2O2 The Girl and the Habit
the reliable, old, moral, unassailable vade mecum the unabridged dictionary.
Miss Merriam was cashier at Hinkle's. Hinkle's was one of the big downtown restau- rants. It is in what the papers call the "fi- nancial district." Each day from 1 2 o'clock to 2 Hinkle's was full of hungry customers- messenger boys, stenographers, brokers, own- ers of mining stock, promoters, inventors with patents pending and also people with money.
The cashier at Hinkle's was no sinecure. Hinkle egged and toasted and griddle-caked and coffeed a good many customers; and he lunched (as good a word as "dined") many more. It might be said that Hinkle's break- fast crowd was a contingent, but his luncheon patronage amounted to a horde.
Miss Merriam sat on a stool at a desk inclosed on three sides by a strong, high fencing of woven brass wire. Through an arched opening at the bottom you thrust your waiter's check and the money, while your heart went pit-a-pat.
For Miss Merriam was lovely and capable. She could take 45 cents out of a $2 bill and refuse an offer of marriage before you could
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