TALE OF A TYPEWRITER

Waikato Argus, Volume X, Issue 865, 26 January 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

TALE OF A TYPEWRITER

®ljv gftorafcellet**

Click ! Click ! Click ! There it went again, and Anthony Dugclalt? swore a mighty oath as he i rose from his chair and rung the boll furiously for his landlady. l",l""* ' Have f not already told you that 1 really can't have that infernal row Hoiiig on over my head'] nsked Dugdale, glancing up at. the panting woman she stood at the door in response to his urgent summons.

' But, sir ' kj ( ( But me ' no bu's," lie returned, impatiently ; ' either the person whoever it is, stops that noise while I am in this house or I clear out to-morrow !'

The agitated landlady seized the corner of her alpaca apron as if searching for an inspiration—but no svuy out of the ilifficulty presented itself to her much-worriel brain.

,4; ' I have asked the-—my—lodger to make less noiso,' she said, stammering slightly, ' but it doesn't seem lo have had much effect. I will speak about it again, sir.'

' Wei!, 1. have told you what the result will be,' answered her lodger, taking up his pen ; ' it' the noise continues after to-day 1 leave, that is all.' And he recommenced to write, as if to .signify that the discussion was at an end.

Worthy Mrs Jones took her way upstairs with a heavy heart. What was an annoyance to her first floor lo lger meant, as she well knew 7 , the absolute necessities of life to 'he girl who inhabited the upper story and yet she herself was not well enough off to contemplate the possible loss of her best lodger with equanimity. Sinhad never been quite able to find out what had brought him to her somewhat shabby apartments : he wrote for some paper ; or, as she termed it, compiled books ; this she knew in a vague kind of way but then as she often remarked to Mary Jane, he could just as well have done (hat at home. That he had a grand home somewhere she was quite sure, for one day the dull little street had been aroused to a pitch of exitemenl and ennosity by the advent of a grand carriage and pair, which had drawn up at the door of Mrs Jones' modest dwelling, and a tall, grey-haired lady in costly furs had actually descended and disappeared into the house ! After that the whole street expected a denouement, but it never came. Anthony Dugdale continued to inhabit No -I, Poplar Avenue, and his neighbours in time came to regard him as a gentleman under % cloud, and left him severely alone.

The landlady, having reached the second floor, knocked at one of the doors and received permission to enter.

'Mr Dugdade presents his compliments, miss, and hopes that you can make it convenient to stop your machine for to-day,' she said, with some trepidation to the girl, who was silting at the small table working a typewriter with slim, deft fingers.

• Does he V inquired the girl, laughing. ' Xo, Mrs Jones, I am quite sure that old fidget downstairs is much too much of a boor to dream of sending me such a polite message, eren if he had to sit up all night lo concoct it. I suppose you impressed upon him the vital necessity of doing this work to-night all the laws of the Modes and Persians require that it shall be in the office tomorrow ; therefore he must put up with the noise j'

Mrs Jones sat down on a chair by the door and looked at her with some concern

' Mr Dugdale says that he must go if the noise can't be stopped" replied she, shaking her head sorrowfully. Sydney Sylvester left off her work and went and stood by the window. She had come face to face with one of those problems of life, a thoughtless man, and she hardly knew how to deal with it.

' He.' she pointed to the floor, indicating the, room below, ' doesn't, know that I am a girl V she asked.

' f have never told him,' because you asked me not to,' said Mrs J one*.

' Put h« did want to know your name one day, and I thought there could be no harm in telling him that.'

