Evening star., 1919-08-31

WIN some tTuo tnOuSul thht
makes me wiser above the
ears. Honest, l do. Sometimes they
Just come to me by accident-on the
ny, as It were-and then, again, they
don't come SO easy.
Take this latest hunch of mine.
know now that my being o high
Grade private sec. don't qualify me
to hand out any fatherly advice to
the female sex. Absolutely 1t doesn't.
And yet. here only q few weeks hack.
that was just what was doin. Oh.
I don't mean was scatterin' 1t
around broadcast 1t had to be a
particular and special case to tempt
me to crash in with the Solomon stun.
It was the case OF Lester Biggs-
and little Miss Joyce.
Now you'd almost think I'd seen too
many lady typists earnin' their daily
bread and their weekly marcells
waves for me to get stirred up over
anything they might do. And as
rule don't waste much thought on
'em unless they develop the habit Of
parkin' their gum on the corner OF
my desk. or some such trick as that.
I sure would be busy II l did more.
for here In the Corrugated general
ofices we have Is or 20 more or less
expert key Founders most OF the
time. Besides. It's Mr.. Piddie's Job
to worry over 'em, and believe me
he does 1t thorough.
But somehow this little Miss Joyce
party was different I expect 1t was
the baby blue tam-o shanter that got
me noticin' her first or. You know
that style OF lii amt worn a great
deal by our Broadway stenogs. Not
the home crocheted kind. Hardly.
should Judge that most of our flossy
bunch wouldn't be satisfied until
they'd swapped two weeks salary for
some Paris model up at Nine. Vio-
lette's. And how they did snicker
when Miss Joyce first reported for
duty wearin' that tam and costumed
taclky in something crossroads dress
maker had done her worst on.
4 Miss Joyce didn't seem to mind. By
rights she should have been a shy.
modest little thing who would have
been so cut up that she'd have rushed
into the cloakroom and spilled a
quart Of salt tears. But she never
even quivers one Of her long eye
lashes. so Piddie reports She just
comes back at 'em with a sketchy.
friendly little smile and proceeds to
tackle her work businesslke. And
inside Of ten days she has the lot of
'em eatin' out of her hand.
But while l might feel little SYM
pathetic toward this stray from the
kerosene circuit. didn't let it go SO
far but what 1 kicked like steer
when I finds that Piddie has wished
her on me for a big forenoon's work.
whats the idea. Piddie?" says I.
''why do get one Of your awkward
squad who'll probably spell such
with in it and punctuate by the
hit-or-miss method?"
Miss Joyce" says he. raisin' his
eyebrows. panied. II beg pardon
Torchy, but she is one Of our most ef-
Acient stenographers. Really"
''She don't look the part" says I.
Dut IL yOu say sic 10 IL tdho
chance"
Well, she was all he'd described.
She could not only scribble down that
Pitman stuff as fast as could feed
the dictation to her. but she could
read It straight afterward and the
letters she turns out are a joy to look
over. From then on picks her to do
all my work. being careful not to let
either Mr.. Robert or Old Hickory
know what an expert I've discovered
in disguise.
For one thing. she's such a quiet.
inoffensive little party. She don't
come in all scented with Peau d'Es-
pagne. nor she don't stare at you
bored. or pat her hair or polish her
nails while you're waitin' to think Of
the right word. She don't seem to de-
mand the usual chat or fish for an
openin' to confide what a swell time
she had last night. In fact, she don't
make any remarks at all outside Of
the Job in hand, which is some relief
when you're scratchin' your head to
think what to tell the assistant west
ern manager about renewin' them
dockage contracts.
Yet she amt one of the scared,