| Show VIKING I 1 IT 88 83 dy by charlotte doyle 0 by mcclara sur service ice kooks S banged raafat radiators ors pounded D chairs scraped noisily on the he cement floor door or rubbed softly on thick rugs rues safe doors squeak ed typewriters were pulled I 1 clatteringly terin gly into place A thin winter sun climbed higher and higher up the wide windows marley anil and PhIl bricks new york offices were limbering up for the day shirley york stenographer almost stealthily adjusted herself at tier her desk desk Shir shirleye shirleys leys one wish tills this morning was not to be noticed slie site wanted to be inconspicuous she longed for a dark gray cloud that would hide bide her from the rest of the world if anybody spoke to her she thought thought she ahe would bite or scream she was tired she was irritable and she knew it IL usually shirley was neither inconspicuous nor irritable she was on the other hand a quiet vivid young woman with eyes a sparkling brown the color of a trout brook dancing blong a clear brown bed in the sun hair soft and waving the color of oak leaves in winter skin creamy and rather thick with a warm soft flush on the checks shirley dressed becomingly had a lovely body and a voice like music tier disposition was good and she was never tired she could work all day and dance all night after the manner manlier of modern youth with no sign of fatigue the cause of Shir shirleyn shirleys leys grouchiness and wish tor for oblivion tier her best bet in the way of a boy friend outside the office that Is of course there was always peter peterson the big blond bookkeeper but he count shirleye shirleys Shir leys best bet with whom she had gone to a party the night before had bored her terribly sharley was through with him for the moment life held no ino hopeful prospect she just wanted to be left alone in her cold gray world the alie morning sun creeping upward quite suddenly shot a ray in shirleye shirleys Shir leys eyes looking up her glance fell on the roughly thatched head bead of peter bobbing over his work like a scraggly haystack she thought through the glass topped partitions between his department part ment and hers she sighed too bad he be count he was so nice aut he ile he was lust just like that scraggly hay stock hair sort of 0 awkward and homely shirley sighed again and tried to be inconspicuous sam the office boy caught sight of her and came to her desk hey miss bliss york he said in a hissing whisper youre to take the telephone board for the day and hustle bustle the boss Is on a tear im to do what asked shirley aghast take the tha board this morning I 1 wont you can just tell him so lles hes wheres hiss bliss simpson phoned she had a cold ans coln to stay home well of all the east cast iron nerve I 1 lie hie take the board why I 1 hardly know how bow to work the darned thins thing 1 I P aw come on urged sam get busy will you dont grouch you gotta do it anyhow Ys ts buzzing now and its probably his shirley hurried from her desk to the switchboard slipped into the chair adjusted the ear car pieces and quickly though not very deftly made certain adjustments of plugs and buttons that quieted the buzz sam was anns right it was hla his the day was on in earnest now shirley managed her substitute job well enough but with a great deal more strain to herself than it she had bad been more familiar with ith the work py by twelve she was in a fine state slate of nerves and irritability when sam passed her desk with an assorted armful of office supplies she snapped at him so savagely that he dropped halt half of them oh im sorry sam she said as he kneeled to pick up erasers and paper clips blotting paper and pencils but P B a been on a rampage all morning walt wait a minute hes hell buzzing again yes sir mr royd boyd yes yes the man said surely be here by three well shirley slumped in her sent seat well what do you know about that had me telephone for two seats tor for saturday matinee for bird in the cush bush to be here by a western union messenger by three and now he swears he said they must be here by one I 1 suppose lie wants to take them to his girl friend when he has lunch with tier lier ill have to go get them here sam take the board im going for those thos tickets I 1 hope the board and the whole place blows up while im gone I 1 hope theres an earthquake tier her voice died away as she went out of the office putting pulling on hat and coat as she went she was back forty minutes later flushed and flurried but with the two tickets orchestra seats for tomorrows matinee of bird in the bush in her ILand bag the tickets had set her back eleven dollars shed collect that and fifty cents for a taxi tail to save time her purse was vas empty but it still lacked fifteen minutes to one without taking off her cost coat and hat she shoved sam away from the board so sam she said thanks a lot you go to lunch now and bring roe me in a ham sandwich and a cup of coffee dark with plenty of sugar will you sly my heads beads splitting 11 she plugged in on mr boyds telephone walt wait a minute ill get my money sir mr boyd she announced silkily through the telephone the tickets have come here no came hla his shrill voice here right before me miss bliss york thank you and after this when you are on the hoard board he added fussily 1 1 I I wish not go to lunch until I 1 do that idiot boy that was in charge while you yon were out Is no use whatever no use whatever lie ile got my calls all balled up get me the climb club right away please smile faded and the bright spots on tier her chocks checks disappeared well tor for cats sake what happened sam she said the tickets came about five minutes after afler you left you give me a cliance chance to tell you yoa messenger brought them and the boss paid for them oh said shirley she felt tier her flat handbag run kun along sam and never mind that sandwich and coffee im not hungry As sam disappeared shirley stood up to take off her hat and coat here ill take them she looked up at the voice and saw peter standing before her the trouble old P R I 1 going strong ills straw thatched head bead bobbed comfortI comfortingly naly and his voice was deep and sympathetic well what do think I 1 did you see he told me to telephone for two tickets for tomorrows matinee lie ile said have em cm liere here by three then at twelve he asks me where they are I 1 said be here by three and he said hed told me they must be here by one so I 1 hop bop up after them the man I 1 had telephoned to there and the man who was there have hare any message so I 1 got two good seats on the aisle paid eleven dollars for them find and fifty cents for a taxi and get back to find the blamed tickets had been delivered while I 1 was away so im out eleven dollars and not even a thank you and now I 1 do I 1 cant return them before tomorrow afternoon and maybe be too late ill tell you what shirley said peter gravely ill take them you but you dont even know what for yeah but I 1 want to get a couple of tickets tor for a matinee tomorrow and I 1 got time to get them ile he watched the bright spots come back to Shir shirleye shirleys leys cheeks as he gave her a ten dollar bill and a one oh it there was a relief in Shir shirleyn shirleys leys tone you must think a lot of the girl friend but peter was gone when he came back fifteen minutes later ho he had a sandwich and a cup of coffee for her 1 I heard you tell sam not to get it he said as he be clumsily unfastened the wrapping around the sandwich and pried the cover off the coffee container you try to eat it now try grinned shirley im starved but you must let me pay for it IL you must be strapped with your ritzy girl friend 2 what I 1 wanted to tell you about said peter peterson its you I 1 want you to go to that matinee with me and he went blushingly from the room As shirley sharley saw his straw thatched head bead bobbing over his books through the glass partition she thought funny I 1 never noticed it lie ile looks like one of those big blond giants that discovered america viking it |
