Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-11-23
What's
One to Do?
BY CLARA DELAFIELD

4
dote on them. But if l couldn't see
you're perfect gentleman l should
thank you kindly and plead another
engagement, since I've only known you
these two days that I've been staying
at the 'Belvedere'
Taking my holidays early?l Well
| yes, | had TO. You see, Mr.. Feather
| head, only graduated last winter
very strictly brought up, l was, and
it was a dreadful day when my ia
theirs death made it necessary for me
to go into the business world Pm all
! alone in the world except for Sister
Nancy, and she's, well, She's peculiar,
Mr.. Featherhead, and Wen let it go
at that.
''You see, there are girls who can
make their way in business life. but
soon found l wasn't one of them.
| If you've got passable good looks and
some style. you've either got to debaSe
| yourself or get out. l studied steliog-
| raphy, and l got position with
Brummell & CO., the export firm
d'you know them? No? l shouldn't
think you would. Mr.. Featherhead
| because / can see you're not their
style.
Would you believe me, l hadn't
| been there three days before young
Mr.. Brummell asked me why | looked
so sour. So | told him a respectable
| girl had to look sour In business, or
| first thing she knew some man would
| be presuming. Then he said he didn't
mind my looking sour if knew how to
| spell, and apart from that would I
| try taking his notes in longhand, be-
| cause could do it faster.
81 swallowed that, and next day he
| asked me what / meant by presum-
| ing, and / said that innocent business
| girls were always in danger of being
| asked out to tea by men, and then
| they had to give up their jobs or lose
| their self-respect. Mr.. Brummell said.
he was glad to know. and wouldn't it
| be better to make print letters, so
| could read them afterward. And that
| very afternoon when he'd been read
| ing through batch of letters I'd typed
| for him, he suddenly turned roupd
| and asked me would l come out to tea
| with him?
I'm not the kind 10 take a dare. So
l told him / was through and came
away. After that l had an awful
| time, but by and by | got a job with
| an envelope .concern-Smith & Co.
| You wouldn't know them, | can see
| that.
"Would you believe me. after I'd
been working there two weeks found
bunch of flowers on my desk one
| morning from young Mr. Smith, whom
| l worked for. They were ragweeds.
| | looked up ragweeds in the Language
| of Flowers, but they weren't given,
| so / couldn't find out just how much
| young Mr.. Smith meant by them. But
| / was on guard then, | tell you, and
took them to him, explaining that
| girl couldn't take gifts from men until
| she was engaged to him.
kind of nice man, young Mr.. Smith
was in many ways, but fast as they
make them. When l asked him if il
meant he wanted to be engaged to me
he got all heated up, and finally con-
| fessed that the firm was going bank
| rupt, and he couldn't afford to marry
for twenty years or so, and every one
was leaving, but he was giving me
the tip privately, and could take two
weeks salary because was smarter
than the rest of the girls.
swell. after that you bet dis
couraged familiarity from my next
boss. His name was Peters know
him? You wouldn't, Mr.. Featherhead.
He was running an office downtown
I won't give the address away. and
was the only girl there. There was
only old Mr.. Peters in the room with
me. and you bet l kept my eye on him
like cat watching a mouse.
II knew there were rocks ahead
from the way he'd look at me when he
thought ! didn't see him. and sure
enough there were.
HE used TO stand over me when |
was tipping. with a look in his eye
that any girl would understand the
meaning of The morning came when he
suddenly snatched the sheet that I'd
Just typed out of my hand and tore ii
up knew then that his passion for
me had grown uncomfortable. and ]
let out scream that brought half the
employees of the building into the
room.
''They found me struggling with the
MONSTER tell you I marked his face
for him--and there was some talk Of
getting a policeman, but the middle
of If all T tainted In the arms of yoilug
Mr.. Bottomley, of Enbrights-do you
know them?-and when came to
was lying on the sofa with the doors
wide open. and every soul on that floor
had gone but me! That's what people
do for Innocence in distress. Mr.
Featherhead
$50. you see. THAT'S why I'm taking
my holidays early. and, as for the pic
tures-what's that? He's remembered
another engagement? What an extra
ordinary young man! never saw any