The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1918-07-18
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure NeVsps.
Per Syndicate.l
By INES MACDONALD

~ ASA 6kovoE uOlueuLS, OF hours, i
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 q
woman Of his acquaintance. and bowed
his head at just the right angle, with
never a variation. And during the
four years In which Mable had been
his secretary he had never treated her
other than as IL she were a duchess
at diplomats ball, with all the cour.
tesy Of Chinese mandarin.
And yet Notwithstanding all of this
perfection of treatment on the part of
her employer, Mable had disgrased
herself. She had chewed the dignified
hand that fed her, as it were. she had
but what's the use?
When a friendly. sprightly, here-I.
am ana here-Im-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 book down on
Its paper-littered top with a bang and
yells out in disguised 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.
~ just couldn't help It," she told her
mother that night. Gle just lets that
nephew of his work him to a stand.
still. 1t will ruin the boy, and he's
too nice a 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
q word y
'But, Mable, just think what you
said His name is Peter, dear, and
you said. 'for the love of Pete! He'll
think-oh, my, what will he think? OF
course. you're fred"
II don't care If I 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 could!'
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 transmitter
and glggled. when she heard the voice
of her employer on the wire.
"Are you Ill this morning, Miss
WELSH
ooh, no." blithely.
"Well-er-you we're late-and-I-
er thought you might be ILL.,
II thought was fred" said Mable.
"Ftred? oh, no. and you see. can't
seem to find anything this morning.
II you could arrange to get over as
soon as possible. Miss Wells. I would
appreciate It"
Thirty minutes later Mable entered
the Office and pitched into her work.
There was a pile Of bills to be checked
of, and checks to write for each bill.
besides dozen letters. The bills were
statements from Billy Hobbs cred
itQrs. 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.
I'm covering your accounts as usual.
Also I'm sending you check for hum
dred, which will be enough and more
to get you home. I'm expecting you
to begin work at the plant on the first
of the month.
GAS you know, if you had displayed
any particular talent in any line at all
l would be glad to extend our pres
ent arrangement to that end, but such
has not been the case. AS far as l
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 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 affectionate 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.
Peter Hobb had ignored the sur
prising flare-up Of his secretary, and
the days passed the same as before
until the stiff formality and rigid cour-
tesy Of her longtime superior again
got on Mabels nerves. She had stood
1t for four years. and one afternoon
she got frantic enough to fly.
IF he'd only swear, sometimes"
she thought to herself, cor kick over
the waste-basket. If he'd only let go
Of himself once. the pompous thing!"
And smile tricklod tho cnrndP NJ