The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-02
Eoening Story
Miss Drake Refuses.
BY lane OSBORNE.

on some errand or other for her down
town. Much as she dotted on Jimmy
and great as was the pride she felt in
his remarkable success in business, she
still held the same notion concerning
what business actually demanded OF
man that she had had during the
life of James Turner, sr. To her there
was always left time in the business
mans busiest day to write business
letters, telephone and go on shopping
expeditions for the woman at home
Jimmy was right in the shopping sec
tion-why shouldn't he match the
silk? He had telephone right on his
desk-why shouldn't he telephone to
the plumber about the roof leaking?
He was SO used to writing letters
why shouldn't he attend to the social
correspondence?
But on this particular morning Mrs.
Turner's commission was a little I'M
usual and she approached her son
with something of eajolery.
s'I'm giving that tea this afternoon,
Jimmy dear, and everything seemed to
be coming off spiendidly. You prom
ised to get home by five, you know
Mrs. Standish has been making such
a splurge of late that must have this
perfection. Now, of course, there IS
Hannah in the kitchen, and Alice is
sending me her Viplet to help in the
dining room, and there will be Benson
at the door, with Rita helping up
stairs, but Jane has just told me she
couldn't be here. It's her regular
afternoon off and she has made some
sort of date. She has given notice,
anyway. or should discharge her Tor
it, And she is SO indispensable in the
pantry. I must have some one with
taste to make the sandwich plates at
tractive and put the finishing touches
on things and keep the rest of them
from losing their heads. That is why
Jane was indispensable" 49,,
$50 I am to- help in the pantry? q
Jimmy asked as soon as he could fiho
a chance to interrupt.
"Silly," said Mrs. Turner, still with
a Cabling voice. Il was only thlnk-
ing that one of your girls could come
and help out. There seems to be sucn
a lot of them and they never nave
much to do" 1t was one of Mrs. Tur-
ner's firm beliefs that any business
man could get along with half as
many stenographers and clerks as he
did, but Jimmy did not dispute her.
There is that nice looking girl that
seems to be your secretary or some
thing" went on Mrs. Turner, too in
tent on her own interests to notice the
look of annoyance that came on Jim
my's face at hearing Alice BuSby
spoken of by his mother as she might
have spoken of a bit of office furni-
ture.
L our lQSd was " IdNC 4hAAoo Aoh@7RJ
come here and help out?" he asked.
then hesitated a moment, giving time
for an idea to formulate, an idea that
changed his look of annoyance to one
that showed real pleasure in antici-
patton. Perhaps she might. OF
course it is most unusual to get a
young woman of that sort to do that
sort of thing. She would only do it as
a favor"
Il don't see that at ALL" came back
Mrs. Turner. "She is a working girl
and you employ her to do what you
want her to do There is nothing dis
graceful about this work. I would
give her big apron to put over her
dress and she would just have to stand
in the pantry seeing that things go
right; that none of the servants gets
excited and that the sandwiches don't
look as if they had been thrown on
the plates.n
what time shall she be here?" was
Jimmy's only response.
"Oh, 3. There'll be things to do
beforehand" Mrs. Turner called as
Jimmy made his exit from the break
fast room.
Jimmy Turner was not a man of
many theories and abstract ideas, but
he had formulated one theory that he
usually kept to himseIf-that WAS
that the girl in business usually made
a more cOngenial, all-around compan-
ion as wife than the girl whom men
such as Jimmy met in society. lie
had even made up his mind that if he
ever married it would be a girl who
worked in an office. OF course such
an idea as this would have been in
comprehensive to Mrs. Turner. So
Jimmy didn't say anything about it
and remained a bachelor. OF late,
however, he had given Miss Busby, his
secretary, more than second thought,
He had found some little satisfaction
in the fact th@t his mother had called
her rather nice looking girl" Be-
tween conceding that and thinking of
her as a possible daughter in law
there was long way.
Jimmy preached the subject to Miss
Busby with all the tact he could sum-
mon: Miss Busby's rejoinder left no
possibility of hope. And in the cheap
sort OF hauteur that she affected in re-
fusing Jimmy Turner felt that he saw
something in her nature that he had
never seen before. 1t did not enhance
her desirability as a wife in Jinmy's
eyes.
Still there was the thought of the
empty pantry, the cakes and sand
wicheS looking as If they had been
thrown on the plates, servants losing
their heads at the last moment He
dared not let 8 o'clock come without
sending his mother some one to help.
1t was another of Jimmy's few
theories that in case of what seemed
dilemma he could in ninety-nine
cases out of a hundred find a way out
If he only sat down and thought-the
doors of his office closed and locked,
his telephone silenced and his head in
his hands.
He was trying to think of some one,
somewhere, who would help him in an
emergency. Then in a flash he re-
m embered the little wisp of a girl in
dark blue and brown furs whom he
had picked out of the path of a skid
ding automobile few weeks ago.
Jimmy did not waste time in speaking,
but merely lifted her up in two arms
in what seemed a miraculously narrow
escape.
Il shall always feel that owe my
life to you, and yet you are a stranger"
she said 81 must hurry along, but II
the time ever comes when you need
help just telephone Clarendon 77s, will
you, and ask for Miss Brown" With
that she had gone her Wzv Him nv