' He could learn liflle from it, certainly,' returned Sydney, smiling softly to herself. ' 1 used to hate my ' boys name' when I was little, but I have lived to be thankful for

' And, of course, miss, he always calls you the gentleman,' added Mrs Jones, thinking of the many epithets which had been coupled wtih the young gentleman's name by the irate Dugdale. ' I am afraid I really can't stop to-night,' said Sydney, glancing at the pile of manuscipts on the table ' but I will perhaps go down and see if I can't make some arrangement with Mr Dugdale to-morrow or the next day. I think it is veryhard for you to lose one of your lodgers, and if one has to go, that one, of course, will have to be me. I am the lr-ast important. Why are. men so selfish, I wonder '/ I am out all iho morning, and Mr Dugale could write his book then I wish I could think of some way

ill n IIIUJ J. UWUIU UJOiUC uiiii • unfair his grumbling is ! But there is little chance of that, I am afraid.’ She had got quite angry over her grievances, and Mrs Jones listened with a sinking heart. 1 Perhaps it would do best if you were to s«e him on the. subject yourself, miss,’ she said, catching at this forlorn hope as a drowning man catching at a straw. 1 It won’t do much good, I’m afraid,’ replied Sydney, shaking her head rather hopelessly, ‘ but I can try,’

in which I could make him see ho"/ unfair his grumbling is ! But there is little chance of that, I am afraid.'

' He's got to hnd out you're a girl, mis?,' remarked Mrs Jones

dubiously, ' and perhaps that will set him against you.' Sydney sat down at the table and laughed. ' It is nob my fault that, he thinks lam a man,' she said, when shehad recovered her breath. ' I cannot be expected to supply my biography to any one who asks for my name !' But, nil the same, she began to wish that Dugdale had had .sufficient curiosity to find her out. The prospect of the coming interview was not exactly exhiliarating, and she determined in her illogical way to defer the evil day as much us possible. But the day of reckoning was nearer than she had thought, possible.

Sydney had barely finished her work the very next afternoon when some one knocked at her door. Thinking it, to be Mrs Jones, .she did not look up from her work until an exclamation of surprise fell on her ear.

When she did so the astonishment on her visifcors's face was reflected on her own, only it proceeded from a different cause. ' I beg your pardon,' said Dugdale, coming into the room, ' hut could you tell me when the usual occupant of this room will be in V ' I am the only occupant of this room, as far as I am aware,' replied the girl, rising to the occasion in a moment, ' and 1 presume that you are the gentleman who complains of my typewaiterf 'Dugadle was unprepared for the. scornful glance she threw at him from her Hashing blue eyes, and paused before making any reply.

' If you had to earn your own living,' the girl went on, ignoring the fact, in her righteous indignation, that her unwelcome visitor remained still standing, ' would you not do what you knew you could do well rather than what you know you couldn't V

Anthony felt that this was cutting the ground away from his feet with a vengeance, and made a step forward.

' I am not complaining of typewriting as an occupation, although there are heaps of things girls are more fitted for,' he answered, slowly ' but if you wrote, as I have to, week in and week out, you would see there is some excuse for my detestation of that awful machine ' When he smiled, which was rarely, Anthony Dugdale was a very pleasant man to look at ; but to Sydney he represented grumbles, and fuss, and the possible loss of her present home, and she met his kindly glance with a shrug of her shoulders.

' Perhaps we had bettor get this settled once for all,' she said, carelessly, ' and as this will take some, time, you had better sit down I suppose, unless you prefer standing in the door-way. This was ungracious and unladylike, and the girl was sorry when she saw the look of surprise which flitted across his face for a moment. However, she reflected, he did not feel friendly toward her in any case, so they might as well not stand on ceremony with each other

' I can leave Poplar Avenue,' said Dugdale, taking the chair she

had indicated; 'it really doesn't matter to mo where I am.'

' Perhaps it matters to Mrs Jones Sydney said. 'Of conrse, I don't pay nearly as much here in the roof as you do on tho first floor, and I am not blind to the fact that it is to her advantage to keep you. Put 1 can't, think what you wanted to make all this fuss about, If you would only do your writing, I could do my typing in the afternoon, and you could go out.' Her visitor laughed. ' Why don't you do your typing when I am not in T he asked.

