The Topeka state journal., 1919-03-07
EVENING STORY
Crossed w Tres.
BY IZOLA FORESTER


If she had been an experienced op-
orator it never could have happened,
but she had only been in the office a
week, and it was the first time she
had ever operated a large telephone
switchboard.
There lad come an inside call from
the room of Purcell, sr.. to the room
of Jack Purcell, who was called Jun
ior around the office She had con-
nected them all right, and then had
| forgotten all about it, when an out
side call came for Mr.. Purcell.
1t all happened in a moment. her
| slipping in the key and catching the
! fragment of conversation between the
| two, but that moment sent the color
clear up to Margaret's eyebrows, and
| she called family into the outside
| line:
/ busy, please"
Junior had been trying to say some
| thing, she had not caught all of it,
| something about his being able to do
as he liked when it came to his own
affairs, and his father had told him
If he went out again in the car with
| that gang he needn't show up at the
| office.
Paul, the assistant cashier, stroiled
leisurely by and smiled at her know
ingly.
"They're at it," he said. Jack had
at a. M, and got hauled to court for
speeding. Daddy paid the fine. and
found out he was wasting his sub
stance in riotous living. Had five
aboard; wouldn't give their names in
| court Nobody hurt"
He went on to tell the same news
around the office, and Margaret sat
up very straight, her eyes fixed on the
black and white numbers of the indi-
Gator board. Certainly it was not her
jr1nc H. Oh, TO =
she told herself emphatically.
There had never been one word said
between them that could give her the
right to ask him about it; but she saw
him slam out of his office a few min
uteS later and catch his coat and hat
from the rack as he passed without
speaking to her. His face was oddly
| Ike his fathers in moods of anger the
blue eyes turning to stormy gray, the
set lines sQuaring the Jaws and hard
ening the mouth.
She knew his worst fault was OBJ
stinacy: that if it happened he was
accused wrongly, he would never tell
the truth, but would harbor a grudge
against his father for not having faith
in him.
/ Four mistakes she made that after
noon, and twice Mr.. Purcell himself
called to her sharply. She was glad
when 1t was timeto go home, and then
at the last minute, there was a call for
her over the wire, and it was his
voice.
Say. I'm awfully sorry, Miss Rob-
erts, but I didn't give any dictation
this morning, and I've got some letters
that must be answered. If 1 had them
uptown here I could dictate to one OF
the hotel stenographers. but they leave
at 5. Could you wait for me? III
only keep you half an hour"
. She agreed to wait in almost s
whisper, so that neither Paul nor the
office boy would hear. Miss Searles
was the regular stenographer but
when she was filled up with dicta-
ton from the senior member of the
firm, Margaret had often acted fol
the junior. She wondered now, with
little nervous fl1ttering of her pulses
why he had not asked Miss Searles, un.
less it was because he trusted her, and
did not want his father to know he
was coming back that night
1t was half past before he came
in. She stood at the west window
: looking at the light glimmering il
| the lower end of the city and out or
the bay. 1t seemed oddly, mysterious
: ly peaceful in the long suite. She hur.
ried to his desk with book and pencil
but he stood beside it, looking down a
her grimly.
You heard what dad said to me
didn't you?"
"Oh. but I didn't mean to-" Mar
earet exclaimed. 81 wouldn't listen II
: for anything Surely. you know that
1t was just a mistake"
mo, it wasn't" he answered ct
was God-sent bit of providence
wasn't out joy riding. I belong to tbs