Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-11-28

Below is given the outline O
in Office" with some verbatim
extracts. As TO whom II
hits aud what il lays bare readers must
form their own conclusions. The story
itself the formal letters Of Commission
err Raum and Mr.. Bogy, and the talk OF
politicians furnish all the explanation
needed.
AN ABSTRACT OF ''IN OFFICE"
The story starts in q Missouri town.
II tells how Tula Fairleigh, poor
Young woman, the chief mainstay OF
her Younger brother and an invalid
mother, has received notice Of her APP
polntment as copyist in the Patent Office
at $3.50 year. The Congressman from
the district, Frank Friedringhaus has
been instrumental in securing the place
for Tnla, and he writes her TO come TO
Washington at once.
On the train young man notices her.
He belongs to Washington. He heard
lula tell the conductor she was going
there. and the young man rightly con-
ceives that she Is about TO enter one or
the Departments. He pities her, for he
feels that she will be tempted.
lula is installed at Washington in the
clearinghouse of Mrs. Bolton, an inof-
fensive and inconspicuous person whom
Tula's mother in days Of prosperity had
engaged as sewing woman. Various
men aud women, servants OF the gov
eminent, are lodged in Mrs. Bottoms
house. Notable among them is Miss
Buck. OF her the author writes:
Miss Buck was a fine-looking young
woman of twenty-five, who lived In ad-
jacent apartments Of her own and took
her meals with Mrs Bolton. She dressed
elegantly, went shopping in coupe, and
seemed TO have solved the problem OF
securing most of the luXurieS or life on
an income OF six hundred o year. Di-
verS young men about town had
been known to speak Of her Familiarity as
"Buck," and certain envlous spinsters
gossiped lightly about her; but, on the
other hand, she was working for her
living, attended divine services regular
", and paid her bills promptly.
Immediately after setting at Mrs.
Bottoms. Tula wrote Congressman
Friedringhaus Of her arrival. The Con-
gresham was young and Mr.. Bogy
makes him to have been something OF a
gallant who has married we'll and, in the
words of his associates, temporarily re-
formed" He had never seen lula be-
fore, and, being "connoisseur," &C
cording to Mr.. Bogy, he is
at once struck with the fair face and
fine figure of his protegee. Here
is a sample of the description Of their
first meeting:
~ thought that 1 knew the resources
of my district pretty WELL" he said;
but l discover that her faireSt product
was unknown TO me-"
eyes, we will start at once"-smiiing
at her embarraSsment-"but six
months from now you will not be anx-
ious to get there early" he said; adding
to himself: "And the roses will not
bloom so quickly in those cheeks of
yours, if they are like most country
rOsOs that come to Washington"
CONGRESSMAN FRIEDRINGHAUs
conducts lula to the Patent Office, in
PRODUCES her 10 the Commissioner and
leaves. She is assigned to duty in the
Southern division, the chief OF which
is Letcher Thompson. Mr.. Bogy pic
lures him in this way:
He is q heavy-set man OF medium
height, about ffty-five years old. His
and beard, cut close and
parted in the middle, are quite gray,
S2gS bee he td5aaebsod fo ony RR gy
land of time. The forehead is broad,
the ewes blue, and the mouth,
almost hidden by mustache ana
beard, large and harsh. BE-
lieying himself possessed OF an extra
ordinary prepossesslng appearance, he
dresses we'll, and is generally conceded
to be a good-looking man. Though
husband and father he prides himself
on his conQuests in the field OF gallant
~. He has some means beyond his
salary. and as he has systematized his
household expenses TO the pettieSt de-
tail, with a view to economy, he has
ample resources to satisfy his passions.
He is an INSCRIPTIONS man, and has
been engaged in more than one ques-
tionable transaction, but Is shrewd
enough to have kept always within the
letter of the law"
lula instinctively distrusts him; his
behavior, however, is so cordial and ap-
Barently dislnterested that her first
suspicious feeling is overcome, and she
begins to work under him very hap
pily. Her work is in the Miscellaneous
Section, presided over by Mr.. Pointers,
''who was q great Sycophant as could
be found I'm the Government service
which is saying a great deal. And,
further, to quote from the book:
"He shOwered favors on those on
whom Col. Thompson smiled, and exer-
cised petty and unrelenting tyranny
over those who had met with the frowns
of his chief. lie was an admirable tool,
to whom instructions were unnecessary
"A nod here or a hint here was all-sutfl-
cent for Mr.. Pointers. He was tall,
bulky man, as robust as could be found
in a DAYS travel, but nevertheless drew
a liberal pension for chronic disease OF
the lungs, in addition to his salary OF
81, 500 year"
And now the author introduces one
OF the leading characters, Miss Danger
ness, a character so curiously compound
ed that in the hands Of really great
novelist it would stand forth q remark
able creation, In the story "In Office"
however, it is clumsily treated. Here is
how Mr.. Bogy brings Miss Dangerness
to view;
AT THE NEAREST DESK
Sat q girl OF her own age who had been
introduced to her as Miss Dangerness,
aud who had volunteered to give her
any information necessary relative to
the details Of her work. She was q tall
girl. with a good figure and splendid
bips. and looked older than she was.
Her black hair was short aud curly.
She had blue-grey eyes, highly colored