hands of every man and woman in our employ: all the offices, here and on
the road. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," she answered, and then she arose, fixed her neck scarf, and
went out. Mr. Smalley took his seat at his desk and began arranging his
papers, humming cheerfully.

Mr. Gratz arose and stalked silently out of the office. But when the
door was closed behind him he smiled. One of the members of the
"Simplified Spelling Board" was his personal friend. Mr. Gratz had
prevailed upon Mr. Smalley to adopt the new spelling, and he had done so
by using the only means he could use with hope of success.

The next day Mike Flannery, the Westcote agent of the express company,
was sitting at his desk in the express office, carefully spelling out a
letter to Mary O'Donnell, on whom his affections were firmly fixed, when
he heard the train from Franklin whistle. He had time to read what he
had written before he went to meet the train, and he glanced over the
letter hastily.

"Dearst Mary Odonil," it said, "reply in to yourse i would say i ment no
harm when i kised you last nite it did not mene you was no lady but my
feelins got to mutch for me i love you so how was i to no you wood not
like it when i had never tried it on befor if you dont like it i will
let up on that after this but it was the best kiss i ever had--" He
stopped to scratch out the part about its being the best kiss he had
ever had, for that seemed, on second thought, not the best thing to say,
and then, as lovers so often do, he tore the whole letter to bits, and
hurried to meet the train.