Connecticut western news., 1918-01-10

recommended you. The work will not be hard. but must have someone de- pcadable and discreet, and careful to avoid errors. I think you will manage It very nicely if you-ah-have no ob- jection to giving up the more general work of the office for this. The salary will De 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 q good record in tEe 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, Il greater luxury of appointment, which suited Miss Hazel Weir to nicety. The work was no more difli- cult than she had been accustomed to dOing-a tri1e less in volume, and more exacting in attention to detail, and necessarily more confidential, for Mir. Andrew Bush had his finger tips on the pulsing heart of 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 col 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 rels for two months or more before Hazel became actively aware thNt n subtle change was growing manifest in the ordinary manner of Mir. Andrew Bush. She shrugged her shoulders at the idea at first. But she was a wom- an; moreover, a woman of intelligence. her rerceptivc faculties naturally l keen.
 The first symptom was flowers, dain- ty bouquets of which began to appear on his desk. Coincident with this, Mir. Bush evinced an inclination to drift into talk on subjects nowiSe related to business. Hazel accepted the trlb- ute to her sex reluctantly. giving him no encouragement to overstep the nor
 
 sOlutely sure of herself and of her love for Jack Barrow. Furthermore, Mir. Andrew Bush, though we'll preserved, was drawing close to fifty-and she was | twenty-two. That in itself treasured her.
 Thus the third month of her tenure drifted by, and beyond the telltale glances aforesaid, Mir. 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 drive.
 But MT. Bush took her breath away at time ard in a manner totally un- expected. He finished dictating a batch of letters one afternoon, and sat tapping on his desk with pencil. Ha- zel waited second or two, expecting him to continue, her eyes on her notes, and at the unbroken silence she looked up, to find him staring f1xedly at her. There was no mistaking the express sion on his face. Hazel flushed and shrank back involuntarily. She had hoped to avoid that. It could not be anything but unpleasant.
 She had small chance to indulge in reflection, for at her first self-conscious move he reached swiftly and caught Ter hand.
 Hazel" he said bluntly, twill you marry neT
 Miss Weir gasped. Coming without warning, 1t dumfounded her. And while her first natural impulse was to answer a blunt "No," she was fius- tered, and so took refuge behind show of dignity.
 "Mr. Bush! !" she protested, and tried to release her hand.
 But Mir. Bush had no intention of allowing her to do that.
 "rm in deadly earnest" he said. I've loved you ever since that Sun day I saw you in the park feeding the swans. want you to be my wife. Will you?"
 "Pr awfully sorry" Hazel stam- mered. She was just the least bit frightened. "Why, you're" The thing that was uLr rermost in her mind, and what she came near saying, was: You're old enough to be my father" Ard beside him there instantly flashed vision of Jack Barrow. Of course 1t was absurd-even though she appre- ciateG the homer. But she did sot fin ish the sentence that way. "I don't oh. it's simply impossible. I couldn't think of such Il thing
 "Why not?" he asked. II love you. You know that-you can see it, can't you?" He leaned little nearer, and forced her to meet his gaze. "I can make you happy; I can make you love