The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-01-27
BY Ernest Lynn


desk in front of him. and coughcd.
It was q gentle sort of cough. A
quiet, almost orderly little cough.
quite in keeping with Henry Rand
and his immediate surroundings.
At its sound the stenographer half
way across the rSom halted in her
tipping and picked up her notebook.
Whenever Henry Rand coughed Miss
Fry knew she was TO take more dicta-
ton.
Miss Fry. bring your pencil
please"
"Yes. Mr.. Rand
Miss Fry seated beside him. Henry
Rand leaned back in his swivel chair,
took off his spectacles and polished
them carefully with his handkerchief.
Then he rs carefully replaced them,
clasped hiy hands with the tips Of his
thumbs and forefingcrs together and
reflectivcly studied the ceiling.
Take a letter. Miss Fry, to Mrs.
Philip A. Ward--the address is on
this report. Dear Madam
Henry Rand paused and cleared his
throat. 'Ahem." Like the cough. it
was delivered quietly and without
ostentation. Miss Fry, recognizing
it as part Of the ritual Of dictation
to which she was party dozen or
more times day, Smothercd q yawn
and poised her pencil over her note
book.
"Dear Madam: We are pleased to
inform you that we are extending you
the convenience of q charge account"
Form A." murmured Miss Fry, al.
most inaudibly.
"Did you say something, Miss Fry ?"
Miss Fry blushed. II was just re-
peating. Mr.. Rand"
"Oh, All right, Ahcm. Please be
assured that Royal Brothers consider
it privilege to receive the favor Of
your patronage. We hope you will
find the occasion to make frequent
use Of your account"
Henry Rand cleared his throat
again. "Ahem. Let me see. Miss Fry.
Read that last sentence again."
Miss Fry, without glancing at her
notes. smilingly recited: 1--WE hope
you will find the occasion to make
frequent use Of your account
"That's right, Miss Fry. Just close
it respectfully yours. That's all! BY
the way, does something amuse you -
"Oh no, sir. l was just wonder
ing" she paused in the act of gath
ering up her notebook. II was just
wondering whethcr--do you mind il
| make suggestion"
Certainly not Glad to have you
What is it?'
Miss Fry's smile had vanished. She
blushed and studied The floor.
"Wcll. it's, in regard TO dictation
l believe there's way for you ia
save Il lot of your timc-an mine
too"
"Ah, indeed. And what is this
plan?" Henry Rand sMiled benignly
on his stenOgraphcr and again clasped
his hands with the thumb and fore
finger tips together.
".Wcll, good bit Of your dictation
could he done away with IL you'd
adopt. form letters. For instance.
regard the letter you just dictated as
Form A. You use Form A whenever
YOU tell somebody their application
for credit has been O.K'd. When you
turn them down, it's Form B. When
somebody is overdue you send them
Form G, and so on"
IL see." Henry Rand unclasDed his
fingers and picked up pencil with
which he drummed on his chair arm
"And when Form C. fails of results
the foll0w-up letter is Form d. And
when we notify them of our inten-
ton to turn the matter over to our
attorneys unless we receive payment
within ten days-that. ! take it, is
Form f. Is chat right? ?"
"Yes. sir"
"And you would have these form
letters mimeographed, with spares
left for names?"
"Oh no, sir, l would type each one
but instead of debating, you COULD
just tell me you wanted me to write
Form A or Form B."
With his left hand Henry Rand
smoothed the gray hair around the
little bald spot on his crown. The
pencil stopped drumming:
"How long have You been here
"About two years, Mr.. Rand"
1.-TWO years. Well, Miss Fry.
have been with this department store
for thirty years and ten Of them
have spent as manager OF the credit
department. have been debating
letters just like that for ten years
and l see no good reason for stop
ing now"
sNo need to be-" He waved his
hand magnanimously. "Your plan
is perhaps more efficient, but | pre-.
fer to keep the personal touch in my
correspondence"
Miss Fry departed. After finish.
inc the letter already in her type.
writer she inserted fresh paper and,
without glancing ct her notes other
than to verify name and address, she
very swiftly and accurately finished
Henry Rand's most recent letter.
This done, she laid her letters in
a neat little pile on Rsnd's desk for
his signature. The office clock told
her it was ten minutes to five. She
opened q drawer in her desk. drew
4 vanity case out Of her bag and left
the room.
In the washroom. between
dabs with the lipstick. she addressed
her neighbor:
aGee.: Edna, / think Mr.. Rand is
awfully old. fashioned. But just the
same. l think he's an old peach
Emerging from the Royal Broth
ers' store, Henry Rand paused long
enough to buy . newspaper and then
walked over to the street ear stop.
There he waited.
He was hardly . figure TO COM
mand attention In crowd. A little
under medium height; bulkily built;
round, ruddy face. An overcoat Of 2
neutral brown shade protected him
from the brisk wind; black derby
hat satl evenly on mis- small head.
A street car 9roaned to stop.
Herfy Rand hustled over 70 it.
limping noticeably with Ms left leg.
Inside, he glanced at the front page
skipping over = sensation-
ally played divorce. ehd turned
promptly to the editorial page.
Z. 9s rs G &sa I: :pss seif II
his overcoGt pocket and set off
hria1clv 6o1m The street. Ha threw