The gazette-times., July 30, 1914, HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION, Page 14, Image 22

14
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
September and May
By Kenneth C. Beatson.
OXAS PAYTON, the senior partner
of the firm of Payton Jb Seymour,
put down the pen with which ho
tad been writing, removed his glasses,
and rubbed his puffv eyelids.
"Come in!" he called.
The door of his office oponed, and
Smith, the head clerk, entered. Smith
Was a tall, slender, middle-aged man,
A3 dignified as a minister and as pro
rise as a college professor. lie looked
ta if he suffered from dyspepsia, and
probably did. Closing the door after
him, he approached Payton's desk.
"If you are not busy," he said, in
his slow, deliberate manner, "there is
Bomething I would like to speak to you
about"
"I'm not busy," said the senior part
tier. "Sit down."
Smith sat down, folding his hands in
rjis Jap.
"It is abont Miss Dalton, our stenog
rapher," he said.
Jonas Payton started ever so slight
ly, and cast a quick, keen glance at
the other's face. What he saw, how
ever, told him nothing. He nervously
shuffled two papers together.
4 'Well, what about Hiss Daltonf " he
demanded.
"She has been setting a bad example
for the other employees. She has been
late every morning for a week. As you
asked me to be as easy with her as
possible, I have said, nothing to her.
But the other employees, Beeing that
she is not reprimanded, are commenc
ing to follow her example. Pardon mv
saying so, but I think she should be
given a severe reprimand and that she
should be fined."
Jonas Payton became suddenly con
scious of the fact that for the last few
moments he had been holding his
breath. He now ceased to do so, leaned
back in his chair, stuck his thumbs in
his vest pockets, and gazed quizzically
St the other.
"Smith," he said, "did you ever
have to get np at 5 o 'clock in the morn
ing, light a fire in a wood stove, get
ircakf ast for yourself, an invalid moth
er and three small sisters, get the sis
ters off to school, make up three beds,
wash the breakfast dishes, clean up and
put in order a five-room house, and get
to work at 8:30t"
"WThy no, sir."
"Do you think you could do all those
things and get to work at 8:30 on time
every morning !"
Smith coughed.
"Probably not," he said, "In fact,
I'm quite certain I conld not."
. "Well, 8niith," said Jonas Payton,
"I happen to know that Miss Dalton
goes through the program I have de
tailed every morning before coming to
work. You can see, then, that it would
be hardly the right thing to fine her
for being a little late once in a while."
Smith got to his feet and turned to
go.
"Very well, sir," he said.
Payton stopped him as he was about
to turn the door knob.
"One minute, Smith," he said.
"There's a little matter that I want
your opinion about."
The head clerk came back and again
sat down.
"You're a family man, aren't youf "
sked Payton.
"I am," Smith.
: "Aud a church-going mant"
i "Yes, sir."
"I understand that you hold some
fficc in the Second Congregational
Church!"
"Yes, I am one of the deacons."
"It seems to me, then, that you are
pretty well qualified to pass on a ques
tion of ah ethics. Don't you think
sot"
"Why, I supposo I am. That is"
"Well," interrupted the senior part
tor, "toll me what you think of a mar
liago between a girl of 20 and a man
et 50J"
Emilh raised his hand and rubbed his
chin. That was as near as he could
come to showing surprise.
"It would depend entirely on the
eircumstanccs, I think," he said, after
a moment's thought, "If they loved
each other, I do not think the mere dis
parity in their ages should prevent
them from marrying. Such marriages
are assuredly not infrequent, and many
f them result happily."
"Aad if thej didn't love each
omen .mat is, u me anectien was
all on the man's side, and the girl was
willing to marry him becanse of the
things he could give hcrt"
"A marriage under those circum
stances," said Smith, with considerable
spirit, "would be highly improper!'
"Hero is another case. Suppose the
man for some reason could not be cer
tain whether the girl was marrying him
for love or for money! "
Smith hesitated.
"I am afraid I do not quite under
stand.
men 1 11 give you an example, sup
pose I fell in love with Miss Dalton,
our stenographer, and wanted to ask
her to marry me. I am 50 and she is 20.