' Because you are never out V answered Sydney, wrathfully. Anthony grew more and more irritatingly calm as his companion waxed angrier, . ' Let us leave it for a week,' he said at length, wliew he had managed to get in a word that wasn't promptly thrown at him, • and try the new arrangement : then, if it doosn't work, we can leave. Put, remember, if you break the com pact I shall force an entrance into your room and confiscate your goods.' Anthony departed to his room and left Sydney to ruminate over the interview.

' lam afraid I did not get the best of the argument.' she said to herself, as she put away the machine and prepared to go out, ' but that is the worst of men , they are so selfish.'

For the next few days there was peace, iu the land. Sydney religiously refrained from working

her typewriter in the evening, and Dugdale took to going for walks or hnnsom drives in the afternoon. Each kept a vigilant eye on the other's doings, ami thev even went so far -js to how solemnly to each other when they met on the stairs, ©ne day, however, Anthony was in the middle of a very intricate article, when he heard the forbidden machine at work. Two strides brought him to the upper floor, and, without waiting for an answer to his knock, he entered the room.

' I must Leg that you will stop for to-day,' he cried. ' I have a difficult subject to tackle downstairs, and your niachiue disturbs me.'

' And I have very important work to do this evening, ami am sorry T can't oblige you,' she answered, looking at him defiantly. 1 Mine is of more importance than yours,' he replied, angrily, and vours must wait.'

' We shall see,' returned Sydney, ooolly.

For an answer Dngdale picked up the* offending machine as though it had been a feather-weight and marched off with it to his room, where he locked himself in.

Sydney stood for a moment quivering with rage, then she sat down on a chair and burst into tears.

The work was really important,

and there was a sodding, if not dismissal, in stoie for her to morrow morning. That Anthony would carry out his threat had never occured to her; she thought he had only spoken in fun when iie had said he would confiscate her goods. That she had begun to have a sneaking little liking for him. too, rather made his conduct seem worse in her eyes—she was disgusted with herself for thinking of it.

' It" I only know how to retaliate, she repeated again and again to herself. She little guessed how soon and complete her revenge was to be.

The very next day the typewriter was returned, with a polite little note of thanks, as if it had been borrowed for an evening, and Sydney sought her employer's office with a sinking heart. The lady at the head of the establishment frowned at the story she told —.of work unable to be finished on account of a friend having borrowed her machine. ' It. shall not occur again,' faltered the girl, mentally registering a vow to leave Poplar Avenue as soon as possible.

' It must not occur again"' corrected the presiding genius in decided tones, glaring at Sydney over her spectacles. 1 However, I have a lot of work on hand just now, and as you are one of my best typers, I cannot dismiss you at present. Put you must see that this delay shall not occur again !'

Sydney promised and went back to Poplar Avenue in a vindictive frame of mind, with a precious parcel of fresh manuscripts under her arm.

Her enemy was on the look out for her, and caught her as she was wearily mounting the stairs.

' Don't look at me like that,' he implored, as she shot an icy glance at him when ho murmured her name.

' A cat may look at a king !' she said, briefly. ' And the king may object !' asserted Dugdale.

The possibility had not occurred to Sydney, but she maintained a dignified silence. ' I got my manuscript off to the typewriters last night,' he informed her, ' and so to-night I will make up for my unfriendly conduct by allowing you to work for the rest of the day,' ' You are too kind,' she remarked, freezing!}'. ' I shall not however, tax your patience to any great extent, as I shall not be here much longer.'

' You mean that you are leaving, he inquired.

She nodded.. ■ ' Is it on account of what, hap pened last night V he asked.

She nodded again, ' Partly,' she said. ' But if I promise that it shall never occur again V he urged. ' I shouldn't believe you,' she answered -ml with that parting shot she went upstairs. That evening she, sat down to the fresh roll of manuscripts with a sigh, and was looking them through when her eye caught a familiar name—' Anthony Dugdale M. A.' How did his work get into her parcel 1 By wdiat curious turn of Fortune's wheel did anything of the enemv's fall into her hand V

Sydney turned the manuscipt over in her hand. It was marked ' Important.' but she determined that it should be the last to he done. The next time she sawAnthony Dugdale be was distinctly disturbed.

