The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-01-08
She changed the subject.

."Is that boy still there-an awful
boy with pimples, who worked the
typewriter"
Ed nodded glumly. II guess so. /
didn't notice him, much. A sulky
young brute with dirty ears"
Edith laughed. "Its funny about
that. About why they have him,
mean. It's because of Mrs. Mariner.
She's so jealous she won't let her
husband have woman stenographer.
Not an ordinary one, I mean. But if
she goes away to California, ] guess
they'll change. She's the most awful
woman / ever saw"
They heard the front door open.
There's mother, guess" Ed said.
On a sudden conjunction she
thought she couldn't let him go like
that. "You are peach, Ed" she told
him. "But you'll let me do this thing
my own way, won't you? You won't
try to make them stop me, I mean.
Because they can't, anyhow"
"No, I won't butt in" he said. 'It's
all right, of course"
It was bright crisp day that made
you tingle with something that felt
like courage. If it had been dull and
rainy Edith didn't feel bit sure she'd
have had the nerve to put her pro-
gram through. Also, If the weather
had been bad, mother would never
have consented to her taking the car
at five o'clock to go down to dads
Office and bring him home.
Dad was surprised, all right, to see
her come walking into his Office.
Whether he was altogether pleased
or not, she couldn't be sure, though
he said he was.
She hadn't told her plan to anyone,
not even to Ed, though she'd had to
borrow twenty dollars of him to take
the first step toward carrying it out.
She'd done that this morning just be-
fore he left, and had got, at the same
time, a promise from him that he
wouldn't tell. BY now, her bomb was
all made and ready to throw.
DC ACduy III u Lew ulluuLCS,
dad said. II want to sign a letter
that should go out tonight, If you don't
mind waiting"
He went back to the papers on his
desk and gave her the opportunity for
a good look at the typewriter upon
which the unspeakable boy was ham,
mering out the letter he waited for. It
was important that she should know
what kind of typewriter it was, and it
took more than one glance to spell
out the half obliterated gilt letters on
the front bar of the frame.
The letter was finished at last. Dad
looked it over, made quite lot of cor.
rections in ink, and finally signed and
sealed 1t. He seemed in sort Of
hurry to get away.
She took the drivers seat when she
got into the car, feeling dimly that she
had the reins in her own hands better
that way. Almost halfway home she
pulled out to the curb and stopped
the car.
''Ill tell you what I've done," she
said. OF course she couldn't make
her voice sound the way she wanted
it to. "I've arranged about going to
school. I've paid my tuition for the
first month. It's nice little business
college, dad"
He cried out her name at that, as
if she'd actually hurt him, and she
stopped for minute to see if he want
ed to say anything more; but 1t seemed
he hadn't anything to say, just yet.
'I'm going to learn the typewriter
first" she went on. "The man says
that part of it won't take very long.
They've got the same kind of type
writer's that you have at your Office.
I'll bet in week I'll be better than
that-horrible boy. Then I'm going to
come down and be your stenographer.
"Pn go on taking lessons in short
hand in the afternoon, you know.
can study from four to six and then
come home to dinner. Won't it be fun
going off to work together every morn
ing, dad? I'm crazy about it. really
am, dad. Aren't you"
"Oh, my dear, my dear!" was all he
said.