WOMAN'S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 11, 28 January 1918, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD.

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR

(Bt Iwoawj.)

"MY HUSBAND'S ON LEAVE" A CITY DRAMA (By Twells Brex, in the "Daily Mail.") Scene: Manager's office of big City firm. Characters: Manager. • Assistant Manager. Manager's Lady Secretary. Assistant Manager's Lady Secretary. Lady Clerks, Typists, Messengers, and Lift Girls. Manager discovered opening letters with Assistant Manager, '■ Manager's Lady Secretary taking shorthand notes from dictation. Manager (to Assistant Manager): "What a pile of letters 1 We've a thick day before us. What's'your staff? No gaps; 110 illness or other absence?" Assistant Manager: "Well, we aro a hit short-handed. We've four or five girls away." M.: "Influenza alreadyr . A.M.: "No. Husbands home on short leave.- Girl gets telegram in the office; starts crying and laughing; all the other girls crowd round her, they also laugh and cry-—" M. (interrupting): "Sounds like a wedding. (Grimly): Any confetti?" A.M.: "Then girl with telegram brings it to me, saying: 'Oh, Mr. Overage, mv husband's come home on short leave. Please let me off for a few days. What can one do? One can't refuse. M.: "Well, I'm not hard-heartod, but business is business. We've got to carry on. Put up this notice in the hall Mr. Overage (dictates notice to Lady Secretary): 'The management regretfully intimate that, owing to shortage of staff, no further holidays can be given to wives of officers or men conuug homo on leave. (Exit Assistant Manager with typed notice. Manager resumes dictating. Ten minutes afterwards girl messenger enters and hands telegram to Lady Secretary, who'reads it, gasps, flushes, smiles radiantly, and breaks into te Lady Secretary (excitedly): "My husmand's on leave. He's waiting for me at Victoria!" T Manager: "Well, Im ——. Er, I congratulate you. How long has h© been 'out' ?" . lIC ,. , L.S. (weeping again): Sixteen months." ~ , . M • "I'm glad you vo got him bacK. But—cr— really—er—this meeting at Victoria. I simply must get through this work, and I can't do without yon• What about sending ona of the girl messengers to tell him to amuse himself in town, and to meet you at home this evening? Supposing I let you oir at four?" (Lady Secretary bursts into tears. Manager, vastly embarrassed, pats Lady Secretary on back.) M.: "There 1 there! I understand. Well, let's see what wc can do. (Aside.) Dash it." (Assistant Manager enters ™°nj> Manager still ( patting_ Secretary. A.M. begins to retire hurriedly.) M.: "Hi I Mr. Overage—Stop! Here's a wire for Mrs. • Her husband's home on leave and wants her to meet him at Victoria. What s to bo done? I must got through these letters." _ (Lady Secretary breaks down again.) . M.: "There! there! It's all right. Mr. Overage will lend me his secretary. Now you run off to your husband (Manager wipes his eyes furtively), and give him my compliments, and I hope he will enjoy his leave—and—er —God bless him. Where would we . be without him? Now you be off, Mrs. —Now you be off, Mrs. . J won't cxpect you till to-mor- ; row." ■ (Lady Secretary, who has risen to < go. looks at telegram again.) i L.S.: "He's only g-g-got a f-few days." M. (anxiously): "Well?" L.S.: "Oh, please give mo leave or absence while he's at home. Just this once." _ . M. (after raising his eyes to the ceiling) :"All right. But don't tell any of the staff, for goodness' sake. Goodbye. Now, Mr. Overage, please send nie Mrs. at once. The morning's going." ■ (Assistant Manager's Lady Secretary enters; Manager resumes dictating. In ten minutes lift girl, blushing like ,* juvenile bridesmaid, opens door of Manager's office, and ushers in smiling, ruddy, muddy soldier, with his "tin helmet'j on his back and his uniform still splashed with Flanders mud.) Manager (rising in chair): "What the ." Lift Girl: "This gentleman wants to see Mrs. , sir. Ho would come up with me —said he couldn't wait." Soldier: "Mag! Lass! Lass!" Lady Secretary: "Jack! Jack! My Jack 1" (They jump into each other's arms Manager sinks down in his chair.) . Soldier: "Come along. I'm home on leave, Mag!" M. (recovering himself): "Excuso me, sir. This is an office—my office; this lady is a secretary, my secretary." Soldier: "Aro you awaro, sir, that she's my wife—and I haven't seen her for a year? How long, sir, since you've seen your wife?" M. (flabbergasted): "Er—this morning." S.: "But, excuse us, sir. We're interrupting your business. We'll go off, and I apologise—but when a man hasn't seen his " M. (despairingly): "You're not taking her from me, are you?" S. (puzzled): "Taking her —from you? Of course I am." M.: "I simply can't do without her." S. (more puzzled): "Aye—and Mill less can I." (Lady Secretary recovers and explains ; office shortage of staff to her husband.) S. (kindly): "Well, I tell you what • I'll do. I'll go and get a hair cut and a wash up and brush down. And I'll look up a few friends, and then I'll come back for her at luncli-time— and you've got to give her up for a week." M. (staggered): "A week!" S. "Yes, a week. I'm sorry. I don't want to be hard on you. But do yon want to be hard on me?" M. (confusedly): "Er—really " S. (slowly): "Twelve months—in the front line—in the rain—in the blazein the mud —undsr the shells—in the " M. (hurriedly): "No. No. Of course, I understand. God bless you, my dear follow. Forgive me. Come back at one o'clock and take your wife home." S. (eagerly): "For a week?" M. (sighing): "Yes, a week." • ■* 1: * * One o'clock. Hie husband returns, ruddier and more smiling than ever, with the "tin helmet" jauntily perched or. his back and all the mud scraped off. All the office has heard of the romancc. The happy couplo depart through a laughing, acclaiming, moisteyed avenue of lady _ clerks, typists, messengers, and lift girls in the corridor. The Manager and Assistant Manager escort the happy couple into the corridor and send them oil' with their (moist-eyed) blessing. Manager and Assistant Manager return to Manager's office. Manager (groaning): "What fools we've been! This isn't an office. Overage, St. George's, Hanover Square!" Assistant Manager (likewise groaning): "What about that notice in the hall about staff holidays and husbands' leave?" "Oh, take the thing down!" C