Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man Part 29

He had been absently staring at the sample-tables, noting new novelties. The office girl, speaking sweetly, but as to an outsider, inquired, "Who did you wish to see, Mr. Wrenn?"

"Why! Mr. Guilfogle."

"He's busy, but if you'll sit down I think you can see him in a few minutes."

Mr. Wrenn felt like the prodigal son, with no calf in sight, at having to wait on the callers' bench, but he shook with faint excited gurgles of mirth at the thought of the delightful surprise Mr. Mortimer R. Guilfogle, the office manager, was going to have. He kept an eye out for Charley Carpenter.

If Charley didn't come through the entry-room he'd go into the bookkeeping-room, and--"talk about your surprises--"

"Mr. Guilfogle will see you now," said the office girl.

As he entered the manager's office Mr. Guilfogle made much of glancing up with busy amazement.

"Well, well, Wrenn! Back so soon? Thought you were going to be gone quite a while."

"Couldn't keep away from the office, Mr. Guilfogle," with an uneasy smile.

"Have a good trip?"

"Yes, a dandy."

"How'd you happen to get back so soon?"

"Oh, I wanted to--Say, Mr. Guilfogle, I really wanted to get back to the office again. I'm awfully glad to see it again."

"Glad see _you_. Well, where did you go? I got the card you sent me from Chesterton with the picture of the old church on it."

"Why, I went to Liverpool and Oxford and London and--well--Kew and Ealing and places and--And I tramped through Ess.e.x and Suffolk--all through--on foot. Aengusmere and them places."

"Just a moment. (Well, Rabin, what is it? Why certainly. I've told you that already about five times. _Yes_, I said--that's what I had the samples made up for. I wish you'd be a little more careful, d' ye hear?) You went to London, did you, Wrenn?

Say, did you notice any novelties we could copy?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't, Mr. Guilfogle. I'm awfully sorry. I hunted around, but I couldn't find a thing we could use. I mean I couldn't find anything that began to come up to our line.

Them English are pretty slow."

"Didn't, eh? Well, what's your plans now?"

"Why--uh--I kind of thought--Honestly, Mr. Guilfogle, I'd like to get back on my old job. You remember--it was to be fixed so--"

"Afraid there's nothing doing just now, Wrenn. Not a thing.

Course I can't tell what may happen, and you want to keep in touch with us, but we're pretty well filled up just now. Jake is getting along better than we thought. He's learning--"

Not one word regarding Jake's excellence did Mr. Wrenn hear.

Not get the job back? He sat down and stammered:

"Gee! I hadn't thought of that. I'd kind of banked on the Souvenir Company, Mr. Guilfogle."

"Well, you know I told you I thought you were an idiot to go.

I warned you."

He timidly agreed, mourning: "Yes, that so; I know you did.

But uh--well--"

"Sorry, Wrenn. That's the way it goes in business, though. If you will go beating it around--A rolling stone don't gather any moss. Well, cheer up! Possibly there may be something doing in--"

"Tr-r-r-r-r-r-r," said the telephone.

Mr. Guilfogle remarked into it: "h.e.l.lo. Yes, it's me. Well, who did you think it was? The cat? Yuh. Sure. No. Well, to-morrow, probably. All right. Good-by."

Then he glanced at his watch and up at Mr. Wrenn impatiently.

"Say, Mr. Guilfogle, you say there'll be--when will there be likely to be an opening?"

"Now, how can I tell, my boy? We'll work you in if we can--you ain't a bad clerk; or at least you wouldn't be if you'd be a little more careful. By the way, of course you understand that if we try to work you in it'll take lots of trouble, and we'll expect you to not go flirting round with other firms, looking for a job. Understand that?"

"Oh yes, sir."

"All right. We appreciate your work all right, but of course you can 't expect us to fire any of our present force just because you take the notion to come back whenever you want to.... Hiking off to Europe, leaving a good job!... You didn't get on the Continent, did you?"

"No, I--"

"Well.... Oh, say, how's the grub in London? Cheaper than it is here? The wife was saying this morning we'd have to stop eating if the high cost of living goes on going up."

"Yes, it's quite a little cheaper. You can get fine tea for two and three cents a cup. Clothes is cheaper, too. But I don't care much for the English, though there is all sorts of quaint places with a real flavor.... Say, Mr. Guilfogle, you know I inherited a little money, and I can wait awhile, and you'll kind of keep me in mind for a place if one--"

"Didn't I _say_ I would?"

"Yes, but--"

"You come around and see me a week from now. And leave your address with Rosey. I don't know, though, as we can afford to pay you quite the same salary at first, even if we can work you in--the season's been very slack. But I'll do what I can for you. Come in and see me in about a week. Goo' day."

Rabin, the salesman, waylaid Mr. Wrenn in the corridor.

"You look kind of peeked, Wrenn. Old Goglefogle been lighting into you? Say, I ought to have told you first. I forgot it.

The old rat, he's been planning to stick the knife into you all the while. 'Bout two weeks ago me and him had a couple of c.o.c.ktails at Mouquin's. You know how chummy he always gets after a couple of smiles. Well, he was talking about--I was saying you're a good man and hoping you were having a good time--and he said, 'Yes,' he says, 'he's a good man, but he sure did lay himself wide open by taking this trip. I've got him dead to rights,' he says to me. 'I've got a hunch he'll be back here in three or four months,' he says to me. 'And do you think he'll walk in and get what he wants? Not him. I'll keep him waiting a month before I give him back his job, and then you watch, Rabin,' he says to me, 'you'll see he'll be tickled to death to go back to work at less salary than he was getting, and he'll have sense enough to not try this stunt of getting off the job again after that. And the trip'll be good for him, anyway--he'll do better work--vacation at his own expense--save us money all round. I tell you, Rabin,' he says to me, 'if any of you boys think you can get the best of the company or me you just want to try it, that's all.' Yessir, that's what the old rat told me. You want to watch out for him."

"Oh, I will; indeed I will--"

"Did he spring any of this fairy tale just now?"

"Well, kind of. Say, thanks, I'm awful obliged to--"

"Say, for the love of Mike, don't let him know I told you."

"No, no, I sure won't."

They parted. Eager though he was for the great moment of again seeing his comrade, Charley Carpenter, Mr. Wrenn dribbled toward the bookkeeping-room mournfully, planning to tell Charley of Guilfogle's wickedness.

The head bookkeeper shook his head at Mr. Wrenn's inquiry: