Evening star., 1901-05-04
A QUESTION OF INTENT.
How n Subchief Obeyed His SuperiOr's
Orders.

In one Of the executive departments not
a thousand miles from The Star building,
a young man fresh from the plains OF the
southwest was appointed subchief in one
Of the divisions.
He had a misunderstanding with one OF
the clerks a few days after his advent.
and he was instructed by his superior to
discipline the clerk as the latter happened
to be in the wrong.
"You must discipline him. Not harshly.
but sit down on him properly said the
chief of division.
II don't like to do that" replied the
Texan.
1--WE can't take our likes and dislikes
into consideration in government service
in the administration of our duties" ad-
vised the chief. Give him gentle dress
ing down, and then sit down on him quick
and hard"
81 hate to do it,
Cant help it. It's your duty. He is in
a room by himself. No one will hear or
see you. 1t will be good practice for you.
as You will have to do it often He's a
little fellow. too
That's the worst of it. If he were my
size, I'd like the sport better than brand
ing and roping steers, However, having
been a deputy sheriff 1 know what my
duty means. When / was told to go out
and get a cattle rustler or a bad cowboy,
I usually got him. even If he came back
TO tne court mouse 1eet nrSt. You're boss,
SO here goes. 1 hate to do it,
Nonsense" exclaimed the chief. Its
nothing. Report to me what he said"
About a half an hour later the subchief
entered his superior's room. His face was
scratched, and his clothing appeared some
what rumpled. Otherwise. his usually Sc
rious demeanor was unchanged
Il sat ON that clerk for fifteen minutes" E"
he said. quietly.
"What?" shouted his chief
1T sat on him for fifteen minutes nv tho
clock. For a little fellow he put up q
stiff fight. I bucked him, bound him and
almost branded him from force Of habit
But 1t was easy"
my God!" gasped the other man.
You said to be gentle with him, you
know"
Holy smekes!' cried the chief. nearly
fainting. You obeyed my orders literally
I meant for you to sit on him figuratlvely."
you didn't say word about figures, ;"
responded the ex-cowboy, sullenly.
Il didn't say for you to sit down on him
literally"
'sYou didn't say at all where 1 was to
sit on him. but sat there all right" said
the former cowpuncher. desperately.
mo. no, you don't understand" said the
chief, when he recovered his breath You
must not take everything in a literal sense
in Washington. You are not chasing cows
or frontier bandits. and you mustn't be SO
serious. When you are ordered to sit
down on clerk 1t means In a fgurative
sense only. and you should give him, to be
thoroughly explicit this time, good talk
ing to with your mouth. You mustn't actu-
ally sit on him. If this gets out we will
be the laughing stock Of the Office. must
fix 1t up at once"
1t was "hxed up" by sticking patches OF
soothing plaster on the little clerk 8
wounded body and feelings by the positive
promise Of promotion to the next va
cancy occurring in the division if he kept
quiet. The ex-cowboy squared himself by
treating the clerk and his chief to lunch
Tor fortnight. 1t was at one Of these
lunches that they. told Star man all about
it, and the joke is too good to keep.