The Press., 1918-06-27
Spug for a
 Day
By James Osborn

that could not be altered, even when Nancy went to business school and later took a stenographer's position in a business office, and Clarice, through her fathers acquired fortune, became one of the most sought after young women In what chose to be called, and was called Society, with capital s. Cfarice did not give Nancy her old dresses, nor did she try to persuade her to attend the parties she gave, to which only folk with very much more money to spend than Nancy had were invited. When she asked Nancy to her house 1t was either to enjoy her alone or with a few of the old friends with whom Nancy could be most at her ease. Thus Nancy was never made conscious of the fact that fortune had dealt less kindly with her than 1t had with ClarIce, if indeed 1t really had.
 When Clarlce first met Robert Har. row and somehow unwittingly charmed and then captivated that inveterate man of business, she did not tell him that Nancy Smith, his private secre- tary, was one of her best friends It was not in the least because she wsS ashamed of her association, but be- cause she liked the idea of having 6 means of seeing Mir. Harrow from an other angle than that of society and country club activities without his Knowing it. Clarice, truth to say, was drawn to Harrow almost as soon as he was to her, for there was something ohn tbnr n{w ture of a man that charmed women quite as much as If he had been most courteous and cOurtly. Sometimes he seemed the brOadest of men in his large grasp of events that ClArice dis cuSSed with him, and sometimes the narrOwest In his point of view, that seemed to see only his own business interests. Sometimes he seemed the most generous and unSelfish, and then the least generous and most selfish. Drawn though ClArice was to this much discussed and almost eccentric young man, she planned to surrender, if she surrendered st all, with deliber- atiOn. She had planned not to lose a single trick in the love game she was about to play with this man, who had become accustomed to having things generally his own way in the other games of life.
 It has been said that & mans sten- Ographer has an opportunity to know him even better than his own wife, for she sees him more hours of the day usually, and can study him without personal prejudice of any sort. Nancy Smith surely knew Robert Harrow bet ter than he knew himself, and 1t was perhaps not strange that she suspected he was in love before he was willing to admit that fact to himself, much less to Clarice. She had heard from Clarice of the friendship that had sprung up between her and Mr. Har- row, and with infinite care sounded her regarding him and so found out how the ground lay.
 Once Clarice, with an attempt at seeming casual, asked Nancy what sort of a husband she thought Nr. Harrow would make.
 ''I could be his Stenographer all nay life and enjoy It," explained Nancy. "but I could never endure him as a !, husband. But with A girl like you, it would he different. You would col lapse after a day in his office; but with all the little feminine Witcheries. to fall back on you, or e girl like you. I should say, might hnd him q perfect husband"
 "One thing Mir. HarrOw's wife would have to remember, though" added Nancy, land that is that she should never once let him take her for Egant- ed. It would be like tanning a lion once the beast knows his power, the tanner is lost. Some women are cut out for just that sort of thing, you know, and never in lifetime let their husbands know what meek, tame hearts they have"
 Nancy and Clarics thus discussed Mir. Harrow over the chocolate cups one day at luncheon, late in December, when Clarice had gone downtown for Christmas shopping.
 That afternoon Harrow gave the switchboard operator gruff orders to the effect that he was "tOO busy to be disturbed" and then sat at his desk, with no one but Nancy sharing his solitude, looking blankly Into space for full hour his head bent and his arms he reused himself and paced the floor impatiently.
 Take this," he threw at Nancy. 'Memo for the cashiers office-'Ow- ing to war conditions and necessity to curtail every possible expense, we shall give no gold pieces at Christ mas"
 Nancy took the words down in dots, curves and dasheS, and recalled as she did so that in the firm of which liar. row was president 'war conditions" had meant 25 per cent greater profit than usual.
 "Take this," he threw out again. "It is for my hOusekeeper, Mrs. Hawkins Owing to war conditions, I have found 1t inadvisable to dispense with any ad- ditiOnal money in the wages to the l servants this year.' And when you have done that write personal letteP to my sister, and another to my cousin the one with six children-and ex. plain to them that as an act of pa. triotism we ought to refrain from gift giving this year. It's just an exchange of lot Of junk" he went on, moro to himself than to Nancy, "between q lot of people that don't care two straws for each other Then write a letter to the matrOn of the orphan home-ths one my mother used to be so much iR. terested in. I've previously ordered q doll or q book for each child. Tell them that feel that would be a needless extravaganza. If they are absolutely without necessities let them notify me, and I'll send them q check. But now is no time to waste money on mere toys. Let the youngsters make dolls out of sticks and things. They will enjoy them just as much"
 Nancy wrote these and a dozen or Nn..S H,.kk Al