LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 781, 27 March 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

: '_- IN THE GENERAL MANAGER'S f CAR. , The iffi>incnti tho padjiJ swing *- doors wave! thut behind Win the din , rf tho warring strict was hushed by ?" the dm, cool silence of the cavernV- ous rotunda of the gre.it general of- ' (ic« builling as by the heart of the " pyramid. J. Dunlow Maxoii passed I, with the case of the light of heart " - up to the ponderous door that bore ' S; the legend, " General Manager,'' »n 5 V tetters of gold. £-. " Hello, Sain ! " he siii cordially ly to the coloured porter who orei5. ,cd to tini. " Anybody in to-day to { i 'ati GVncrul Manager 51a.\son ? "' Tho i: colourtJ ntin .v.iiik'J, aimisS* t " ed at this pleasantry o; the general c; ninnogvr's friend. Maxson pa»sjJ |r at thv? flat top desk which stood I* imposingly in The middle of the bij

K; room, gsamang at a stack ofictteis rj> and tele-grams which awaited official |jv iattenlion ; then he M,?p]:c.l to t:io alcove and hung up his light coat, ocJ is'-cl again gocKl-humouieJiy j$ eccoirl-hand railroad, or anything ?" I' " No, sith," replied the coloroJ i . man ; " hut there's a message there '(• for jou, s.uh." \ It was a short nic sn~ct rimply : j£ "Biing the three hundred, stocked ?■- witfc John aurl l*eicr, also a lady jjj stenographer, on train twenty-ono p" TucsJay evtn!».r. Meet me Omaha £" Wedneday.. morning- Out thico & mc.s.—Sleraiiith." ~* " " Also lady stenographer ! " It {,*" was aisucj, but that wus tj»p p'.aiii jj. Word. Maxgvn studied it with a & frowning brow. [' ' ' " Sara," he said, " who gets out li! Mr Muradith's car for hiui when he <i'- guts out in it-? " ,J Mr PahLUns, soh. Would you %<t like to sej him? suh ? " , r ' V Yes," said' Maxson ; ■•• send him g* 'in as soon as he «?an come." After i>_ wh.th he fell into oblivious pcrsual Eg* of tfce telegram and did not emerge! ?T till Mr Parkics, a brisk little clerk pj of n-iddiu agv, stood by his side. f- "Mr Parkins-," he began, arous- £-- isg front, his t.ance and whh'.ing; W" about. ■•' Mr Mcrad«*h wonts me to j leave here with tsw 300 on Twonty- |*" one this afternoon, to meet him in If- Omaha to-morrow morning. Here ! p£ Mcjm it yourself " ; and lie thrust /". the message into Mr Parkins' hand. I f« " Jell ujj what you make of that,"! il be demandod. feV. the drawl of perfect certainty, •" I'll gV: to) that the SOU is ready lor you' £ on life'rear at Twenty-one, and you! |j'_ Cin get it. off at Omaha to-morrow' g-"* 'morning. Lone lieic at 5.30 th'is if\ afternoon." I jf- 3, "'Ve*. 1 understand that," said | Maxson ; v but that woman steno-j |. grapher?" » Parkins focussxl himself again upj< on Uti telegram and caught what £.»» ne bad not se;n before. He, too, 1 j£' became ots.-rttcd in serious thought, l jy* and his brow-, usually serene, sagged jg.-, wider the weight ol his frown. !*" k " 1 give it up," he said at last. f- V 1 think this message has got mixe» id m transmission. 1 will wire for. '■ ~ an explanation." t~,' " Hut suppose he scans whatj he S- —aaj'6 ? " questioned Maxson. ,•■• Whatl ■*' do Ido then? Will y oa find her fori k nw? " tp' Pnrkins siuS©! faintly. " I don't' « know/' he said in a manner more! -. dubious than words. •• r i he-re is on'.y' £%.. one good woman stenographer in' j-.« tie building-, the picsident's secre-j tary, and now while he is away on tin* road shj is out cj.' town. 1 do r ' not know " Ue became very res' flective inde.-d, •■■ lam sure it is a. i ' -mistake,'' be added with great posit£ tiveness. ' " WTiere is Mr Jones, our rcgualr -;_" man J " I " Went to the country when Mr Meradith left en the president's siwc- _ ial," replied Ma.xson. " Jjack tomorrow." 'fhey both grew abstract- % od ; then Maxson asked : " Who does 1' MernUith tsj when be can't havo F Jones." if "He has hod Jimmy Hampton, ;, from Mr WaJe's ofl<Q?," replied I'ai rt Jdnsv " Hut 1 don't know what this means." ',- " Suppose you find out—if you '.„ can -" "o looked at the clock and f. whistled. " Thiec hours to train f time I Er—Mr Parkins, will vou s^e that there is plenty of carliinated water on the car? And some of those perstrveJ figs ? And cut out the.mutton. Mi Meradith hates it." And so they sped, ccch to hapten his own arrangements. Muxsor had a dozen things- to look after on his own account, but first he called a cab and drove to a sorrowfui looking but respectable boaiM- "- '£?■ (m!ie - "* cre hc ost e<l 'o'' Miss Edith Gordon. She was out but would return in an hour. J ll 'i , an >" thin S about a position

for her? asked the landlady with a look of interest that suggested a financial basis for her concern in iuss Gordon's welfare. - Well, yes," said .Uaxson. •I do not know but I- u , ay huve , obnd something for her—for a time " x. „i".'u ' * bope you ha|e : " exclaim:u ~w o" , an' " Sl '« 's almost skk with disappointed, and this mo rnin a ' she pave it up. She said hex- money was most gone and she must get back to her folk whfle she had en-.' ough money left to buy a ticket J She is such a sweet giri," j The woman's siucerity quite ovei'- ' came Maxson's notion that her interest was purely selfish. | " Tell ber- to telephone West 269,"-

"ho said, " and—don't iromisc too much. But I want to hear fom her, sans. Here is my card with the number on it." Meantime. Parkins, by one of thoso. curious ineffciencies that now and then mar the actions of the infal,lab*u man. telegraphed General Manager ileradiUi, care Mie general manager's oflice, the I'nion Pacific Omaha, usking what the m,-fssa ßte meant,.' _ instead of requesting careful repeal- : r **Aj. Ak Meradith was in Council

' Blufls all that afternoon and evening the query did not reach him till , too lato to liavo any bcarinc n n the -- matter. .Vjfotfjsd in the details of his own worK and the preparation for tho '/ *»Uow the thin* „„ ,;!, wrth . n an '- flour cf train time. Then he sen! a ~ f r ?? nnt °n •»'» "M-SS.IW to Onwhnr. I This .csuhe.l in nothing of ro,uve. - ;L W « al . ,no " t •'""« »'d"Ck when he - WougfcT to ask that the message be - -i?** 8 r ' and iL ,vas Uvmt v minutes , e " hC " M,e ro nl.v reached V btri Z ,t XCet,> hhlWrf ' " eori - v «™«*

nil name ►■ Sua. J* 1 " 1 ** 1 f 'om Miss Oarv's fes n Wrt U rr , f, n " m,t r " ,lw *™»^ i&n?U ? '" tKe ""W. she haß Ktoßen a short course in cutting and Egg**, as practiced there, with c c r- 1 awl even hopes, 0 f a, HBJlyfL ft**" it the uttig

village. lis painful associations had recently driven her to the city, but sir.ci: llK'ii the city had jlx'en sci coidly cruel that she had been forced to look back to the hamlet as an actual ha\cti of lest. It was in ti.is ' mood that she reepived card and u:e s.ige. ' (To be Continued.)