The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-12
Euening Story
Heredity.
BY WILL. t. AMES.


It's only after years and years that
they can do it, these Hnotypists. 1
mean that only after years and years
of keeping the mind and the eye and
every sense pinned tight to the job
comes a time, perhaps when the me-
chanical and spiritual intelligence of
the operator fall a little apart as it
were. and a man can follow copy and
set clean proofs with part of his brain
the while another part goes a-wander-
ing.
Even then it isn't every one who
more agile minded, and they must
have served long and faithfully at
the keyboard.
So you may know that Bedient was
an old hand. old enough to have
just right to the gray IN his hair,
when 1 tell you that no one at the
era phic's" composing room had a
cleaner score of errors at the end of
days work and that no one was
farther beyond the deadline III the
number of slugs cast than this same
Richard Bedient, and all IN spite OF
the fact that for hours of every day
his thought were dwelling, these last
four months, on the girl at the next
machine
She had come in answer to one of
the advertisement that Briggs, the
foreman, had inserted so often of late
in a trade paper; for the Graphic"
was expanding and operators were
scarce and hard to find
When Briggs gave her Farley's old
machine. next to Bedient, the gray
haired operator had noticed only that
she was quiet and businesslike and
wore her hair rather plainly When,
later in the day, Briggs addressed the
girl as Miss Murgatroyd, Bedient
glanced keenly at the newcomer,
really observing her for the first time
Thereafter many times during the
day, he studied the girl unobtrusively.
On the way out, at the days end, he
spoke to the foreman as the latter was
| closing his desk.
That new operator on No. IA, Mr..
Briggs, where did she come from p"
Toledo. Looks to be better than
most We've been getting" This was
purely professional judgment. Nice
kind of girl, apparently"
Yes" responded Bedient, and
passed on.
| A curious sort of friendship grew
up between the new girl and Bedient.
In her way Miss Murgatroyd was as
| reserved as the silent, courteous COM
| positor whom every one liked. but
with whom no one ever became famil-
lar. Bernice Murgatroyd was voted
difficult by the nine other girls and
i given up as hopeless by all but one
| of the dozen bachelor operators and
proofreaders. One of the latter, young
Royce Fellows, was frankly smitten
and as frankly persistent, and for him
Bernice had a frequent bright smile
and a CHEEKY, if brief, word.
But toward the older man she bore
herself with a singular half diffident,
| half confident air that might have
| been born of lifelong acquaintance,
and in which there was a suggestion
| of unquestioning faith. AS to what
this slip of a girl meant to Bedient-
| but let the story tell itself.
| Both lived within walking distance
of the office, and their ways lay thru
the same streets. Almost alawys they
walked home together. Bedient's
boarding place was the farther on.
Once, after they had said goodnight
! he turned for a parting glimpse of the
slim young figure, to see that the girl
had stopped halfway up the steps and
was gazing after him.
Bedient's heart leaped; but he
laughed it out of its folly. 1t might
have been as we'll if he could have
seen the wfstful look in the deep blue
eyes and the quick flush as she waved
her hand to him and ran hastily up
| the steps.
For Bedient, remembering his forty
seven years. had beaten back his long
ings, and watched, with patient hope,
the eager suit of young Fellows. Then
for two days the proofreader came nd
more to Bernice's machine on the fly
ing visits with the whispered joyous
a.
| took a liberty.
Little girl" he said, as they began
the long walk home, Il noticed yes
terday and today that you and the boy
were not getting along together Don't
think me meddlesome, please; but I'm
| terribly afraid of causeless quarrels,
of MISUNDERSTANDING. 1t isn't my
business, I know; but I'm worried
about you-and Fellows. He's a good,
clean boy. A girl would be safe with
him. You-you care for him, don't
you?'
The girls voice was very low. "why
Ido you ask?"
They had walked almost half a
block before Bedient answered. "Tll
tell you. Your mother was Gertrude
are she over again. She and well,
We loved each other. We quarreled
heedlessly. I don't suppose either of
US thought it would last a week. Peo-
pie seldom see to the end of such
things. She married John Muir
gatroyd. He took her to Toledo. I
have never seen her. but know. Your
father-well, your father. was not ex-
You need not spare him." the girl
interrupted. AT the end it killed
MOTHER year ago."
Yes" said Bedient solemnly, "I
heard. You see, don't you, child, why
1 presume to NEEDLE? 1t happens so
often. I'm not much, but at least I
wouldn't have mistreated your mother.
This young Fellows is an honorable
lad-a fine type. I hope
1t was very hard for Bedient to say
it-hard to dissemb1e. He was floun-
deFing a bit when Bernice, in a voice
that trembled with temerity at her
sudden resolution. said:
"Boyce Fellows and I have had no
Observation-Disclosures