the nine o'clock evening
During pauses in dictation she had a way of peering near-sightedly over her glasses at the dapper , well-dressed traveling salesman who was rolling off the items on his sale bill . That is a trick which would make the prettiest kind of a girl look owlish . On the night that Sam Miller strolled up to talk to her , Pearlie was working late . She had promised to get out a long and intricate bill for Max Baum , who travels for Kuhn and Klingman , so that he might take the nine o'clock evening train . The irrepressible Max had departed with much eclat and clatter , and Pearlie was preparing to go home when Sam approached her . Sam had just come in from the Gayety Theatre across the street , whither he had gone in a vain search for amusement after supper . He had come away in disgust .