The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-06-07
For the Love
of Pete
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By INES MACDONALD
Copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)

per Syndicate.)
Mable Wells was as winsome as
twenty, as buxom as thirty, and as
wise as forty, and yet she was none
of these. A woman would have said
she was thirty-fve-a man, twenty
five, 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 skepticaI
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 it. He lifted his hat with the
same precise lift every time he met
woman of his acquaintance, and bowed
his head at just the right angle, with
never q 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 dignifed
hand that fed her, as it were, she had
but what's the use?
When friendly, sprightly, here-I-
am and here-rm-not sort of a girl, as
was Mable Wells, rises up in the Office
of her employer, shoves back the chair
from her desk, slams a book down on
its paper-littered top with bang and
yells out in disguised tones right in
the face of a 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 of his work him to a stand
STILL 1t will ruin the boy, and he's
too nice youngster to be ruined that
way. The idea With all those bills
coming in every month and getting
bigger all the time, and he never says
a wordl'
"But, Mable, just think what you
said. His name is Peter, dear, and
you said, for the love of Peter Hell
think-oh, my, what will he think? OF
course, you're fired"
81 don't care if 1 am" said Mable
spunkiIy. "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 1 couldi"
But Mable's voice was as calm as
kittens slumber as she answered
the telephone at ten-thirty the next
morning, and regret to say that she
slipped her hand over the transmittel
and giggled, when she heard the voice
of her employer on the wire.
"Are you i'll this morning, Miss
Wellsg"
"Oh, no." blithely.
"Well-er-you were late-and-I-
err thought you might be ILL.,"
81 thought was fred" said Mable
"Fired? Oh, no, and you see, CAM
seem to find anything this morning
If you could arrange to get over az
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 wer,
statements from Billy Hobbs cred
itors, and one Of the letters was tt
Billy himself The letter was of Ma
bers own composition, and it was {,
the point:
"My Dear Boy Needless to say
I'm covering your accounts as usual
Also I'm sending you check for hun
dred, which will be enough and NOR
to get you home. Pm expecting 20,
to begin work at the plant on the frs
of the month.
"As you know, If you had displaye,
any particular talent in any line at al
I would be glad to extend our pres
ent arrangement to that end, but sue
has not been the case. AS far as
can see, your only talent lies in spend
ing money and feeding chickens.
81 want to have a good time my
self one of these days, and if I'm eve
to have it, you've got to be able t
take things in hand here. In orde
to do that, you'll have to get in nov
"Your affectionate uncle"
The Honorable Peter looked owe
the checks hurriedly and signed then
but he signed the letters without lool
ing at them at all, while his secretar
smiled demurely as she placed thel