nd was probably
trying to save enough money to send her father to college. And whatever
she did, it couldn't have been so very bad, for she was such a nice
girl.

Well, at any rate, it looks to me as if the young man, while he was
arranging the pads of paper for the regular Monday morning conference,
overheard the office-manager telling about this affair (I have good
reason to believe that it was a matter of carelessness in the payroll)
and saying that he considered the little brown-eyed girl dishonest.

At this the young man drew himself up to his full height and, looking
the office-manager squarely in the eye, said:

"No, Mr. Hostetter; it was I who did it, and I will take the
consequences. And I want it understood that no finger of suspicion shall
be pointed at Agnes Fairchild, than whom no truer, sweeter girl ever
lived!"

"I am sorry to hear this, Ralph," said Mr. Hostetter. "You know what
this means."

"I do, sir," said Ralph, and turned to look out over the chimney-pots of
the city, biting his under lip very tight.

And on Saturday Ralph left.

* * * * *

Since then he has applied at countless places for work, but always they
have written to his old employer, Mr. Thompson, for a reference, and
have received a letter similar to the one given here as an example.
Naturally, they have not felt like taking him on. You cannot blame them.
And, in a way, you cannot blame Mr. Thompson. You see, Mr. Hostetter
didn't tell Mr. Thompson all the circumstances of the affair. He just
said that Ralph had confessed to responsibility for the payroll mix-up.
If Mr. Thompson had been there at the time I am sure that he would have
divined that Ralph was shielding Miss Fairchild, for Mr. Thompson liked
Ralph. You can see that from his letter.

But as it stands now things are pretty black for the boy, and it
certainly seems as if in this great city there ought to be some one who
will give him a job without writing to Mr. Thompson about him. This
department will be open as a clearing-house for offers of work for a
young man of great native ability and master of office routine who is
just at present, unfortunately, unable to give any references, but who
will, I am quite sure, justify any trust that may be placed in him in
the future.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Love Conquers All, by Robert C. Benchley

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LOVE CONQUERS ALL ***

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