Evening star., 1920-02-01

" III tHt CORRUGATED
general offices is one Of these quake
detectors. same az they have In Wash
ihgton to register distant volcano antics
30 all hands could tell by glance at the
dial what was coming and prepare to
stand by for rough weather.
FOR you never can tell Just when Old
HICKORY Ellins is going to cut loose
Course. being on the inside, with my
desk right next to the door Of the prf-
vate Office, I can generally forecast an
eruption an hour or so before it takes
place. But it's apt to catch the rest OF
the force with their hands down and
their mouths open
Why Just the way the old boy pads
IN at 9;l5. plantin his hoofs heavy ana
slarin' straight ahead from under them
bushy eye dormers of his I could guess
that some one was gon' to get "A call
on the carpet before very long. And
sure enough he'd hardly got settled in
MS big leather swing chair before he
starts barking for Mr.. Plddle.
l expect when 1t comes to keepin
track of the overhead, and gettin a full
days work out of a bunch of lady
typists. and KNOWN where to buy his
supplies at cut rates, Piddie is as good
an office manager as you'll find any
where along Broadway from the Wool
worth tower to the circle; but when it
comes to soothin' down a sixty-five-
year-old boss who's been awake most of
the night with sciatica. he's a flivver
He goes In with his brow wrnkled up
and his knees shakin'. and few min
utes later he comes out pale in the gills
and with wild look in his eyes,
whats the scandal, Piddie?" says T.
Been sent to summon the firin' SQUAD
or what"
He don't stop to explain then. but
pixies right on into the bond room and
holds half-hour session with that COL
lection Of giddy young near sports who
hold down the high stools. Finally.
though. he tiptoes back to me- wipes
the worry drops from his forehead and
gives me some of the awful details.
Such incompetency!" says he
husky. "You remember that yester-
day Mr.. Ellins called for a special re-
port on outside holdings? And when
II Is submitted it is merely a tumble
prepared it couldn't have known the
difference between a debenture 5 and
a refunding g.
Don't make me shudder. Pddie."
says l. "Who was the brainless
wretch?"
young Hollis. OF course" whispers
Piddie. And it's not the first occa-
sion. Torchy, on which he has been
found failing. l am sending some of
his books in for inspection"
''Oh, WELL" says 1. better Brink
than some of the others. He won't
take it serious. He's like duck in
a shower-sheds it easy
At which Piddie goes or shakin'
his head ominous. But then, Piddie
has been waitin' for the word to fire
Brink Hollis ever since this cheerful
eyed young hick was wished on the
Corrugated through a directors pull
nearly year ago. when he was fresh
from college. You see. Piddie can't
understand how anybody can draw
down the princely salary of twenty
five week without putin his whole
soul into his work. or be able to look
his boss in the face IL there's any
part of the business that he's vague
about.
As for Brink. his idea of the game
il to get through an eight-hour day
somehow or other so he can have the
other sixteen to enjoy himself in.
and l expect he takes about as much
interest in what he has to do as IL
he was countin' pennies In a mint
Besides that he's sort of . happy-go-
lucky. rattle e-brained youth who has
been chucked into this high finance
thing because his family thought he
ought TO be doing something that
looks respectable; YOU know the
type?
Nice, pleasant young chap. Keeps
the bond room force chirked up on
rainy days and always has smile
for everybody. 1t was him organized
the Corrugated base ball nine that
cleaned up with every other team In
the building last summer. They say
he was a star first baseman at Yale
or Princeton or wherever IL was he
was turned loose from. Also he's
some pool shark, | understand, and
Ia runnin' Off q progressive tourna-
ment that he got Mr.. Robert to put
up some cups for.
SO I'm kind of sorry, when l an
swers the private ONCE buzzer little
later, and finds Old Hickory purple