Now, if I had done certain ah favors
for her for instance, if I had paid for
an operation on her mother, if I had
financed a legal fight to recover her
mother's share of an estate left by a
distant relative, if I had supplied the
funds for her brother to go through
school with she might feel that she
was not at liberty to refuse to marry
me. Knowing this, would it be right
for me to ask her to marry me! Would
it be right for me to take a chance on
whether she would accept me because
she loved me or because she thought
she ought to!"
"Why, if you had done so much for
her," said Smith, "I hardly see how
she could help loving you."
"Still, that doesn't answer my ques
tion." Payton had taken up a small check
book. If Smith had noticed he would
have seen that the senior partner was
gripping the the book so tightly that
it crumpled. But Smith did not notice.
"It seems to me," he said, "that it
would be all right for you to ask her
to marry you, if you first explained
that she was not to feel bound to ac
cept you because of the favors you had
done for her."
Payton dropped the check book and
frowned at the top of his desk. That
frown really meant nothing, for the
senior partner always frowned when he
wished to mask his true emotions.
"What if it was your daughter who
loved a man of 50, instead of Miss Dal
ton!"
It took Smith several minutes to
framo an answer to this.
"If she really loved the man of 50,"
he said finally, "I would not come be
tween them. I would make very certain,
however, that she really loved him."
The senior partner partner replaced
his glasses, took; up a pen, and drew
a sheet of paper toward him. Then he
wrote tho following:
"My Dear Miss Dalton: If you
dont' mind waiting for me a few min
utes after closing hour this evening,
I would like to walk with you to where
you take your car. I have something
extremely important to me, at least
to talk over with you. Sincerely, Jonas
Payton."
He folded the paper, put it in an
envelope, and handed the envelope to
Smith.
'Will you please hand this to Miss
Dalton when you go back!" he re
quested.
"Miss Dalton went out to lunch with
young Norton just before I left," said
the head clerk. "I shall give the note
to her as soon as she returns, though."
'Very well," said Payton. "And
thank you, Smith, for answering my
questions. ' '
As soon as Smith was out of the room
Payton took up a telephone directory
and turned to the pink "classified"
section. He hunted through the "J's"
until he came to "Jewelers." He knew
Liffany & Co. to be the biggest jewelry
store in town, and found their num
ber. Then ' he called them on the
'phono.
A soft Jewish voice answered him
presently. What was that! Could they
have a $500 diamond engagement ring
delivered to Jonas Payton's office bo
fore 5 o'clock! Surely, they could! But
h m what size of ring did Mr. Pay
ton wish!
Mr. Payton scratched his head.
"Why," ho said, "to tell the truth,
I didn t know they came in sizes."
llie otner ottered to send someone
over to talk it over with Mr. Tayton.
He could probably give a pretty dofi-
"Oh, never mind d'oing that," said
the senior partner. "You just pick out
a ring you think will fit the most per
fect second-finger in the 'world, and
it'll be sure to suit."
He hung up tho receiver, got up and
went out. Iu the vestibule he turned
into a little cloak room to get his hat
and overcoat. While he was fumbling
around in the semi-darkness he heard
somebody enter the vestibule from the
outside. A moment later he heard voices
familiar voices.
"Nellie," said the first voice, a
young man's voice, "why don't you
tell me- just what you mean! You say
you can't promise to marry me because
of Mr. Tayton, and that's worse than
if you just refused me flatly."
"But I don't want to flatly refuse
you, rea, said tne otner miss Wal
ton's voice. The words came chok
ingly, as if the speaker was on the
point of breaking into tears. "I don't
want you to think that I don't don't
love you. I want you to understand
that it's because of of Mr. Payton
that I can't promise to marry you."
"What on earth has Mr. Payton to
do with it! He's just your employer,
the same as he is mine. He
"He isn't, Fred. He's moro than my
employer. He's will, I guess 1 might
as well explain it all. Two years ago
my father died and left us with scarce
ly anything. I had studied stenography
in high Bchool, and I got a position in
an office uptown at $3 a week. My
little brother started selling news
papers. We made enough between us
to keep ourselves, mother and the girls
alive. Mother needed to be operated on,
but Buch a thing seemed out oi inc
nuestion. Then Mr. Payton saw mc at
work one day, and was somehow at
tracted by the way I took dictation.
ne offered me $12 a week, and I ac
cepted. Soon ho began to show special
nterest In me. Ho found out about my
mother, and offered to pay for the
operation. I let him. Later I let him
send my brother off to school. I conld
not begin to name the other things I've
let him do. Don't toll me I did wrong,
Fred. You don't know what it means
to see your little brother going to the
dogs on the streets, and to see your
mother slowly dying because there isn't
monev to pay for a doctor's attention."
