The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-08
EVENING STORY
Sent by Miss Wiggin.
BXJANE OSBORN.


1.-The Lord knows it's time she sent
some one, but why did she annoy me
this morning., retorted Higgins. mo,
don't tell her to go; bring her in
He had no time to examine the fold
ed sheet that the girl from Miss Wig
gin had brought by way of recommefs-
dalton, but the large sepiatoned pho
tograph, apparently the worse for fire.
quent handling, opened of itself as
Higgins started to flip it and the rec
ommendation into drawer of his
desk.
He whistled and the office boy hest
tated on the threshold to see whether
this meant that Higgins wanted him
to stop.
whistle had been the natural result of
the first glimpse of the photograph
which showed the original to be tall,
slender blonde with a figure that
mingled the litheness of a nymph With
the symmetry and perfection of
Diana.
Especially was this true of the arms,
which were generously displayed in the
picture, tho the voluminous furs about
the shoulders left one obliged TO
guess the beauty there concealed.>Hig-
gins had never heard of sending in
picture as part of an application for
clerical job before.
1t wasn't a bad idea-stilI it would
have been more appropriate, he
thought, to send picture as the
young woman would appear in bust
ness-or did she come in this theat-
rical attire?~
In a minute more she answered the
question for herself. She did not, but
she was as lively and as Dianesque in
the neat street suit, albeit just trifle
worn and shabby, that she wore.
Miss Wiggin sent me- began the
girl, looking searchingly around the
office as if missing something that
she had expected to find. She had
time to say no more.
TITS high time she did send you,"
was Higgins's rejoinder. 81 don't see
any reason why you shouldn't handle
the job, do your"
only that my arms are just little
too short" she said; but that per-
haps doesn't matter with the work
you have for me. In the fur concern
where I was once it didn't matter,
but Miss Wiggin said I'd better tell
you"
Higgins looked up in surprise, then
laughed. 'Oh. that's all right" he
said. The idea that there would be
enough switchboard work for her to
do to make it necessary to have her
arms measured as one would for a
central operator amused him. why
did you leave your last place." he
asked. WAS it just on that account?"
Not entirels." said the girl, blush
ing in spite of an effort not to. But.
you See-Weii, III my klnu OF Work IL
sometimes isn't as pleasant as it
might be, and-well, if I do my work
well I don't like to go out to dinner
with the buyers. You wouldn't eX-
peet me to do that. would you?"
Dinner with the buyers" gasped
Higgins. Assuredly none of the gov
eminent agents who came to place
orders for motors in the concern for
which he had worked had ever yet
shown any disposition to take the
He assured her that she would not
be expected to do that sort of thing.
/ II suppose you can make yourself
generally useful for a day or so."- he
said. In spite of the fact that he was
complaining of Miss Wigginss delay
! in sending the girl, the filing cab
| inets in which he wanted her to be-
gin the system he had in mind had
| not come.
Daphne Drew-for that was her
name-waS ready to begin work at
once, and tho she seemed a little sur
prised when he told her to begin by
arranging the papers in the drawers
| OF his desk so that if it were neces-
| sary for him to ask her to do SO she
could at any time find anything that
| the desk contained, she went about the
work with will. Higgins noticed
| the slender white hands as they
| worked over the papers
They were not awkward at their
| task-hands like that could never be
awkward at anything-but assuredly
| they were not used to that sort of
work. Higgins found himself watch
| ing them as they lowered over the
| papers. He began to despise himself
| as he reflected that those hands were
| better fitted to Gull violets or roses.
Only once or twice he allowed him.
| self to glance from the hands to the
| face above them. Once he pinched
| himself to see whether he was actually
| a
| he really liked the idea of having
( such radiance and beauty his near
companion during business hours.
| He had always complained because
| of the rather plain exteriors of the
young women clerks who were sent to
| work for him. Now he realized that
| it was better that way. Still, the
! beautiful one worked silently on. You
would have called her unobtrusive
and demure if beauty of that type
could ever be unobtrusive or demure.
J Still the filing cabinet did not come.
! One had to expect such delays. the
manufacturers told him. So Higgins
had to go on making up tasks for the
peri to perform. He sent to a clip
ping bureau for a file of clippings on
| motors in which he had no interest
! whatever so that he could get her to
| file them, and he sent to their own
cataloging department for a duplicate
file of catalogs, mixed them all up
and kept her busy day making a
card index for them.
She was not amazingly swift, but
she seemed to possess initiative enough
| to go ahead with her work without
asking any questions. She really did
say almost nothing, only occasionally
| Higgins would see that look of won
| der come into her deep gray eyes as
| she glanced about his office with the
/ look she had given the day she first
i came asif searching in vain for some
| thing she did not find.
| By the time the filing cabinet had
come Daphne had been there ten days,
and Stanley Higgins had missed as
| many good nights sleep. The ques-
ton had presented itself to him almost
| from the first. She was the most
, beautiful and most lovely woman he
had ever seen. there was no question