Show Trying II 11 Per Persona ona By JANE OSBORN CCO 19 1524 McClure Newspaper Fred Lane seemed to feel perfectly at home sitting there before the broad expanse of topped glass mahogany desk In the general Jeneral managers manager's office Not for n a minute did he show signs of stage fright There really would have been nothing remarkable about It If he be just had for a week or so- so for though Fred Lane had handled ns as bIg a proposition before as one of the most fearless of the young oung engineers of the Dates Bates Construction company compan still all these trappings hIgh authority au- au were new Instead of the topped glass mahogany table he had had a deal table quickly constructed In an engineers engineer's that hall had been heen built In n a day beside some one of the c gigantic dams or bridges undertaken b by the Dates Bates Construction company Instead of softly glowing desk lumps of dull brass and emerald glass he had often at the outset ot of n a Job worked hy by the light of a kerosene lantern swung from a nail against the side sille ot of othis his shack office Instead of the slender slender slen- slen der figures of neatly dressed well well- manicured young oung stenographers flung clerks etc he hud had known only the assIstance of some ov young man as rough fingered as himself But Dut when Mr who Dates was only a sort of guardian angel of the concern con cern which bore his name and never occupIed an office there dropped Into Fred Lanes Lane's office one day after he had occupied the post of general manager manager man man- ager of the main office for three short weeks he felt somehow as If there was was something wrong There had been covert ert glances and ImpressIve silences when he had made inquiries concerning Mr r. r Lane In the outside offices Of course youre you're making good Dates Bates told Fred Lane This Is no bigger r job than a good ninny many that youve you've tackled before but its different Mr Bates looked Lane straight In the eyes Tell me La Lane c Is there anything worryIng you ou Youre You're not quite content here Yet you ou wanted to come It was n a big promo promo- tion-n tion Yer very big one for a man of your our a age e. e Is there an anything wrong wron 1 Fred Lane at first frowned and molded avoided Mr Bates Bates' glance Then he turned quickly to him I suppose there Is somethIng on my mr mInd lie he said though I didn't know It was Vas noticeable The fhe work here I can swing I think I 1 have had t. t pretty prett good apprenticeship for that But the these e people people- J that sit Sll across the desk to take my nt at the the switchboard girls girl Inthe In- In the filing department the office 1 boys o s the clerks In the bookkeepers bookkeeper's I cage but especially these everlasting girlS They Tiley dont don't like me I guess Im I'm Ima a little crude It tales takes a man a bit of time to get used to these It-these gIrls always al- al I ways so neatly nr dressed ssell I dIdn't know girls that worked could look like But the they dont don't coop cooperate co- co that always op operate ate rhe e got a grudge grude against me Of course cours I shunt let that stand In my Wl way Ill I'll get operation co-operation one tray or but another I hind hall hoped that we we could all work together the way wa wae we e used usell to out on the big jobs Fred Lane sighed s n little wear wear- I fly Sorry to lure e mentioned mention Il rt mere detail of that sort The talk changed ell to highly special special- specialIzed discussion of one of the big un- un s which the company was just handling Some papers were necessary Fred Lane Iane pressed a hutton hut but top ton nt at of his mahogany desk A young O lIl woman appeared and Mr Dates Bates watched the little pantomime with Interest The correctly bobbed perfectly manicured faultlessly dressed sell young oun woman entered the thickly carpeted office clip chin and nose held high bight In the theair air and eyebrows arched nn expression slon sion of supreme boredom Fred Frell Lane without looking up asked for the papers lie he wish wished ell When she had gone Mr Ir Bates looked amusement at Fred Ired Who was yas that young oung he asked I 1 didn't notice said Fred I 1 suppose suppose sup sup- of the pose she was one She had hair bobbed sH slight ht n a trifle made mude up-Is up she your our regular 4 stenographer your our secretary Dark l boble tell Fred that's blessed It if I I remember I Why There are quite n a lot of them you ou know