Payton could hear the young man's
breath come, in quick, short gasps.
"You don't mean, Nellie "
"Oh, Fred, don't look like that!"
pleaded the girl. "Mr. Payton's a
gentleman. He says he does all these
things for me because he feels like a
father to me, and he believes that is the
reason, too. But some day ho 'II realize
it's it's another reason. And when he
asks me to marry him I'll have no right
to refuse him."
"You will have a right to refuse
him!" cried the other fiercely. "Why,
vou can't let an old man like him come
between us, Nellie. He 's old enough to
be your grandfather!"
"But, Fred oh, don't, Fred I
Please"
Payton plainly heard the young man
gather Miss Dalton in his arms. He
stepped out of the closet, affecting to
be greatly astonished at tho sight which
met his eyes.
"Why, what in the world!" he ex
claimed. What does this mean!"
Miss Dalton drew away from young
Norton, flushed, scared, trembling. The
young man, however, stepped up to hi
employer, his blue eyes blazing.
"It means that Miss Dalton and I art
going to be married!" he said de
fiantly. "We love each other, and
nothing in this world can come between
us. If you think, Jonas Payton, that "
"Why, bless my soul!" said the
senior partner innocently. "What
could come between you! I don't be
lieve I've ever seen a more perfect
match in all my life. It's hard to tell
which of you is the luckiest. I con
gratulate you both of youj"
Jonas Payton went back into the of
fice with Norton and Miss Dalton, left
them at the stenographer's desk, and
went over to where the head clerk was
at work.
"Smith," he said, "I've just talked
with Miss Dalton, so there'll be no need
of giving her that note. If you'll give
it back to me I'll tear it up."
Smith handed over the note. Payton
tore it into bits and threw the bits into
a waste basket
"By the way, Smith," he said,
'what is young Norton's salary!"
"Eighty-five dollars a month, I be
lieve," said Smith.
Payton dubiously rubbed his chin. .
"You're a family man, Smith. You
know what it costs to keep a family go
ing. Do you think Norton could com
fortably support a wife on the salary
ho is getting!"
"Well," said the other, "if they
were willing to do without luxuries they
could get along pretty well on $80 a
month."
"But," said rayton, "the particular -girl
Norton's going to marry has been
doing without luxuries all her life, and
it's about her turn to have a few of
them. Could she do this if Norton was
drawing $125!"
"Yes, indeed! "
"Well, then, suppose we raise Nor
ton's salary to that amount The firm
won't miss tho difference. And say,
Smith, I've got one more question to .
bother you with. I'm not as well posted
on etiquette as I might be; would it
be all right for me to give Norton a
1500 diamond ring to give his girl, or
would he be insulted!"
Officially Recorded
The wholesomeness of Alum
inum Compounds as used in
Baking Powders
is now a matter of government
record, proven t7 government
tests.
Writo us for copy of U. S.
Bulletin No. Iu3 Dept. of
Agriculture.
All Grocers
CBESCENT MFG. CO.,
Seattle, Wash,
GOING EAST or
COMING WEST
We can Save you Money
Redneed rst on Household floods, Planoe.
Automobiles, eta. Thronfh consolidated ears
insuring prompt delWarr and eataej
handling, , . v
Rates and Information furnished oa nqiart,
Pacific Coast Forwarding Companj
201Wifcax BfljUing. Porthnd Onion
LIFE
HEALTH
ACCIDENT
Phone Mlo 1711
One Policy
pom BINATION
VONTRAOT
3-1
Clip this Coupon and mall to the Rene
Office for full Information. Ne
ebllfauon lnourred.
Nam:
. Ml t M fc4 l o i:m'.a M
Address I
i ll4'rVMTM.M.fcM:f M'aiC
Occupation!
Jit nearest Birthday ..
,A nit Insurance Burveitet;
JSTSUBANCI1 00.
HOME OFFICE SEATTLE, U. 8. JL