A ROMANCE OF THE OFFICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 304, 28 December 1907, Page 3

A ROMANCE OF THE OFFICE.

There weren't many prettier stenographers than laity Jtaindon to be seen m the city—Lucy, Heatly and tastefully dressed, jold brown hair, a pair of pathetic, tug bine eyes, and tnu daintiest little square-set cluu that ever hinted that it wasn't advisable to stir her to •»««''• '.fc~i. HXtA As for Donald Hayes, he fell madly in love with her almost at lir»t sight, and from the lir-t constituted himself her humble olave, sheltering her as much as possible, and telling her all those things nnd pulling her up to all those little otlice wrinKlcs the ignorance of whicii makes a new place so uncomfortable at the beginning.

Sow. in that office, as in most olliccs, there was a iiiaiiiigi'i'—-Mr Alaynard by name and evil-tempered man who knew his work, but who unfortunately hud the mistaken notion that the way to make people I'Uiciuul was to bully them. Even Lucy's big blue eyes could not induce him to control his tongue; time and again he spoke to her in a way that galled her proud spirit almost beyond endurance, and caused Master Donald, at his de.sk near by, to clench his hands and bight his lips, and one morning he turned up in an. even worse, temper than usual, called Donald a "lazy brute," and then began to dictate his letters to Lucy at a furious pa.ee. "I iH'g your pardon," she said at last, having vainly struggled to keep up. "'<!o on!" he cried. "Don't interrupt." "ilut I can't get it down. You're going too fast for me," she exclaimed. "Confound It all!" he blurted out. "What sort of stenographer do you call yourself? It's your business to get it down!" "1 was doing my best, Mr Mavuard," she answered. "Kubbish!" he snorted. ''You're iuconi|K.'tent —that's what it is." "It isn't," said Lucy deliantly, nettled by his lone. "1 can do a hundred and ten words a minute, as 1 told you when I came." • j^i'iimß l "\ou impertinent, little minx!" blus tered the manager, getting up angrily from Ins chair, "don't answer me back. If. you do, you'll find yourself outside soon!" • > "Thill's where you ought to lie, you bully!" came in a hard, stern voice from the neighborhood of Donald's desk. "What?" cried tlie mannger, swinging round in furious surprise. "I -aid that's where you ought to be. you 'mlly," repealed Donald calmly. "Yo.i've no right to talk to a girl like that.' lie went on, while the manager struggled in vain for speech. "I'm sure the president wouldn't stand it. if he knew. Tt's a. pity Mr Cartwright j> so old be can't emne here more often and look alter you!"

"Are vou mud - or drunk-vnu fool!" I lie stormed: "to talk to me like this?" ".Ycithcr." -aid Donald in the same low voice, "only utterly disgusted with your nngciitlcmnnly behaviour!'' The manager looked at him. controlled him-clf bv a mighty effort, and said thickly: '"All right, Take a week's notice." and turned on his heel. "('nine along. Miss Kaimlon." he added, "tie! (in with vour work. Don't sit there staring like a little fool!" liiu Lucy, who had sat dumbfounded through this scene, made no effort to take uj) her pencil again. Proud as she was of Donald for championing her cause, nevertheless her litlle heart was heavy. Had lie not lost his place? '•'Mr Ma'yuard." she said eoneiliatingly, "are we not all cross and hasty this morning? Won't you take back this notice you have given Mr Hayes?" "Confound your impudence, no!" the . manager snnpiicd.

TV little square chin shot forward 1 I bit. and a sudden gleam came into the big blue eyes. "Mr Mayuard,' she said (irmly. "I really think you ought to, you know."' "»o you? ,\nd what right have von I" dictate to me, miss? Take a wcekV notice yourself!" ' n "' fc'l "in the big blue eves became a T.laze. "Mr AJaynard/' said l.my, rising a ,„i lacing luni, '•you have been abominnblv rudetome: ami you've had vour chane'e to make amends and fhruu'n ii awav" -And. lustily pinning „„ )„,,. j,.,,. lv) ; H( , I l.e. manager watched her. vagtioly fiighlened in sp,i,. 0 f hiinscir-fdic walked out of theofli,,..

Disconsolately Donald wenf out to lunch. Tl wa- no! likely, he knew, that the manager would change his mind' b ;• Mr Araym.nl was one of (hose wen':. bsliualcs who hoar! lhal what Ihev "iv Ihev slick to. Tn a week's limp he j would be seannin- Ihe advertisements. L ml InmieiiT fhi, .ig,. in 5,,,.v1, of a ' r.v bnl il was not lhal which catt-ed h' «leps lo lag. TTe had nn regrets: to him ir seemed imiinssildp licit am- »,„. worlhv of the in me of n man could hive acted olhern-is,.. TTis onlv trouble was thai be .o-oatlv f-ived that hj,. 1, ,d lost T.IK'V! «t, O 1,,,,] walked o„l of the „|r™ in „ T-'ohteoo-."•itV-nml he did not know her addr--! So far Ihcir inlercottr-e had I been confined, wholly to office life: he

had not dared lo speak the words which lur weeks had been trembling on his nps. And now she was gone—gone for good—and since it was not to be expected that she would write to him lirst, his only hope of seeing her ever again was lo meet her by chalice. Jjul as he entered the restaurant at which they often lunched together, his eyes brightened and the wrinkles lied from his brow as if by magic. There was Lucy sitting at the usual table waiting lor him! " 1 came in here to cool dowu, and as it was nearly lunch time i thought 1 would wait to thank you," she replied. "I'm glad you did," he cried; "i was ■in a dreadful stew because I didn't know your address, and I thought 1 should never ace you again." "Did you want to m'c me again, then?' the asked. "Vou know i do!" lie answered fervently. • , 'jt,^. jfad.

The manager had no time to bull)' next morning; he barely had taken ell his coat and hat before the bell rang twice from the president's room—one ring for .Mr. Mayuard, two rings for Mr. Haves. Until nien were astonished, for neither had known that anybody was in the private oilier, and the president never had arrived so early before in all fheii experience. However, the summons was unmistakable, so both went in together. And on the threshold both paused amazed. Seated at the president's desk was not the white-haired, infirm, old .Mr. Carlwright, but l.ucy-Uainihm, the stenographer, who had walked out ot the oiliee yesterday morning. •• What is the moaning of this, madam r" began the manager in his custom arv hectoring manner. ■■ Listen, and I will tell you," she sail

calmlv. • ~?¥H1 " .My father—Mr. Cartwright-is old and ill. Vov a. long time it lmd been a dream of mine to Irani all about his business, anil relievo him of the worry of it: so I cime l'-rc under my mother's name, to at the bottom ami got a thorough grounding in all the details from the lowest to the highest. And that, .Mr. Maynard, is how I found you out. Xot knowing who I was, you bullied me as you had bullied my father's employees for years—and you foreeil mo, by your disgraceful conduct, to reveal mvself earlier than 1 wished. ".My father now bus placed his business entirely in my hands: and 1 certainly cannot on any aeocimt keep such a bully as you in my employ. You (lis eharjred me yesterday; I discharge you to-day. Here is a eheipie—you will see that my father has treated you most generously—and my orders to you arc that you leave this office for good in five minutes' time. '• As for you. Donald," she went on, when the deposed manager—after having tried vainly to find words to meet this unexpected situation—had slunk silently out of the room,''• you, of course, as we arranged last night, will lw my vmvtnev." I