'I sent my MSS. to be typed a week ago,' he told her, in answer to her inquiry respecting his present frame of mind ; 'lt was marked ' Important,' too, and I have been to the agency about it, but they can only tell me that the girl they give their work out to has in some mysterious way mislaid it. However, I shall be even with her

yet, because I have got her dis missed !'

' I should have thought that you would have scorned the idea of employing a typewriter.' she. remarked not taking any notice of the last part of his sentence. Anthony shrugged his shoulders. ' Sometimes one is bound to do things one doesn't approve of,' he said, enigmatically, ' hut this particular lady will have a bad quarter of an hour tomorrow I fancv, or my name isn't Anthony Dugdale. ' You have asked the au;ent to dismiss her 1 broke in Sydney, her face paling. ' Have you any objection ? he asked.

Any objection ! The girl did not answer, but next morning his neatly-written manuscript lay on his breakfast plate. He hurried off to the agency to apprise them of its safety, and as he went in at door he ran against Miss Sylvester coming out. Even then no idea of impending evil crossed his mind. He saw the head of the establishment, and asked her to be lenient with the culprit- ' She has been dismissed,' said the superior in answer to his questions. 'We cannot afford to have valuable MSS. lost or even mislaid, so Miss Sylvester ha? been told that we do not require her services any longer. It is rather a pity, for she does her work remarkably well, and until about three weeks ago got through a surprising amount of work. But '

' Miss Sylvester,' broke in Dugdale. Does Miss Sylvester work for you V

' She has done so for the last twelve months or so,' returned the superintendent, ' but, of course, we shall not employ her any more.' Dugdale pleaded for mercy for the girl, but in vain. The lady was inexoieahle. He left the place and made the best of his way quickly back to Popular Avenue, consumed with remorse for his share in the day's proceedings. A light had broken in on his brain, and he found no difficulty in solving the mystery of his most important article ! It was her only possible ireans of revenge, and she hid followed it up to her own destruction.

He found her at home when he goi back, kneeling beside a travelling trunk. She looked up as he entered the room with a little frown on her face. Never had he seen her look so untidy, yet, strange to say, never had she seemed so desirable in his eyes. Yes, that was it. The girl that he had been instrumental in dismissing from her place, was the girl above all that ho would make his wife ! Put he smiled in irony at himself as he thought how useless it was.

Sydney sprang up when she saw wdio it was. and drew herself up to her full height, 'To what am I indebted for the honour of this V she demanded.

Dugdale looked grave to hide his emotion.

' 1 have only heard today that you do typewriting for the office where I sent my MSS., he said slowly.

• Well V she queried, as he paused. ' I am afraid it is not well.' he answered, ' and I have come to ask your pardon and to say that I deserved the revenge you took —every bit of it.'

Sydney shrugged her shoulders. ' It is passed,' she said, with a queer little choke in her voice, ' and lam paying dearly for it. After all, I think it was a very paltry revenge to take, and 1 am sorry. Will you forgive me V

' There is no need of forgiveness or my part,' he answered, deliberately.

'it is I who am sending you away, and I don't know how to make yon stay.' 'lt is better that I should go,' said the girl in a low voice ; we are unable to live under tho same roof. But you will part friends, won't you V Anthony braced himself for the worst.} ' There is only one drawback to parting friends,' he said, ' and that is that 1 could never under any circumstances remain your friend.' Sydney withdrew her outstretched hand and put it behind her back. ' Why, she demanded in her clear young voice, from which all suspicion of tears had vanished.

' Because I should want much more than friendship from you : because lam jealous of any other man who looks at you : because I love you, Sydney, dear, have loved you ever since 1 first saw you in this very room ; because'—he took a step nearer—' because I want you to be my wife dear, and nothing less than love will satisfy mo !' There was silence in the room a minute, then Sydney looked tip, and her eyes met Dugdale's passionate gaze, and she took a step toward him, 'ls it true V she whispered, and Anthony for answer caught her in his arms and covered her face with kisses !