Torchy, Private Sec.

ain't such a human-nature dope artist as I thought, for I've made at le

ed as No. 7 in our batt'ry of lady typists, and I heard Mr. Robert havin' a séance tryin' to dictate some of the mo

dress all right, and then simply sketch in what he wants said, without takin' pains to throw in such details as "Replying to

st and the white linen cuffs hadn't been on the Corrugated staff more 'n three days, and this was her first tryou

Look up the number, will you? Gentlemen-and so on. Ah-er-what's

" says he, "but before we go any further just how

at him vacant, "I-I took

ill be all." Then, when she's gone, he growls savage:

s Ruby. Nobody home, and the front door le

will you?" sa

s takin' her on, but insists that she brought a good letter fro

ays Mr. Robert. "And if you love peace, Mr.

would have got on his nerves from the start; for it's the weirdest, emptiest, why-am-I-here look I ever saw outside a nut fact'ry. Kind of a hauntin'

together, me readin' off long strings of numbers, and her thumpin' 'em out on the keys. We got along fine too, and

. Poor thing! I expect them was about the only friendly motions she went through durin' business hours; for she didn't seem t

in a class by herself. No spit curls or French rolls for her! She sticks to the plain double braid, wound around her head smooth and slick, like the stuff they wrap Chianti bottles in, and with her long soup-viaduct it g

on and off, was really waitin' for Ruby. Uh-huh! I stood and watched 'em sidle up to each other and go driftin' out into Broadway hand in hand. A

I shoves it at her next day when I comes back early from lunch a

n me," says I; "for it don't go with the fond,

d let loose a giggle. But not Ruby. She's a solemn, serious-

m? I'm referrin' to the stocky-built young Ro

id, "Nelson Lindholm. We

-which? What kind o

ht it might help me in my foreign mission work. I'm sure I don't know

', at that," says I.

ut then I'd known Nelson befo

," says I.

st as if it was some common n

mewhere," says I, "or

it's a town; in Wi

they do mess up the map! Wha

traces of life. "It's nice," says she

ays I. "What you got speci

on't like things to be whirly. Then the people are so strange, and their faces so hard. If-if I should f

r nerve in a month or so. Of course, havin

orrects Ruby. "I w

I. "And your folks mo

they-I lost them there

an," says I,

, then it was all smoky and dark. I must have been blown through a window. My face was cut a little. I never knew. Neighbors found me in a field by a stump. They found the others too-laid them side by side in the wagon shed. Nothing else was left standing

dn't wonder any more at that stary look of hers. She'd seen 'em all go

something, you know, and I'd always been such a good scholar. I love books. So I studied hard, and was sent to the Co-ed. But the languages took so much time. Then I had

ays I. "He's goin' to

on. He had charge of the electric light plant too, a good place. And here he

, have you

o," say

t him to-ni

ooks up just in time to catch a couple of them cheap bondroom sports nudgin' each other as they passes

p that needed to be passed on by Mr. Robert, and as he was still out lunchin' I scouts over

around under the white lights. Him and Mr. Robert has always been more or less chummy, and every now and then they get together like this for a talkfe

his manicured fingers and shruggin' his shoulders under his Do

ting producer?" asks

g must be cast right. It seemed easy at first. But these women of our American stage! No training, no facility,

re attention to manipulatin' the soda sipho

ur rare types! You should have known Faithful Fannie (my name for her, you know). It was out in the Middle West last summer. I had

in-all that. So I went. I might have had better sense. You know these bungalow colonies in the woods-where they live in fourteen-room log cabins, fitted with electric li

ose it was her début at that sort of thing. For the sake of hungry humanity I hope it was. What she did not know about serving was simply amazing; but her capacity for absorbing suggestions and obeying orders was profound. 'Could I have a warm plate?' I asked at the first m

ll I would order things I didn't want, just to get her out of the way for a moment or so while I snatched a few unwatched bites. You know how it is? There's green corn. Now I like to tackle that with both hands; but I don't care to be closely inspected while I'm at it. I used to fancy that her gaze was somewhat critical. '

as such a tall, slim, colorless, neutral creature! And awkward! You've seen a young turkey, all legs and neck, with its silly head bobbing above the tall grass? Well, something like that. And as I neve

eak. But before I knew it this insignificant part had become so elaborated, I had sketched in Fannie's personality so vividly, that the whole action and theme of the piece were revolving about her-hinged on her. I couldn't seem to stop, either. I wrote on and on and-well, by Jove! it ended in my turning out somet

and your artistic temperament!

, "I have created a character which is too deep and too subtle for any available American actress to handl

t for her, then?

l manager in Florida and wired him a full description of the girl. A

g friend Torchy, with wits even more brilliant

know!" protests Oakley. "How i

s," cuts in Mr. Robert,

to me brisk. "Now, young man, wha

lock of her hair with

he favored me with no s

ored," says I, "and done i

elieve it w

lders," I goes on, "and a trick of stari

eager. "But-but whom

I. "Come down to the Cor

d tacked it onto the rest, it didn't seem likely one State could produce two such specimen

e of lady typists,"

he gaspy. "The o

in," s

my young wizard

nto my private office

covers Mr. Mills. But in she comes, as woodeny and stiff as ever, goes to he

, "but-er-my friend Mills here fancies that h

s turned that stupid, stary look on him, without battin' an eyelash or liftin' an eyebrow, the smile fades out. She don't s

e. "I trust yo

head slow. "No

t you a waitress at the La

y, Sir,"

eals three times a day for fo

uby, starin' st

at me long enough and steadily enough to remember? Don't you r

t human intelligence in her big eye

am properly identified. Yes

reakfast too, didn

he. "An eccentr

d your eggs opened, and didn't like tomato sou

three counts,"

ember," says Ru

as-- But tell me, was it those foolish little whims of mine you were t

shy, bashfu

my dear young lady!" says he. "I stand convicted

r about the play, the trouble he's had tryin' to fit one special part,

he'd asked her to jump off the Metropolitan Tower. "No, I don't

But see here-that can wait. And in on

t in the square askin' the bronze statue of Lafayette to hand him down a match. Ruby drops back into her vague gazin'

simply must have her. Why, we would

seem to crash in," says I, "but was that a

a contract to Miss Eversch

e," says I; "that i

as presents to Uncle Ed, and donations to the poor box, and a few personal frills on the side, we shot th

like it at all," says Ru

oods, can't he? He makes the green ones act. Look at what he did with Ruby! Only it don't seem like actin' at all. She's just Ruby, in the same puckere

llin' me. Comin' along some himself, Nelson is. H

ed my first con

ys I. "Wha

over the theater," says he, "with Ruby's name i

"Then it's all off w

ifts up the stre