The herald., 1921-04-14
TOYS AND JOYS
BY ANNA L. FINN.

I'LL " Company UdSlly uOuleu nat oh"
coat, preparatory to leaving on an ex-
tended business trip. As usual, he
had allowed himself only the minimum
time In which to catch the train, and
had very few minutes to spare. He
was about to leave the Office when he
hurriedly remarked: "Oh, by the way,
Miss Emerson, l just happened to
think; tomorrow is my young nephew's
birthday, and I've quite forgotten to
send him a remembrance. l wish you
would select an appropriate gift and
have 1t charged to my account and
send 1t to him, inclosing my card"
Without offering any suggestions,
and without waiting for even a casual
question, Mr.. Hill departed, leaving
his secretary, Edith Emerson, quite
bewildered, Idly lingering a slip Of pa
per on which was written only the adj
dress of her employers nephew, In
nearby city.
As secretary to Mr.. Hill, Edith's
duties were indeed varied. His latest
request, however was the most I'M
usual he had ever made, but she real
ICED, strange as it was, she would have
to go through with 1t.
IAN appropriate gift for my young
nephew" she repeated; "very explicit
instructiOns-if that isn't just like a
manw
For several minutes she sat In deep
thought and then suddenly she remem-
bered the picture on Mr.. Hills desk.
Entering the private office of her en-
ployer she picked up an oval frame
containing the picture Of chubby
faced boy, presumably ten or twelve
years of age. Yes, she was quite GER
tain this was the nephew of whom
Mr.. Hill had spoken quite frequently.
Noontime found Edith Emerson in
the toy department of one of the large
emporiums, fairly revealing In the
various models Of miniature airplanes,
of which her knowledge was rather
limited. After enlisting the services
of the very affable salesman, however,
she succeeded In selecting one, and
had It sent to the address she had
been given, inclOsing Mr.. Hills card,
as instructed.
It was indeed a relief to realize that
the irksome task had been accom-
pllshed and Edith now plunged into
her work with renewed vigOr.
Affairs at the Office proceeded as
usual during the absence Of Mr.. Hill,
and It was not long before he re-
turned. Apparently he had complete
Nv forgotten his nephew, as well as the
birthday gift, because no mention was
made of 1t. Edith, too, had quite for
gotten the incident by this time, un.
til one day about two months later,
when It was recalled to her mind
quite wildly.
It was In the midst of a busy fore
noon, and she was Unexpectedly
called into the private office Of her
employer, to be confronted by a very
pleasing looking young man with a
pair of smiling brown eyes. Mr.. Hill,
usually very serious looking, was now
wreathed In smiles and Edith could
not quite account for 1t.
''This is my nephew, Theodore Hill,
Miss Emerson" her employer began
by way of introduction. you will
remember we sent him a birthday gift
some time ago, and he now wishes to
express his appreciation" Edith
looked with amazement from one to
the other, and then her gaze rested
on the photograph on Mr.. Hills desk
She could not quite get the connec.
ton, and then gradually 1t all dawned
upon her-she realized just what had
happened she had mistaken the
young man who now stood before her
for the little boy whose picture she
had so much admired. Explanations
were beyond her; she was embar-
raised to the point Of modification,
and Mr.. Hill, approaching the circum-
stances, at once came to her rescue.
at was all my fault, Miss Emer.
son." he said as he placed a fatherly
hand on her shoulder; you see,
can't quite realize that Ted has grown
to be a mani still think of him as
the little boy Of yore, and my refer.
ence to him simply misled you. As to
the photograph" he continued, 'it
was taken some fifteen years ago, but
{ I still cherish II for its fond recollec.
lions of bygone days"
BY this time Edith was more a,
ease, and was able to appreciate the
humor of II, as well as Ted, who stood
silently by, apparently immensely
amused. From the admiring glances
he was casting at Edith, however, II
was apparent that he was very much
nitten with the little secretary. And
18th, although she would not admit
even to herself, could not help but
think how charming Ted Fill really
was.
II was strange, but nevertheless
true, how many subsequent visits Ted
found 1t necessary to make to his
uncle's office, and particularly what
an important part Edith played In
them. Even the staid Mr.. Hill began
to notice the frequency of his nephew's
calls, and he soon realized that II was
something other than his esteem fol
his uncle which prompted them.
Tn a focf poor;,n &royc n ho~~-