The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-21
Eoening Story
Two Misfits and a Gentle
BIackmaiIer.
BY H. IRVING KING

honorable and fairly lucrative oc-
cupation of pounding 'typewriters for
a living. Margaret was star at it.
she could take dictation as fast as
amy man-could talk and talk sanely;
she spelled correctly and punctuated
to perfection. The most unusual word
had no terror for her. To see her
shapely fingers go tripping over the
keys was a positive delight. Further
more. she did not chew gum in work
ing hours. always looked as spick and
span as If she had just come out of
a bandbox, and had a face both pretty
and intelligent-a pleasing combina-
ton.
AS for Henry. while a clever youth
in many ways, good-looking and stall
wart, he had drifted into the wrong
pew" as the saying is. Young men
rtypists are, know, not SO very COM
mon nowadays; but they may be found
now and then in conservative bust
mess houses where a. beetle-brewed,
Icrusty old fogy of senior partner
with prehistoric conception of
''woman's sphere" holds sway-as was
the case in the mercantile house of
Hobson & Co. Yes, Henry was en-
ployed by Hobson & Co.-but it was
evident that he would not be for long.
In taking the dictation of ordinary
business letters even-about all he
had to do--the chatter of his ma
chine was constantly interrupted while
Henry asked: What was that last %
How do you spell that word ?'' or II
did not catch that"
Henry's typewriting was the hand
writing on the wall that foreboded his
dismissal And he did want to keep
that Job, too; for he had conceived
the idea of marrying Margaret If she
would have him; and Margaret had
conceived the idea of marrying Henry
IL he should ask her. These two hard
working and estimable young people
were jewellers in the suburbs and took
the same train in to business in the
morning-frequently the same one
came to establish that propinquity
which is of such help in swelling the
marriage statistics. Henry soon got
to calling upon Margaret at her pater-
nal cottage and to sitting with her of
summer nights on the paternal piazza
where gazing out over the dreamy,
mist-flooded meadows where the
sifted moonlight fell, and consuming
large quantities of ice cream from the
village store, they passed many a
blissful hour. And one evening Henry
spoke. And Margaret said YES"
Margaret was employed in Mrs. Petit
crews establishment-one of those
big typewriting places where many
girls at many machines click away all
day long copying documents or taking
dictatton from men who rush in, speak
their little. piece, grab up the type
written results, pay their money and
rush out.
There was one patron Of Mrs. Pet
tigrewis establishment who always
selected Margaret as his amanuensis,
a man a bout forty, evidently a most
prosperous person. and he was writ
ing novel. Also he tried his hand
at short stories. Sometimes he dieta-
ted from notes sometimes s"out of
his head" From literary point of
view the results were equally disas-
his real name was-he had a ."pen
name Vahtek. which he placed at
the hsad of his short stories. Henry
knew about Mr. Vahtek"; Margaret
had told him. They were in the habit
of discussing together the lights and
shadows of their business understand
ing. It was thru these discussions
that Margaret became gradually
aware that Henry was what he frank,
ly called hinself-"A pretty bum
typewriter
She sreproved him for the vuIsarity
of his expression, but refrained from
denyings its essential truth. There
fore, for this-and another reason
whichWill appear later--she was not
surprised when one evening. about
two weeks>after Henry had made his
declaration in form" he burst in
upon her sitting on the piazza and
cried out: IT'S all over. We can't
get married. I'm fired. I'm no good
at anything. I just came to say good
by" 20 -
Margaret cut him short by impIant-
ing a kiss upon his lips and saying
tits just begun-this love Of ours.
It's allfor the best. You never would
have made decent typist in a hun
dred years; but there are lots of other
: Ii
have been considering the matter for
some tiTne and have decided that your
vocation is that of a travelling sales
man. And now I have IA pull and Il
plan. you rem enber my telling you
about that Mr.. Vahtek-the man who
thinks NE can write? Well, what do
you suppose his real name is? It's
Charlton. Junior member of Hobson &
Co. I found it out when he came into
the office today and offered me a po-
sition with his firm at $40 a week
more than 1 am getting now to- take
man-that's you-whom he had just
discharged
Great Scott!" exclaimed Henry.
But what about old man Hobson,
who swore he never would have a
woman about the office? I reckon
that's why they put up with me so
long-the difficulty of getting another
male typist who wouldn't be worse
than I was
"Oh," replied Margaret, mfr Hob
son. I understand. retires from @tive
business next week-so that.s~ all
right
''And you took tbs job?' asked
Henry.
"Yes-yes," said Margaret, upon
conditions.
Conditions? what do you mean?"
We'll you see" replied Margaret
slowly. Mr.. Charlton said he had
given I'D his idea of being a great
author-said that he guessed he was
as much of a misfit at literature as
you were at typewriting-and made it
a condition of my taking over your
job that should never tell in the
office OF his firm of the awful drfyel
he usedsto dictate to me. And SO I
made a condition, too. 1t was that
il 1 never told he would give youCa
trial as a travelling salesman"
1t was minute before Henry could
gather his wits Then he asked:
And what did he say?"
49, -