The daily Alaskan., 1915-01-22
The Assistant
 BOOkkeeper How EdgertOn Got His
 Start.
By THOMAS R. DEAN

Jimmie Edgerton rather Qleu Wnen Jimmie was fifteen years old. He had no mother. brother or sister, and he had not a hundred dollars in the world. His father told him on his deathbed that he would find in a stocking in the chimney some money that no one but the two of them knew was there. Aft CT the fathers death Jimmie found enough 10 pay his fathers funeral ex- penses and leave a small balance.
 Realizing that he must go to work. the boy went about seeking a posi- tiOn. He was a delicate looking youth. his features being finely nodded. EY- erywhere he was told that he was not rugged enough to do hard work. and he 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 up-that is. he gave up trying to get job uu' der his own identity.
 He was not boy to be discouraged. and if he couldn't make a living in one way he determined to try another. If the only positions for which he was fitted were given to gir.S, why not make a girl of himself and get a job as such? He spent the remainder or what he had found in the stocking in such womans apparel as he needed and started out again on his search.
 Jimmie made up as a very pretty girl He possessed pair of mild blue eyes, d sensitive mouth, and. his light hair being cut like a mans. he used a curling iron to make it wavy. His voice was naturally soft and readily mistaken for girls contralto. He was of medium height and for boy was very well shaped. One who had not seen him in boys dress would sure ly believe him to be girl.
 Arrayed as q member of the gentler seS. Jimmie, under the name of Ellen FOrsythe. started again on his errand. This ume he met 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 girl. Perkins, who was a bachelor twenty-seven years old, em ployed saleswoman, Sara Cartrlght, n 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 pret- ty assistant.
 It was not long before Jimmie found himself between two fires. Perkins be gan to show him little attentions and to express q fear that he was working too hard. Every attention. every bit of Solicitude her employer expressed for the assistant bOOkkeepe- was to the Saleswoman like a red rag waved be- fore a mad bull. Then. too. the per formanceS of a man who supposed his employee to be a woman were not only diSagreeable to Jimmie. but must re- suit, sooner Ur later, in revelation Of bis sex and a consequent probable loss of his position.
 Miss Cart tight made herself especial. ly diSagreeable to the supposed Ellen Forsythe. If Jimmie made mistake in an account Miss Cartright would make as much of 1t as there was in it and as much more as she dared. Per kins would mildly reprove Jimmie and do what he could to pacify Sara, but he dared not openly defend his book keeper-why. no one knew, though 1t was surmiSed that. since he had been devoted to Miss Cartright before Jim mics appearance, he might have been too seriously involved with her to shake her olf.
 Whenever Perkins would show q dis position to make love to Jimmie the boy would do what he could to stave him of. This only added zest to Per kins passion. At last he became SC marked in his attentions that he brought about a rebellion on the part of Miss Cartright.
 One day Perkins appeared to be much disgruntled. Miss Cartright ap' peared to be much disturbed, and an atmosphere preceding n storm pervad- ed the store. The same evening, when Jimmie was working on the books, Perkins came into the store and after q few commonplace remarks said:
 "Ellen, Miss Cartright has insisted upon my discharging you"
 "lndeed!"
 Yes; she says that either you or she must go"
 Why not send her off instead of me?"
 Its delicate matter to talk about but if you'll promise to keep the sc cret I'll tell you"
 'I promise.'
 Before you came here l was fool
 Bh e.kugh 10 make love to her. Shes