. But she was a wom-
an; moreover, woman of intelligence,
her perceptive faculties naturally
keen.
The first symptom was flowers. dain-
ty bouquets of which began to appear
on his desk. Coincident with this. Mr..
Bush evinced an inclination to drift
into talk ON subjects nowise related
to business. Hazel accepted the trib-
ute to her sex reluctantly, giving him
no encouragement to overstep the nor
NAL bounds of cordiality. She was alb
solutely sure of herself and of her love
for Jack Barrow. Furthermore, Mr..
Andrew Bush, though well preserved,
was drawing close to fifty-and she was
twenty-five. That in itself reassured
her.
Thus the third month of her tenure
drifted by, and beyond the telltale
glances aforesaid, Mr.. Bush remained
tentatively friendly and nothing more.
Hazel spent her Sundays as she had
spent them for year past-with Jack
Barrow; sometimes rambling afoot In
the country or in the park, sometimes
indulging in the luxury of a hired
buggy for q drive.
But Mr.. Bush took her breath away
at tim and in manner totally un-
expected. He finished debating q
batch of letters one afternoon, and sal
tapping on his desk with a pencil. Ha-
eel waited q second or two, expecting
him to continue, her eyes on her notes
and at the unbroken silence she looked
up, to find him staring fixedly at her
There was no mistaking the expires
sion on his face. Hazel flushed ant
shrank back invoItntarily. She hat
hoped to avoid that 1t could not bt
anything but unpleasant.
She had small chance to indulge IL
reflection, for at her first self-consciou!
move he reached swiftly and caugh
her hand.
Hazel" he said bluntly, twill yol
marry me?"
Miss Weir gasped. Coming withou
warning, it dumfounded her. Ant
while her first natural impulse wa
to answer blunt NO" she was flus
tered, and so took refuge behind
show of dignity.
"Mr. Bush I" she protested, and trie,
to release her hand.
But Mr.. Bush had no intention o
allowing her to do that.
I'm in deadly earnest" he sait
: 'Tve loved you ever since that Sur
day l saw you in the park feedin
the swans want you to be my wife
: Will you?"
: "Pm awfully sorry" Hazel stan
| mered. She was just the least bl
frightened. "Why, you're" TIL
thing that was uppermost in her mine
l. and what she came near saying, was
: you're old enough to be my father
And beside him there instantly fiashe
a vision of Jack Barrow. Of course
U was absurd-even though she appr
ciated the honor. But she did not fiji
ish the sentence that way. 81 don't
! oh, it's simply impossible. I cOuldn
q think of such a thing"
q "Why not?" he asked. ST love yo
You know that-yOu can see it. can
yOu?" He leaned little nearer, ar
forced her to meet his gaze 81 CO
A make you happy; can make you 10y
4 me. 1 can give you all that a woma
could ask"
"Yes, but"
He interrupted her quickly. "Pe
haps I've surprised and confused "
by my impulsiveness," he continue
But I've had no chance to meet W
socially. Perhaps right now you dor
feel as do, but 1 can teach you to fe
that way. l can give you everything
money, social position, everythil
that's worth having-and love. L
not an empty-headed boy. 1 can ma
you love me-"
"You couldn't" Hazel answered fl;
ly. There ~as q note of dominan
in this last statement that Jared
her. Mr.. Bush was too sure of his po
o. ers. "And have no desire to expe
ment with my feelings as you ST
gest-not for all the wealth and soc
us position In the world / would ha
to love a man to think of marryi
'O- him-and I do. But you aren't t
man. 1 appreciate the complime
ID of your offer, and I'm sorry to HI
en- you, but can't marry you"
en- His face clOuded. 'You are I
TO gaged?"
eS "Yps"