The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-06-04
For the Love
Of Pete
o0
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
BY INES MACDONALD

wise as forty, nd yet she was none
OF these. A woman would have said
she was thirty-fve--a man, twenty
live, but as matter of fact she was
none Of these. either. She was en-
tirely twenty-eight, admitted every
year, month and day of it, and smiled
when she did so, serenely and brightly
smiled, whether you looked skeptical
or doubtful.
In her graver moments, or hours,
should say, Mable was private secre-
tary to the Honorable Peter Hobb, one
time senator in the legislature of the
great state of Ohio, and for all time
the richest man in Bellington. The
Honorable Peter Hobb, although only
fOrty-One, was also the most dignified
man north of the equator and south of
the North pole. He radiated dignity
he Oozed 1t. He lifted his hat with the
same precise lift every time he met a
woman of his acquaintance, and bowed
his head at just the right angle, with
never variation. And during the
four years in which Mable had been
his secretary he had never treated her
other than as if she were duchess
at diplomats ball, with all the cour-
tesy Of a Chinese mandarin.
And yet Notwithstanding all of this.
perfection of treatment on the part of
her employer, Mable had disgraced
herself. She had chewed the dignified
hand that fed her, as 1t were she had
but what's the use?
When a friendly, sprightly, here-I-
am and here-I m-nOt sort of girl, as
was Mable Wells, rises up in the office
OF her employer shoves back the chair
from her desk, slams book down on
its paper-littered top with bang and
yells out in disgusted tones right in
the face of dignified man like the
Honorable Peter Hobb-"for the love
of Pete! you make me SICK" and then
marches out of his office in the middle
Of the afternoon and doesn't come
back the next morning, you may know
that something would be liable to
happen.
81 Just couldn't help It," she told her
mother that night. "He just let's that
nephew CT his work him to stand
still. 1t will ruin the boy, and he's
too nice youngster to he ruined that
way. The idea! With all those bills
coming in every month and getting
bigger all the time, and he never says
word!"
But. Mable, just think what you
said. His name is Peter, dear, and
you said, for the love of Peter He'll
think-Oh my, what will he think? OF
course, you're fired"
II don't care If l am" said Mable,
spunkily. "The nerve of him asking
me If I'd take Billy Hobb in hand
and marry him just to make him be-
have-even suppOsing l couldW
But Mable's voice was as calm as
kittens slumber as she answered
the telephone at ten-thirty the next
morning, and I regret to say that she
slipped her hand over the transmitter
and giggled, when she heard the voice
of her employer on the wire.
"Are you i'll this morning, Miss
Wells?"
"Oh, no." blithely.
"Well-er-you were late-and-I-
err thought you might be ILL.,"
II thought was fired" said Mable.
"Fired? Oh, no, and you see, can't
seem to find anything this morning.
If you could arrange to get over as
soon as possible, Miss Wells, would
appreciate it."
Thirty minutes later Mable entered
the office and pitched into her work.
There was pile of bills to be checked
Off, and checks to write for each bill,
besides dozen letters. The bills We're
| statements from Billy Hobbs cred
itOrs, and one of the letters was to
Billy himself. The letter was Of Ma
bells own composition, and 1t was to
the point:
'My Dear Boy Needless to say,
Tn covering your accounts as usual.
Also I'm sending you check for hun
to get you home. I'm expecting you
to begin work ut the plant on the first
of the month.
"As you know, If you had displayed
any particular talent in any line at all
would be glad to extend our pres
ent arrangement TO that end, but such
has not been the case. AS far as 1
can see, your only talent lies In spend
ing money and feeding chickens.
II want to have good time my
self one of these days, and If I'm ever
to have it, you've got to be able TO
take things in hand here. In order
to do that, you'll have to get in now.
"Your afectionate uncle"
The Honorable Peter looked over
the checks hurriedly and signed them,
but he signed the letters without look
Ing at them at all, while his secretary
smiled demurely as she placed them
In the mail. 4
Peter Hobb had ignoIed the sur
prising flare-up of his secretary, and
the days passed the same as before
until the stiff formallty and rigid cour-
tesy of her longtime superior again
got on Mabel's nerves. She had stood
1t for four years, and one afternoon