The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-02-13
Sent By
Miss Wiggin
M
By JANE OSBORN

Copyright. MCCLURE Newspaper syndieate..

SIndll ONCE BOY 10 Stanley higgins, IN
the middle of what seemed to said Mr..
Higgins the busiest morning of the
busiest week of his business career.
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 recommend
alton, but the large sepia-toned photo
graph, 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 hesi-
tated on the threshold to see whether
this meant that Higgins wanted him to
stop.
mo, go on" shouted Higgins. The
whistle had been the natural result of
the first glimpse of the photograph
which showed the original to be tall,
slender blonde, with figure that
mingled the litheness of a nymph with
the symmetry and perfection of Di-
ana.
Especially was this true of the arms,
which were generously displayed In
the picture, though the voluminOus
furs about the shoulders, left one
obliged to guess the beauty there con-
cealed. Higgins had never heard Of
sending in a picture as part of an APP
plicatiOn for a clerical job before.
1t wasn't a bad idea-still it would
have been more appropriate, he
thought, to send a picture as the young
woman would appear in business-or
did she come in this theatrical attiref
In 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 a
trfie 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.
IT'S high time she did send you"
was Higgins rejoinder. 81 don't see
any reason why you shouldn't handle
the job do you?"
"Only that my arms are just little
too short" she said but that perhaps
doesn't matter with the work you have
for me. In the fur concern where |
was once it didn't matter but Miss
] NAirrtrin s@iI III Lattn,.
Higgins looked up in surprise, then
laughed. ooh, 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 placer" he
asked. "Was it just on that account?"
Not entirely" said the girl, blush
Ing in spite Of an effort not to. But,
you see-well, in my kind of work it
sometimes isn't as pleasant as il
might be, and-well, if l do my work
well l don't like to 60 out to dinner
with the buyers. You wouldn't expect
me to do that, would you?"
Dinner with the buyers?" gasped
Higgins. ASsuredly none of the gov
eminent agents who came to place or
I ders for motors in the concern for
( which he worked had ever yet shown
any disposition to take the young wOm-
an clerks out to dinner He assured
her that she would not be expected to
do that sort Of thing.
81 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 Virgins delay in
sending the girl, the filing cabinets in
which he wanted her to begin the
system he had in mind had not come.
Daphne Drew-for that was her
name-was ready to begin work at
once, and though she seemed a little
surprised when he told her to begin
by arranging the papers in the draw
ers of his desk so that if it were nee
she could at any time find anything
that the desk contained, she went
about the work with a 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 We're not used to that sort of
work. Higgins found himself watch
ing them as they lowered over the pa
pers. 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 actual
ly awake; later he wondered whether
ne really liked the idea of having such
radiance and beauty his near compan-
non during business hours.
He had Always complained because
Of the rather plain exteriors of the
young woman clerks who were sent to
work for him. Now he realized that
1t was better that way. Still, the
beautiful one worked silently on. You
! would have chilled her IInohtruSiva and