Show in the book of wiles by LOIS STAR 00 0 copyright the letter lie E LOOKED up from awas HE was readying reading with a frown of irritation ri but at tile the algat of her standing there timidly at his side lir he awkwardly ills his chair malting jumped up 00 a grating sound as he pushed it back his handkerchief falling to the floor from where it land had lain forgotten pit on his knee smith homely but my names sam handy like my face he laughed embarrassed burrus barr assed sed as he stooped to re recover cover tha handkerchief now that flint was waa a fool tiling to say lie he reflected wretchedly what made him film introduce himself anyway who could see heaven knows anybody could read the name plate on his desk samuel smith wild head bookkeeper the more ile he thought about all lit hta 8 b loaders blunders the more cuore embarrassed lie became llin ll and the more helpless slie site he thought and pretty look as it if slie bile could be even any kin kill to us great big awkward men im grace race donehue Don Von nhue she told him looking up ut tit him with a diffident expression press loil in tier her huge brown eyes eves and 1 I 1 heard you wanted another another bookkeeper oh con can you keep books and that was nils another fool tiling thing to say he realized too late idle if site she of course she bp be applying for the jot job 1 I never have she tin answered but ive just finished the course lit at hilgh school and heres my slie site unfolded 6 it mid and handed it to him flint watching ills his awe its as lie he read want mez mer site she asked when he had tant bied why yes maam hanm I 1 phoned the high school tills this morning im sure you can do tile the work all right ill take boj out and show you everything together they went into the lie long cheery room its rows of high desks ail and stools and immediately nil all eyes were surreptitiously focused on the little figure standing beside smith aee what a knockout I 1 eilf the men watch me get tilt date ll 11 innocent baby doll stuffs her line net bet she bile makes the men inen do till all tier her work reflected ifie alie girls lis as they went ami back to their figures and without a word all the women in the room had find immediately banded together and every man against all afie 1 other men the con met diet was jn in the air and the only per son even to 0 o think of grace in any personal way was sam smith lie ile knew the competition would be lively among tile lie other men in the office and that lie he with flint terribly awkward manner of ills his in the presence of girls and tits ills rugged homely face even have a took in but hed stand by her by bk george and see that seq sh got a square deal and that nobody bothered tier her she was too innocent and sweet to fight for a living out in the business world lie reflected within a week grace wits was besieged with ith invitations most of these thesa sh she accepted w with tier her soft little smile but after a while sam was surprised to notice that she no longer left tho the building on her wily way to lunch with one or another of tier her admirers nor did anyone drop into step beside tier her on her way home in the late afternoons ile he was puzzled land and often wondered about it but it was weeks before he got up the courage to hsk tier her why you been giving aalthe all tile fellows the cold shoulder lately you lie asked when she die came to his desk desi one ne lay day for advice about some work theo grace did it a most astonishing th thing ing site she dropped her head and two his big tears leurs rolled down her cheeks before I 1 she turned and fled without a word 0 ot it explanation what whai bad he done to hurt her so in n panic of remorse hr he rushed down tile the hall fier after n tier her then site she looked back saw him bini coming and instead of e escaping into the girls cloak ardoin nen nearby whence would be impossible ns ho he ind had expected tier her to do she turn turned ed and threw apisell into lih ills arms arins oh honey honey little pet tile the matter he asked ito holding I 1 ding tier her as gently us its lie he could dont don t cry dear dont cry it just breaks breads my henrt heart to see YOU ou unhappy 1 I 1 I 1 I dont like them she said hotly they all ail want to pet ther then they drop me because I 1 wont let then them but I 1 do want to gu go places and time a good go d time and lime have a heau hen 6 like other girls A I 1 for a tense second he was breath lessly kill then summing up all his courage tie he plunged pl angel of ill promise not to pt pet it if consider roe me as abeau 9 beau but but I 1 want YOU ou to pet slit w nuns flung lit at faint desperately and you von wont even een look tit at me inc what hurts roe me tile lie most never ner once asked roe me for a late date or ans thing am ain I 1 living or dead lie he asked in te a daze of incoherence as lie he stooped aind reverently hissed ber soft curly hair after that sam alyea in a world peopled by thousands of grates grace grace pouting grace conle conde to be kissed then as swiftly giving phang him an impulsive ecstatic in return grace laughing happily and cupid ns as lie he wrote down in his hie hook book of wiles it Is sometimes better technique not to t asna a bretty girl |