The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-04-15

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Y THEN Peggy first made her
wv appearance in the Dissem-
inator office none of US paid
any attention to her. Certainly none of
us even dreamed that she was likely to
prove heroine.
Peggy was Jimmy's sister; and jim
my-otherWise James McGovern-was
one of the Dissemination office boys. On
a certain spring afternoon, when l en-
tered the city department of our justly
celebrated journal, found my accus-
toned chair occupied by a rosy-cheek-
ed, wide-eyed, fuffy-haired young per-
son, whose brief skirts at once pro-
claimed her sex and her extreme youth.
The watchful Jimmy, seeing my per-
plexity, instantly darted forward, and
half pushed, half lifted, the usurper
from my rightful throne.
ITS my sister," he exclaimed CLEAR
ly somewhat ashamed of owning such
a commodity. you see mothers dead.
her couldn't stay home all by her lone
some; and 1 thought-thought-"
'You thought you might bring her
here" l interrupted. "Well, she's a
pretty little thing, and If you don't let
her get in the way, 1 fancy the boys
wont mind"
Il won't get in We way" piped Peggy,
with superb self-consciousness. An
zen-an' zen, tan help Jimmy"
l laughed at the idea Of little 6-year-
old maiden helping in the busy whirl
Of a newspaper city room, and gave
Peggy an encouraging pat on the head,
and very modest coin Of the realm
for certain transactions in candy
Thenceforward Peggy adopted me as
her especial friend and champion.
IL.
1t twas a day or two later that, on en-
tering the city room, came upon a
curious sight-no less a sight, indeed,
than old Buchanan, the city editor,
with Peggy on his knee. Now, If ever
there was a surly human bear 1t was
Buchanan; and it spoke volumes for
Peggy that she had been able to tame
him. Indeed l had feared that, when
my chief discovered her daily presence
In the office. he would instantly order
her to decamp. Quite the contrary had
occurred, and 1 was stricken with
amazement, which did not decrease
when Jimmy subsequently narrated to
me the events leading up to Peggy's
conquest.
Buchanan, 1t appears, had come
Srrpu 1ipp 70 11a L
wont, and looking for someone upon
whom to vent the spleen generated by
a half-digested breakfast. He was a
terrible man, was Buchanan, when his
breakfast did not agree with himi But
this morning the city editor was not
expected for an hour to come, and so
Jimmy and his sister had been indulg-
ing in a merry game of "tag." They
were rushing wildly hither and thither;
upsetting chairs and waste-paper bas-
kets, and utterly unconscious Of all else
but their fun, when the burly form Of
Buchanan loomed up in the doorway.
Bless you!-these happy urchins never
even saw him; and for full fifteen min
utes he stood on the threshold, looking
on, and feeling his ill-temper oozing
out, like Bob Acres courage, at his
finger tips.
Presently Peggy, in one of her fran
tic rushes from the pursuing Jimmy,
ran plump into Buchanan's outstretch-
ed arms. Poor little thing!-she almost
tainted with fright when she saw who
her captor was (and for the matter of
that Jimmy was quite as horrified: but
the very first words Buchanan spoke
reassured her. When l entered he was
telling her about his own little girls
particularly about the one that was
dead.
Peggy became quite feature of the
Dissemirators city department. She
had a funny little piece of needle work
which she called her "emb'oydy''-
meaning embroidery, 1 suppose; and at
this she stitched, or made believe to
stitch, assiduously. But she had a
quick eye and wit, had Peggy; and, lit
tie by little, she mana ged to pick up all
the tecbnicalities Of the office-the
manner of managing that wondrous
being. the telephone-the mysteries of
proof slips and the files appertaining
ed lore of Dissemination Office boys. One
day l found her, perched on a table,
gravely calling up ''Thentral" on the
phone, and asking with visible import
ance for 'Thix hund'ed-an'-thirty-
theven." On another occasion 1 met her
toddling down. from the composing
room with a bundle of proofs in her
chubby arms, while from the printers
landing that usually dignified person,
voyage.
About the middle of January two
notable events occurred. One was the
breaking of Jimmy McGovern's leg in
n "coasting" accident, and the conse
quent loss of that invaluable youngster
for Office purposes. The second-well, you
shall hear about the second event as
Buchanan is never tired of describing
1t.
We had all gone home for the night
or, rather, for the morning. The office
was deserted and supposed to be CLOSED
although events disclosed the fact
that a careless janitor had been in the
habit of leaving it carelessly open
while he sought refreshments around
the corner.
Buchanan was in the very act of un
dressing himself to slumber when hi
heard his private telephone bell ring
ing furiously. Leapfng out of bed, hi
seized the receiver, and gruffiy dema nd
ed what anybody wanted with Chris
tian city editor at such an unearthlJ
hour of the morning.
Groat 1unS hfs aSfNnic q h nanf (ha nd