Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-06-01
published by special Advancement with The
Chicago Tribune 6yndicate)
IN TWO PARTS-PART TWO
THE STORY so A

THE STORY so A
Hester Murray, left an orphan at the
death OF her father, refuses to live with an
aunt and uncle and decides to make her
own way as a stenographer. She goes to
Yarmouth, a small town on the English
channel, where she stays at q boarding
house owned by Mrs. Tunin. She becomes
acquainted with Lavender and Pointing, two
young business men. She gets very little
work and decides she must gain publicity
in some manner. One day a letter arrives
addressed to the Lady Hester Murray. The
landlady believes that Hester is of the peer
age and tries to elicit some information from
her. withnmunssult.
And now the story
Miss Murray"
"Yes?"
III you will pardon me-"
Certainly"
1T can't be true. is it. that you really
need work."
II do, indeed, Mrs. Tufin. I have
come here to earn my living. 1 need
work-and l am leaving no stone I'M
turned to get it. Tiff another letter
should come here-misdirected, may
count on you to give 1t to me nee more
when we're alone?"
Mrs. Tuffin nodded, almost speeches..
Hester retired to her room.
Was it coincidence that at dinner Mr.,
Pointing paid particular attention to Miss
Murray? In marked contrast, Mr.. Tav-
ender seemed unhappy and i'll at ease.
After dinner Mr.. Pointing played Rubi-
con BeZique with Hester and remarked
~genially hat she was the better player,
Later on, when the game was over, he
said without any tincture OF patronage
Would you care to do a little tipping
for us?"
why, of course, Mr.. Pointing"
Hitherto, in our business, l have writ
ten all our letters. 1t is high time we
employed up to date methods. Could
you come to the office tomorrow morn
ing?"
with alacrity."
That was all, but 1t was enough, as an
enterprising young lady thought to her.
self. wondering whether MIR. Lavender
wrote all letters for his firm.
AS a matter Of fact he didn't.
WITHIN a week another letter was
w confirmation strong to Mrs. Tuffin's
~ conviction that she was entertaining
an angel out Of the Englishman's Bible
This second letter was addressed in diff
ferent handwriting:
To the Right Honorable,
The Earl of Invercauld,
co The Lady Hester Murray.
81 Marine Parade,
Yarmouth, Devon.
Mrs. Tuffin, alone in her dining room,
a~postrophized a right honorable noble
man: Nice sort of earl you must be
Wouldn't l give your lordship a piece OF
my mind If you were herel'
, Mrs. Tuffin had not much mind to
spare. but she could be generous with it
when maternal feelings were lacerated
The letter was again slipped into Hester's
hand; and once more the young lady
seemed to betray slight annoyance. How
ever. she thanked Mrs. Tufin, laughed,
and put her finger to her lower lip.
That same afternoon Mrs. Tuffin called
upon the wears wife and was pressed to
remain to tea. What passed between the
matrons must remain a matter of sur
mise.
Meanwhile Hester was making good
In the dingy offices of Messrs. Skilbeck
& Pointing. She had to admit that her
stenography was hating, but it quick
ened under MIR. Ponting's kindly patience
and encouragement. Letters were die
tated by the junior partner, taken down,
typed, copied, and posted. At Hester's
suggestion old Mr.. Skilbeck allowed her
to put in order bills and correspondence.
He told the junior partner that Miss
Murray was a treasure"
And a lady," he added.
II should think So" said Mr.. Pointing.
For her work, which exacted two hours
each day, Hester was suspiciously we'll
paid. She protested when the junior
partner named a sum In excess of current
rates.
TITS too much, Mr.. Pointing"
mot for your services he replied eff
fusively.
Overhauling the correspondence in Mr..
Ponting's private ROOM, Hester found a
Peerage. Being alone at the moment,
she chuckled, feeling reasonably secure
in a position almost but not quite i'm
p%regnable. Murray happens to be a
name that belongs to more than one no
bic family. The Duke of Atholl is a
Murray, and so are the Earls of Mans
field and Dunmore and-Invercauld.
Fortunately for our Hester, Sir Bernard
Burke is too chivalrous to publish the
dates of birth of ladies'. Had it not been
for this omission, Mr.. Pointing would
have learned that the Lady Hester Muir
ray was on the wrong side of forty.
Finding the Peerage, Hester sighed.
Obviously Eustace Pointing knew. She
had hoped hat he didn't, that his kind
ness and consideration were spontaneous.
Mrs. Tuffin had babbled. Probably Ar
mold Lavender believed Miss Murray to
be a lady of rank, and governed himself
accordingly. He held aloof n treated
with formality. In a spirit of mis-
chief she set herself the task of break
ing down ridiculous barriers. Meeting
him in the hall and asking for a match
to light a cigaret, she said lightly: II am
working for Mr.. Pointing"
80 he told me-
Aren't you pleased that I have found
work at last?"
He smiled feebly.
Hester continued: why shouldn't I
work for your hrm?''
Because we have a typist-hddle head
ed, incompetent %baggagel"
We'll, / hope you are as nice to her as
Mr.. Skilbeck Is to me-"
If / could wangle it so that our young
woman was fired, as she deserves TO be,
you could take her place, if you wanted
Poor thing. I shouldn't like to do
thatl And soon I shall be ever so busy.
Pointing is recommending me to some
Of his customers. I'm SO happy about it
grateful"
You like workingq" he asked incred-
His emphasis of the pronoun settled
the matter; he knew.
Il love 1t. AS my father used to say,
work and work alone, justihes and ex-
plains existence"
Your father said that?"
HE did,
Lavender stared at her, murmured
something inaudible. n hurried away.