And sometimes one comes to take my letters lu In the morning and sometimes they another nil all seem seel fairly capable Theres There's one named Gray or Brown or Yates or something of that sortIr sort sort- Mr Ir Dates Bates lau laughed hell Dont Dont you use their names when you say sa morn good Ing Le he asked said Fred I suppose no Why but Ive I've al ul good but I do say 63 mind ways a 0 lot on my Bates laughing with more Mr Ir than mild amusement And then th n you ou wonder why you OU arent aren't popular You lU wonder why you ou dont don't get CO opera the of Iou ion Dill Did you ou see the young woman that just came cume Inc race face showed cons con con- consciousness Every line Hue ot of hr her s of slight She was deeply offended and so 60 are arc the rest What y you u want to do Is to trent treat them like not people like cogs In a wheel The what the personal Is IR S I trIck their names notice theIr new clothes clothe kid em u a little It and you ou wont won't wont won't cost anything Lave hae to spend much thought on It it Into the habIt and Just get either Ither almost I can cun do It you who male make good i tere are men with nIl their office force against men them who are regular bears with the people that work for them but Its It's u a bad thIng they wor work under terrific ter- ter rifle odds Remember Fred what I Isay Isay say and dont don't forget to jolly the girls n little I If you joll jolly them all you ou wont won't get Into difficulties Fred Pred looked puzzled Tint t sort of thing ma may be all right for but you Im I'm sh shy as the mischief with women I guess Im I'm toy they'd laughs laugh at me- me mc-h mc Laugh nothing was nIl all Mr Bates said and after discuss ng weightier business he soon departed leaving as his last bit or of admonition Remember ber Fred the personal comment Fred Frell be began nn at once A young oun woman glided Into his room with letters let let- to be sl signed I knew that was you rou coming said he Miss Gray Brown Brown- sold said the girl cautiously How did you OU know I 1 knew b by the perfume You always al- al ways use lemon lemol verbena dont don't you ou Heavens said the girl with a laugh lau h bouquet de e Paris Paris- twenty five dollars an ounce It was wasa a lame beginning on his part but Fred noticed that the girl Irl who ho left his room was laughing and her nose and chin were not held In the air The next morning Fred had progressed progressed pro pro- gressed so far as to tell the girl at atthe atthe the switchboard that he thou thought ht her hel bobbed haIr was becoming and one of the filing clerks received the surprise surprise sur- sur prise of her life when the hitherto frigid Mr Ir Lane told her that she hud had hada u a sweet voice olce Even en the scrub woman went off wreathed In smiles that night because when she had come In and Mr Ir Lane had gone out he told her that he had never ne seen nn an office ce kept co 0 clean and that It was no wonder since she was so neat appearing herself her her- self Fred Lane reaped a harvest that he hind not expected Before a week weel hall had passed Miss had told him that he had the nicest e eyes es shed she'd ever seen In n a man the telephone operator told him that she just n adored orell his neckties the filing clerk cieri sh shyly ly dropped the comment that an any girt would be tickled to go out to a show with hint him and the cleaning woman hall had assured him that it was amazing lie he had never been married since he was the finest gentleman m she hall had ever seen And Fred Lane fell completely Into the trap ot of the flattery that was of ofIs his Is own making After a week he re- re l Perhaps Im not such an a awkward awk- awk wl- wl ward uncouth fellow after all In two weeks he was wondering whether er erthe the cleaning woman had spoken a grain or of truth Perhaps some girl would be willing to marry marry- him It was then that he saw Mr Ir Bates nates again Im going to be beg a week off he said There Is a young lall lady out Im I'm going out to marry marry- But I ut r I thought you said you ou even engaged nga ed when you yO came East said MIld Mr Ir Bates No I wasn't said Fred It had never yer occurred rell to me that shed she want me But I telegraphed to ask her Mr 1 and she said yes es Then as Bates nates was leaving lea Fred Lave called advice about the after him Say your our personal comment seems to have IHle worked nl right And youre you're right It gets ets to be second nature after a while |