The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-01-22
The Assistant
B~ookkeeper
How Edgerton Got His
Start.
By THOMAS 4. DEAN

Jimmie was uIteen years OIO. DE mao
mother. brother or sister. and he
had not a hundred dollars In the world
His father told him on bis deathbed
that he would hnd in a stocking in the
chimney some money that 40 one but
the two Of them knew was there. Aft.
er the fathers death Jimmie found
enough to pay his fathers funeral ex
penses and leave q small balance.
Realizing that be must go to work.
the boy went about seeking a posi-
ton he was q delicate looking youth
bis features being nnely nodded. Ev
erywhere he was told that he was
rugged enough to do hard work
and be noticed that all the positions
that did not require bodily strength
were given to girls. He kept up his
hunt for a week. then gave It np-that
IL. he gave up trying to get a job IN.
der bis own identity
He vas o a boy to be discouraged.
and II be couldn't make q living In
one way be determined to try another
IL the only positions for which he was
fitted were given to girls. why not
make a girl Of himself and get a job
as such? He spent the remainder of
what he had found in the stocking In
such woman's apparel as be needed
and started out again or bis search.
Jimmie made up as a very pretty
girl. He possessed a pair Of mild blue
eyes. a sensitive mouth. and. his light
hair being cut like a mans. be used u
curling iron to make 1t wavy. His
voice "a naturally soft and readily
mistaken for a girls contralto. he
vas Of medium height and for a boy
was very we'll shaped. One who had
not seen him In boys dress would sure
~ believe him to be a girl
Arrayed as a member of the gentIer
sex. Jimmie. under the name OF Ellen
Forsythe. started again on bis errand
This time be me with better success
A storekeeper, Henry Perkins. was
keeping his own books and getting
tired Of working nights on them He
hired Jimmie to make such entries as
would facilitate the work on his books
intending to teach him the principles
Of double entry. The salary was small
but enough to pay for his keep
The only barrier to Jimmie's getting
on in his position was that he made too
pretty a girl. Perkins. who was Il
bachelor twenty-seven years old. ell
pIOyed a saIeswoman. Sara Cartright.
a few years younger than himself
Miss Cartright had set her cap for her
employer and was much disgruntled
when he took into his service the pref
ty assistant.
1t was not long before Jimmie found
himself between two fires. Perkins be
gam to show him little attentions and
to express a fear that he was working
too hard. Every attention. every bit Of
solicitude her employer expressed for
the assistant b~Ookkeeper was to the
saleswoman like a red rag waved be
fore a mad bull. Then. too. the per
fOrmances of q man who supposed his
employee to be a woman were not only
d~isagreeabie to Jimmie. but must re.
suit, sOOne or later. in a revelation Of
bis sex and a consequent probable loss
Of his position.
Miss Cartright made herself especial
~ disagreeable to the supposed Ellen
Forsythe. II Jimmie made a mistake
In an account Miss Cartright would
make al much Of 1t as there was in 1t
and ~ much more as she dared. Per
kins would mildly reprove Jimmie and
d. what BE- could to pacify Sara, but
b. dared not openly defend his book
Keeper why. no one knew. though 1t
was surmised that. since be bad been
devoted to Miss Cartright before Jim
mics appearance. be might have been
too seriously involved with her to
shake her OF.
Whenever Perkins would show a dis
position to make love to Jimmie the
boy would do what he could to stave
MIN OF. This only added zest to Per
kins' passion. At last he became 80
marked In bis attentions that he
brought about q rebellion on the part
Vt Miss Cartright.
One day Perkins appeared to be
much d~isgruntled. Miss Cartright ap-
peared to be much disturbed. and an
atmosphere preceding a storm pervad-
ed the stOre. The same evening. when
Jimmie was working ON the books
Perkins came into the store and after a
few commonplace remarks said:
ELLEN. Miss Cartright has insisted
upon my discharging you
indeed"
y es: she says that either you or sh.
must 90.
why not send her off instead OF
me-!
ITS n delicate matter to talk about
out II youIl promise to keep the so
cret III tell you"
~ promise
Before you came here ! was foo'
isb enough to make love to her. She's
jealous Ut you"
What can she do to harm your.
shes got a letter from me making
q proposal. II ! send her away shell
ruin me
How!
..INh rhoro aeo ,nts NJ M M q vn