The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1919-02-13

|
of the rather plain exteriors of the
young woman clerks VINO 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 unohtrusive and
demure if beauty Of that type could
ever be unobtrusive or demure.
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 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
cataloguing department for dupli-
cate file of catalogues, mixed them all
up and kept her busy a 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 oc-
casionally Higgins would see that
look of wonder come into her deep
gray eyes as she glanced about his Of
| flee with the look she had given the
day she first came, as If searching In
vain for something 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 question
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
about that.
The question was, having found such
creature, was there anything to do
about it but what men naturally did
under the circumstances, make an eff
fort to marry her? By the tenth day
he had decided that there was but one
answer to the question. If she re-
fused, then she would have to leave
his employ. He calmly made up his
mind to ask her bluntly whether she
would have him. He was far too busy
to go about 1t with the usual dallying
and too smitten to brook further de-
lay.
He arrived earlier than usual the
morning of the day when he planned
to make his plea, and, as If to steady
himself against the ordeal, he took the
picture from the desk where he had
put 1t the first day. Attached to 1t
was the recommendation that had
come from Miss Wiggin which he had
never read before.
He glanced at 1t, first casually, then
gripping the paper, read with bated
breath the slip which, with printed
blanks filed in, ran something like
this:
Height, Sc, coloring, natural
blonde, dark gray eyes; size foot, B,
but shapely; gloves, 611a, but slender !;
waist, 20; bust, full, Sc; arms, slight
ly short. Willing to pose for cloaks?
Yes. Furs? Yes. Hats? Yes. Lin
gerie and corsets? Definitely not
can't be persuaded. Reason for leav-
ing last place-not a good mixer |;
wants place where doesn't have to
meet buyers socially"
So preoccupied was Stanley Higgins
with the perusal of this sheet that he
did not recall that the original of the
brief description was standing before
him.
81 hoped you would never read that"
-
day that a mistake had been made,
and 1 went to Miss Wiggin. found
there that they had sent me to the
wrong place by mistake. You wanted
filing clerk, didn't you? And was
a model.
ST didn't know could make money
any other way. But like this so
much better-I didn't want you to
know. You see, when we go to- get
places as models, they are only for
little while. The season is Shorthand
we take our photographs and descrip-
tions like that. Then if it looks like
what the concerns want they take time
to talk to us. otherwise they send us
on. I hope it won't make a differ
ence-"
Higgins had not expected to lead
up to his proposal so early in the
morning. He had planned to wait till
afternoon, but this seemed his best
cue. II can't let you be a filing clerk"
he blurted out, "when want you to
be nv wife," He seized the dazzling
Diana creature in his arms. Daphne,
girl, am distracted about you," he
said. and as the "six-and-a-half hand"
crumpled in his he knew that his suit
was won.