The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-01-15
The Assistant
B~ookkeeper
How Edgerton Got His
Start.
By THOMAS r. DEAN

Jimmie EdgertOn > father died when
Jimmie was fifteen years old He had
no mother. brother or sister. and he
had o u hundred dollars In the world
His father told him on his deathbed
that he would End In a stocking In the
chimney some money that no one bu,
the two Of them knew was there. Aft.
er the fathers death Jimmie found
enough to pay bis fathers funeral ex
penses and leave a small balance.
Realizing that he must 60 to work.
the boy went about seeking a posi-
ton He was a delicate looking youth
bis features being dnely nodded. Ev
erywhere be was told that be was
not 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 bis
hunt for a week. then gave 1t up-that
Is. be gave up trying to get q job IN.
der his own identity.
BE was not a boy to be discouraged.
and II be couldn't make a living In
n way be determined to try another
II the only positions for which be was
fitted were given to girls. why not
make q girl Of himself and get q job
as such? he spent the remainder Of
what be had found in the stocking In
such woman's apparel as be needed
and started out again on bis search.
Jimmie made up as q 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 a
curling iron to make 1t wavy. His
voice was naturally soft and readily
mistaken for a girls contralto. He
was 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 q member Of the gentler
sex. Jimmie. under the name Of Ellen
Forsythe. started again on bis errand
This time he met with better success
A s~torekeeper. 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 a
bachelor twenty-seven years old. EN-
plOyed a saleswoman. Sara Cartright.
a few years younger than himself
Miss Cartright had set her cap for her
employer and was much d%isgruntled
when he took into his service the pref
ty assistant.
1t was moi long before Jimmie found
himself between two fires. Perkins be
gan to show him little attentions and
to express a fear that he was working
too hard. Every attention. every bit Of
so'icitude her employer expressed for
the assistant bookkeeper was to the
saleswoman like a red rag waved be
fore a mad bull. Then. too. the per
f%Orinances of a nan who supposed bis
employee to be a woman were not only
d~isagreeable to Jimmie. but must re.
suit. sooner or later. In a revelation Of
bis sex and q consequent probable loss
Of bis position.
Miss Cartright made herself especial
~ disagreeable to the supposed Ellen
Forsythe. II Jimmie made a mistake
In an account Miss Cartright would
make N much Of 1t as there raj in 1t
and az much more as she dared. Per.
kins would mildly reprove Jimmie and
do what be could to pacify Sara. but
b. dared not openly defend his book
keeper why. no n knew. though 1t
was surmised that. since he had been
devoted to Miss Cartright before Jim.
niles appearance. he 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
him Of. This only added zest to Per.
kins' passion. At last be became 90
marked In bis attentions that he
brought about a rebellion on the part
Ut Miss Cartright.
One day Perkins appeared to be
much disgruntled. 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:
YES: she says that either you or she
must 20.
why moi send her OF instead OF
ne!'
Its q delicate matter to talk about.
put II you'll promise to keep the se
cret III tell you"
II promise
Before you came here ! was fool
tsh enough to make love to her. She's
jealous Ut you"
What can she do to harm your
''She's got a letter from me making
q proposal. II ! send her away she'll
ruin me.
"How?'