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


tue?"
,sYou cau'tn answered Gen. Twining.
The CONGRESSMAN says he cant heip
the girl in the Pension Office because ne
and the Pension ONCE chiefs are no
longer on good terms, so he asks Gen.
l'wining 20 intercede for Tula.
The next day Tula is introduced TO
Gen. Twining. He is infatuated with
her. and promises her transfer to the
Treasury Department with a salary OF
500 a month. He hints at the necesSl-
" OF her doing something for him In re-
turn. and says he will call at her house
for her answer. They part. and before
Tula sees Gen. Twining again she re-
ceives her letter of dismissal from the
Pension Office. 1t doesn't worry her,
because she innOcently has implicit 1alth
in the honor and influence OF Gen. Twi-
ming. He calls and tells her not to mlnd
the discharge, saying he can have u
cancelled. Then the conversation runs
on:
"Oh, no, want to go into the Treas
ury. I would rather be In any other
department than the Patent Office.
sWell, you can take your choice, Ior
that matter. Only you remember, L
told YOU that the transfer would de-
pend on yourself. always like things
thoroughly understood beforehand"
~ will do my part" she said, the
idea OF another civil service examlna-
ton coming vaguely to her mind.
II never doubted that" he said smli-
ingly, and rising from his chair, took a
seat on the sofa by her side. II never
doubted it, you know: but there IS
many a slip 'twlxt the cup and the Up,
and we old fellows have TO be careful.
Now, If was the age of my son George
/ would never question a girls SINGER
ity. Don't look so shocked. George Is
only twenty-five and am not forty
five. l am only thirty-fve when
Mrs. Twining's away and that nap
pens TO be the case at present.
/ have the bays outside, and we'd have
taken spin if il had been warmer; but
never mind, Wen make the best OF 1t
here. That's a pretty little hand you
have" And naturally enough, as easily
as If it had passed into a joint owner
ship. be took it in his own. TOla took 1t
away quickly and rose to her feet. she
understood the mans kindness now and
the shame Of it was oppressive. The
very surprise that he made no effort TO
conceal was odiOus TO her. There was
no embarrassment In his demeanor- he
got I'D and leaned his hand easily on
the back of his chair. IL was a grace
full position and he knew it-he had ac-
oulred it during the making OF hum
dred speeches in more than one hard
fought solitical campaign, and he had
carried his State for the present ad-
ministration. II see how it is" he
said. "You won't do your part until l
hav done mine. / confess l had hoped
for little more sentiment in the affair,
but no matter. will get you the place
tomorrow, AMI all l ask for is your
promise. / will trust you"
TULA SAW IT ALL;
il was horrible in its plainnesS, and she
remembered how Mr.. Friedringhans
had promised to keep her in the posi-
ton If she once secured it. Itmeant so
much, too-comfort and happiness for
the mother, and home with her al
ways. For moment she felt tempted;
then she despised herself for it. 81 can
not PROMISE" she said, more to herself
than TO him.
He had watched her closely-he had
seen the temptation and had noticed the
frmer setting OF the lips as it passed.
He admired her for it, but had seen
girls tried before, and he felt that the
end had not come yet. II he weakened
now he would lose all.
every WE'LL" he said. eff you re-
fuse you will have 10 go back to Mis-
souri,. II you'll only make me your
friend, you can't have a wish that won't
be gratided. Any girl in your place
would do it. When you change YOUR
mind send for me-" And with an easy,
graceful bow, he left her. II she had
been man she would have gone out
and fought it out Us man can. But
she was a woman and what could she
do? Only bow her head and submit
silently to the mental torture Of de-
spair.
AS Gen. Twining descended the
steps he was confronted by the blonde
head and laughing eyes Of Miss Buck,
who had recently taken room at Mrs.
Bottoms. He hurried by her with a
haSty greeting aud she noticed that he
was frowning IL was evident that he
had not called on her.
Miss Buck enters Tula's room. Her
quick mind has grasped the situation.
She talks with Tula very frankly. Here
is her advice:
Naturally he wants some return for
his favor. Well, give it to him. Why
shouldn't you? My dear, virtue in Office
doesn't pay. What do you get by 1t?
Hard work, poor pay, persecution, and
the constant fear of dismissal. You
don't even get the credit Of your virtue;
no woman ever does. People only think
you are o better hypocrite than them
selves. On the other hand, you have
good salary, nothing TO do, lots Of at
tention from the men aud plenty OF
fun. All you have to do is to
keep it quiet. You don't have social
recognition, but you wouldn't get
that anyhow, and you don't want it.
Just look at Mrs. Hicks, in your own
Office. She gets fourteen hundred and
has lust gotten her seventeen-year-old
daughter place in the same depart
ment. There's Miss Smiley, who had a
man shoot himself in her bedroom one
night. Congressman Timmell hushed
that up, and she gets twelve hundred
for-her figure. Look at that Hill girl,
formerly in the Pension Office. Why,
every paper in the country had columns
about her relations with Congressman
Aulby, and she was discharged. Well,
what then. She is right in the Treas
ury Department now and gets q hun
bred a month, while she only got seven
hundred and twenty year in the Pen
sion Office. thought she'd have to 90
when Aulby was killed by that news
nannr man. hut she didn't, and ! saw