Evening star., 1926-11-21

Miss LAME LOOkED AS If ~
and. ringing, she told the butler to
call up the hotel and see IL Miss
Vaughan had started. The man came
back with word that Miss Vaughan
had gone out half an hour before
As the hotel was not Ave blocks
away. Mrs. Manfred's anxiety in
creased She decided to call up Mrs
Vaughan, and left the room to do so
When she came back she was in a
towering rage, andnher brown eyes
snapped fire. "v' what do you
think?" she said
"I suppose Adelaide's got her dates
mixed" said Raymund. She's
rather muddle- headed, you know"
Nothing of the kind" answered
hts mother. THAT idiotic girl. I've
finished with her."
with Adelaide?' said Raymund
mildly.
''Of course not---poor Adelaide. til
not her fault. It's that incompetent
useless little secretary. of ming, She
put the wrong date In the letter. Mrs
Vaughan read it to me over the tels
phone. She wrote the goth. I've
sent for her to come here. We
might as well dine, / suppose. And
now you'll have to give up that lee
ture for tomorrow night"
Il certainly shan't do that" sale
Raymund.
MY dear boy. you can't insult AIDE
laide because my secretary is a care
less, Incompetent
Irn ,fn&n 1rxn y
said Raymund, and suddenly found
himself able to remember every mis-
take OF similar nature which hi,
mother had made, a slow rehearsal oil
which did not tend to make dinner
any pleasanter. II remember tha,
time you cabled from abroad and
made q mistake in the number oi
your own house. And the time yol
sent me that check at school and for
got to sign 1t, and the day
His mother interrupted to say, "A
secretary is hired not to make mis-
takes, and, besides, I'm. not at all
sure she did not do 1t on purpose.
Her son looked at her. What do
YOU mean?' he asked. For the first
time that evening she had his full,
concentrated attention. She. wished
now that she had not spoken. She
did not care to share with him the
theory that had more than once
flashed into her mind. "Oh, some peo.
pie like to make mischief. for the fun
of it." she answered-rather weakly.
as she herself felt.
Her son, usually so gentle and ad.
miring of her, sprang at this II don't
think you ought to say a thing like
that of a girl earning her living. In
l. x~ls =
and unlikely J" He fell into deep
thought and. emerging. asked, .'What
made you think Ii was deliberate?"
His mother explained to him how
this note. out of all her voluminous
correspondence, was the only one that
had not been brought to her for sig
nature. Again she had his full atten-
ton, but he did not answer, and they
went back to the drawing room.
~
MISS LANCE was sitting there.
AvA sitting on the edge of her chair
with her small hands clasped In her
lap, when they entered. She rose and
clasped her. hands behind her back
and, with her head bowed and her
eyes raised. stood like a child who
is thoroughly conscious of having
as innocently as possible.
Mrs. Manfred sank into chair and
said: Miss Lance, ! have sent for
you to tell you that the one use of a
secretary is to be accurate. liz she
Is inaccurate she In Incredibly annoy
ing. and do not intend to complicate
my life with incompetent assistants.
shall give you check for your serv-
ices-so called-rto date, and you need
not come tomorrow. Let me offer you
q piece OF advice: Do not attempt to
take another position Of the same
kind. for IL any one asks me / shall
be obliged to say You are the least
successful of all the secretaries
have ever had, and that Is saying a
good deal. / assure you"
Mother" said Raymund.
Please do not interrupt me, my
son. said Mrs. Manfred
II was only going to say" said
Raymund, that I'm afraid Miss
Lance and I will miss the whole first
act If we don't get started pretty
soon"
You and Miss Lance cried his
mother vhry shrilly. She had never
thought of that.
Why, yes" said Raymund. There
is no use In wasting these two tickets
WHICH you were 80 KING as TO secure
for me-" He turned to Miss Lance.
You will 60 to the theater with me,
won't your
Yea said Miss Lance
"Raymund," cried his mother.
How can you.--that girlLafter what
told you about her."
What did she tell you about me?'
asked the girl.
Raymund was perfectly calm. 'My
mother Is Of the. opinion that you
made this mistake-''
His mother screamed his name but
failed to stop him.
MY mother he went on, rs OF the
opinion that you made this mistake
| on purpose, though with what object
she has not yet explained"
There was a silence, during which
Miss Lance blushed--not O faint. rosy,
| inperceptible flush, but deep, Grim.
son. unrnistakabls. accusing food cs
color.