The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1918-06-28
For the Love
of Pete
~
by INES


tcopyrieht. 1878. BY the Mcclure Newspa-
per s~yndieAte)
Mable Wells was rs winsome as
twenty. as buxom a. thirty. and as
wise as forty, and yet she was none
Of these. A wOman would have said
ehe was thlrty-nvc-a man, twenty
i've, but as n matter Of fact she was
none Of these. either. She was en-
tirely twenty-elRht. admitted every
year. month and day OF II. and smiled
when she did 20. scroncly and brightly
smiled. whether you looked skepticnl
or doubtful.
In her grnver moments. or hours, l
should say, Mahlo was private secre-
tary 10 the Honorable Peter Hobb, one
time senator IN the legislature OF the
great state Of Ohio, and for all tine
the richest man IN Belllngton. The
Honorable Peter Hobb, although only
forty-onc. was also the most dirnlhed
mas north OF the equator aud south OF
the North pole. He mdlntcd dignity
he oozcd H.. He lifted his hat with the
same precise NE every time he met n
woman Of his acquaintance, and bowed
his head at Just the right angle, with
never a variation. And during the
four a IN which Mable had been
his secretary he had never treated her
other than as II she we're n duchess
at n diplomats ball. with all the cour-
tcsy OF a Chinese mandarin.
And yet Notwithstanding all OF this
perfection OF treatment on the part OF
her employer. Mablc had dlsgraccd
herself. She had chewed tln dlgnihed
hand that fed her. MS II were. she had
but what's the usei
When 4 friendly. sprightly. here-I-
am and here-rm.not sort OF n girl, ns
was Mable Wells, rises up In the ONCE
OF her employer, shoves back the chair
from her desk, slams a book down on
lis paper-llttered top with n bang and
yells out In disguised tones right In
the face OF q dlgnlhed man like the
Honorable Peter Hobb-"for the love
OF Petel 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.
II Just couldn't help e." she told her
mother that night. "He Just lets that
nephew OF his work him 20 n stand.
still. Il will ruin the boy, and he's
too nice n youngster TO be ruined that
way. The ldeal with all those bills
coming In every month and getting
bigger all the time, and he says
a world"
-But. Mable, just think what you
said. His name Il Peter, dear, and
you said. for the love OF Peter He'll
think-oh. my, what win he thinkl or
course. you're fred"
"T don't care II I am" said Mable,
spunklly. The nerve Of him asking
me n I'd take Billy Hobb IN hand
and marry him just to make him be-
have-even ~supposlng l couldr"
But Mable's voice was az calm as
n kittens slumber as she answered
the telephone nj ten-thlrty the next
morning. and l regret TO say that she
slipped her hand over the trnnsmltter
and giggled, when she heard the voice
Of her employer on the wire.
"Are you III this morning, Miss
Wellsr'
"Oh. no." blithely.
"Well-er-you were lHte-and-I-
er thought you might be ll."
81 thought I was fred" said Mablo.
"FiredI Oh, no., and you see, / can't
seem TO find anything this morning.
II you could arrange TO get owe as
soon as possible, Miss Wells, ] would
appreciate H."
Thirty minutes later Mable entered
the Office and pitched into her work.
There was a pile OF bills TO be checked
on, and checks 90 write for each bin,
besides a dozen letters. The bills were
statements from Billy Hobbs cred
itors. and one Of the letters was TO
Billy himself. The letter was Of Ma
bells own composition, and II was 10
the point:
"My Dear Boy Needless 10 say,
I'm covering your accounts AS usual.
Also I'm sending you check for a hun
ultut winch Will DC thoukh AAA M'iN
10 get you home. I'm expecting you
20 begin work ut the plant on the irst
OF the month.
"As you know. II you had displayed
any particular talent In any line at all
I would be glad 10 extend our pres
ent arrangement 10 that end, but such
has not been the case. As far as
can see. your only talent lies In spend
Ing money and feeding chickens.
II want 20 have n good time my
self n OF these days, and II I'm ever
20 have Il, you've got TO be able "a
take things In hand here. In order
20 do that. you1l have TO get In now,
"YOur nnectionate uncle"
The Honorable Peter looked over
the checks hurrledly and signed them
but no signed the letters without look
ing az them ut all. while his secretary
smiled demurely al she placed then
Ia the mail.