The Nevada County picayune., 1922-02-23
An Empty Headed
 Boss
By CALVIN HENDRICKS


i Lucia MarSt0n looked al Howard III dazed sort of manner. She could not quite understand what he was say ing; and she did not dare to under stand.
 Ranger never liked me. Old Bransforth took his side had to support him :. ." The sentences were meaningless to her. Patiently Howard, taking both her hands in his repeated the story He had held a position in Bransforth's company for six years, until Ranger was made head of his department. Ranger was an empty-headed man with the sole idea of being a good dis eiplInarian.
 Bransforth had sent for both of them, and Ranger had stated positively that it was impossible for them to continue to work together. At last Bransforth had turned to Howard.
 "1'm sorry, Mir. Cray" he said. But of course you understand l must ap- prove of MT Rangers course"
 Then I'll send you in my resigna- tion, sir" said Howard.
 Bransforth certainly treated him very fairly. He gave him two months salary and a cordial letter expressing his keen regrets at their separation. Only, positions such as Howard had filled were almost impossible to se- cure. And Howard and Lucia were to have been married that May.
 "Never mind, dear. You will get a better position than before" Luella said eonsolingly.
 Her fance kissed her, but he knew the awful difficulty of the task before him. He had been getting eighty dol lars a week, and the position had seemed so permanent that he had lived fairly well instead of trying to save money. He had only three hun dred in the bank, for their first sup ply of furniture The eeaseleSs tramp tramp through the hot streets, with the constant rejection everywhere wore on the young fellows nerves. He hardly dared 10 see Luella now.
 They might have been married hap pity three months before. Howard was becoming desperate.
 He had always avoided those parts of the city contiguous to Bransforth,S. And then-perhaps 1t was the heat, which had been intense that week, or the result of the nervous exhaustion brought about by his despondeney- but a curious lapse of memory over came him.
 Lucia called 1t fate afterwards.
 The events of the past three months slipped from his mind completely. Once again he was a salaried employee of Bransforth and company.
 The spell was still upon him as he climbed the long flight of steps up to the main office.
 The office was half empty
 Any mall for me today, Rogersf" he asked the office boy.
 II don't think so, Mir. Baldwin" the lad answered Gee, I'm glad to see you back, though"
 A moment afterward Tait came up to him.
 "Were mighty glad to see you back again Baldwin," he said. MT. Brans- forth said you were to go into his private office the moment you came in"
 Howard looked up at Tait, and sud denly the absurdity of his presence there struck home to him.
 Tait, mistakng his embarrassment for shyness, took him playfully by the arm and led him across the room to Mir. Bransforth's office, Mir Brans- forth looked up and. rising from his chair. gripped the young man warmly by the hand.
 "I can't tell you how glad am that letter found you,' he said "I hope you can come back to us, Mir Baldwin. To think that after trying to locate you all this time the name of your old address should suddenly have come into my head!
 "First of all," he continued, "I must apologize frankly to you for my treat ment of you. The fact Is. Ranger came to us with the best of creden- tials from his old place took the trouble to look them up after he left and found that he had written them himself and signed the name to them, too
 Well. It didn't take long after your disappearance for me to find out that he was absolutely incapable for the work. Well, want you to take his position. The salary Is hundred dollars week. hope I can count on you"