The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-29
A Stenographer's
Romance
BY JANE PHELPS
NELLIE TAKES HER NEW
POSITION
Chapter Y.

SndpIer IL.
Monday Nellie was up early and
singing gleefully as she made tea, and
set the breakfast on the table.
zone would think your job was in
Philadelphia! What time did Mr..
! Robinson tell you to come to work p
Cora asked.
"And you get US up at sevenI Aren't
you ashamed?'
mot bit! I want to leave things
nice. 1t would be horrid to come
home to messy rooms" If Miss Car
ter had done nothing else for Nellie,
she had taught her to be scrHpulously
neat.
Wen all help now" Gladys said
with a yawn.
up, Miss Lazy Gladys loved to sleep
in the morning. She often said it was
harder to get up than it was to work.
They left the house together. The
two older girls had a little further to
go, and were expected earlier.
''If get there before Grandpa does
I'll get acquainted with the bookkeep-
err" Nellie told them.
Nellie found herself even earlier
than the bookkeeper, and so she
walked up and down the street until 8
o'clock building air castles. Now that
she had a start she would go on and
on. She would do her work SO well.
be SO careful about making mistakes,
of her tipping, and there couldn't be
SO much to do in that little office
that the dictation would be too fast
for her.
The clock struck nine. and she hur-
riedly entered the building. In the
office she now found a man of about
SO. tall spare. stopped, with rather
tired looking eyes.
mot much of a lookerI" Nellie
said to herself. To him: Good morn
h. nhnS-b
GOOD morning. Ny name is Smith,
John Smith"
Mines Riley, Nellie Riley. You
wouldn't think I was French, would
she might have known his name
would be Smith.
1.-The name isn't French" he replied
slowly.
mo, neither am I! Irish to the
back bone" 1t wasn't going to be
any fun to teaze the bookkeeper. He
was too solemn.
What time does the boss get in?"
"Any time now. Usually about $3.50
or ten"
He keeps nice hours! That's one
"Yes.-the-work- isn't hard
not for the stenographer."
Nellie wondered why he hesitated
so in his speech, and why he looked
at her so Queerly. But he said moth
ing more, and she hung up her hat,
uncovered the typewriter which need
ed cleaning, and set about the job,
muttering to herself:
Must have been sloppy stenog he
had to leave a machine like this! May
be she was like that in her work and
that's the reason 1 go her job"
Her mutterings were interrupted by
her employers entrance.
Good morning, Miss Riley" he
said brightly Good morning. smith"
in a casual tone. st see you have al
ready found something to do he
stood over the desk where Nellie was
cleaning the machine.
Yes. this machine was all gummed
up. It's better now, but III give 1t a
real cleaning some day."
He sat down at his own desk and
opened the mail. In a few minutes
he was ready to give her dictation.
feet composure she sat beside him
with pad and pencil. For an hour he
dictated, slowly, carefully. Nellie had
no trouble at all in making her notes,
time enough to make them legibly,
which meant she would have no trou-
BILE transcribing them.
There, that will do. Bring the let
tiers to me to sign when you have
them finished My mail is unusually
heavy on Monday, so 1t will be q test
for you.'' He smiled kindly at her.
Gee, but I'm in luck!"> Nellie said
to herself as she seated herself before
her desk, and made really to type the
letters "a nice man that to treat
me like a lady, nor doesn't get fresh
either. I'll work all right for him, I
wiili'' which she proceeded to do, by
paying strict attention to the work
before her.
The day passed quickly. At 1880
Mr.. Robinson said:
I'm going now. There's no need
for you to stay after go, unless give
you work to do"
''You mean that unless there's let
ters to write can go home when you
do?" Nellie asked, amazed.
Yes, mean just that" With
office.
(Monday-An hilarious evening.)
Fashion vote