The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-10-14
TIE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
IN SHORTHAND
NJ FRUDRTCK HART
,nyriEht, 1920, by the Mcclure
NlaNrarnnar Syndicate

- -
1875 private secretary sprang
tron her little desk. where she hau
1eSn copying letters, to answer the
Srnmons. GarriCk greeted neF
gith q curt Good morning, Mlss
!sTtef' to which she returned
iiScfeet Good morning, Mr.. Gar.
rfclS'* as she sat by his size anu
,prepared TO take his dIctation.
'Ahem" Garrlck cleared nls
throat noisy. d; Il. Green anu
y6 or 81 the twenty-hftn 10 hand
s--1Stephen GarriCk was on OIL
his days routine.
Az she automatically recorded
the lines and angles that woulu
iatkf be transcribed into the utter,
anees Of the great Garrick, railroad
daannte ana captain OF Industry
Niss Carter let her gaze wan.
q er through the broad window Oh
fiie ofiice over the outline Of ROOTS
and towers that presented itsell 10
her gaze.
III was brilliant spring morn
hing the sky was Geep blue III Liie
6dnShine, and the whiIe bulluihsa,
sach capped with It's gay Lttle
pli1ne or steam, like the VIM VIM
3tenther in the helmet of some
~
ItagRfnsl the heavens.
q The air blew soft with the prom
Hse OF the coming summer; lhroush
ithe flalf.opened window came lhH
3mYraIG sound OF the street, nun
cled ana confused by the height IN.
! to one organ tone OF SOUND. MISS
SCarter let her eyes rove out Over
the blue waters OF the bay, specK
ed here and there, with tne DlaCN
. l,au aud ltUhfnTH
ri beg your pardon" She arous'
ID herself with start, aware tnat
he sfeaty monotone OF Garricks
fiGtafions had changed to sharp
40 Of inquiry; Miss Carter was
incomfortably aware that she hnd
seem day dreaming. Il beg your
5afion,J she repeated. I'm
tfraid / didn't get that last seu-
enee,"
Usually an admission like THIS
rom the invariably accurate MISS
4igarter would have caused stephen
SRrftck to make some sarcastic re,
mRrk but today he merely i9oke9
NJ her sharply. His face relaxed
INTO Q smile.
,spreamtng dreams, Miss Car.
itar5S Se injured. "Well. can't
Ssay that | blame you. I've been
tdoinE q little dreaming myself OF
3iSfe IFS really a tirst.class NOR.
ming for a dream or so,but unkoFtu'
tsly this sudden depression ~
}S;reaf Western won't allow US 10
3tray too far from the unpleasant
Realities Of life. Let's see-WheFe
Miss Carten suddenly transfer.
MAD from d girl with her thoughts
,i91to an exceedingly practical busi'
ess woman, consulted her notes,
ts--regarding the proposed
derRer Of your lines-"she read.
ooh. yes Regarding the
rouosad merger Of your lines,
Would say that Mt present 1t seems
inadTisable. Yours truly. Ihat
aiIsfor the present. Get those cop
7piad and bring them in to me 70
i sign as soon as you can.
Miss Carter lett the oLiGec 2 I,r
head SO that she did not see the
> ionk that Garrick sent after her.
: n Perhaps it was the spring
bfeazes: perhaps it WINS the con
Z Sefousness that he the youngest
h tie country to hold such a posi-
Hon az he held, was bit lonely
sonetimes: perhaps 1t was the tact
that Miss Carter embodied all that
was sweet and wtnsome, desplte
f4Heas4 1DualuHSS EutIACGNAOAS
him. but the fact remains that
Ste1hen GarTick sent after her
look that could by no possibility
S5e construed as one Of business.
And the little vagrant breezes
jcnntihued to flirt into the room ana
sir. the papers on his desk as they
yshisbered TO him, You're III love,
steDfien Garrick--you're In love-
Stephen Garrick-you're in love
ana you daren't ask her! Aren't
1youi ashamed Of yourself, you great
bfs man, you? You-one OF the
Biggest railroad men in the coun-
tfy, even II you are only thirty
oneyou're afraid to ask her!
3sBy George viii ash, her.
sid Stephen Garrick aloud. And
hen he looked guiltily around the
room as though ashamed OF his
statement.
But there was no one there to
hear him unless you counted the
framed picture OF the directors N
his4 principal road, which hung
over his desk, and they looked
\ strafEht ahead Of them as they al
ways did without seeming to be
the least affected by his unbusi-
ness-like outburst.
But the little Spring breeezes
we're right. Stephen Garrick had
been in love with Resale Carter
for a long time, and he had been
Safraid to voice his feelings.
Every day when she came in to
take his dtctation, looking so fresh
and sweet that he yearned to take
her in his arms and whisper love
words to her instead of pouring
.sotit q string Of syllables connected
with unimportant thing like rights
ot4way and freight-rates, he had
iiftended to say what was In his
heart; and every day he had con-
finad himself to brusque Good
morning, Miss Carter. and had
sneut the rest OF the day In ours
ing himself for an arrant coward.
9But-what If Sc should refuse
ne2n his craven mind demanded.
And that fear had held him tongue
tied.
~ Spring breeEes, however are
tricky things; and all this particn-
laf spring breeze had a way with
IT, Such q way, in fact, that sud
denIyl Stephen Garriek found his
Inland straylng toward the button
which, pressed, would summon
Miss Carter to his presence.
His fingers rested on 1t, and In
asyn0nant he realized that he had