Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-16
IKKY BOY COMES ALONG
O, it amt so soft, being pri.

70, 1t amt so soft, being pri.
mi vate sec to a hard-boiled
egg. Anyway. not every
day in the week. And who
ever IL was. back in the early days
that tagged our mainstem as Ole
Hickory, he must have been a good
judge. For he sure looks the part
and at times he acts it. Specially
after he's had an income tax session
with his lawyers complicated with ar
annual directors meetin' and touch
I of rheuma tism in that bad knee OF
his. Wowey, That's when the gen
eral Office force of the Corrugated
keep their noses to the desks ane
Piddie goes tiptoein' around pale in
the gills and as nervous as Rube
crossin' Broadway.
I'll admit l don't enjoy these little
outbreaks SO much, either. Not that
they get me panicky or trembly In
the knees. I've been through too
of sittin' on the edge of my chair
ready to answer the buzzer when he
pushes the button, and wonderln
just where he'll break loose next;
Hero the other day. though, Ia al
most forgot that we were havin an
area of low pressure. as the weather
man would put it. For the moment,
anyway. In fact. although it was
only the middle of the afternoon anu
j had lot of work in front of me.
my so-called mind had strayed out to
Harhor Hills. l.. ]. ! had good
enough alibi. too. 1t was the young
ster's birthday and he was havin'
little party. Course. by going to Oh
Hickory or MIR. Robert and putin
up a holler I might have begged off
ha aft | hadn't. |
wasn't needed exactly. BESIDES. 1
figured that by slippn' out few
minutes before the whistle blew
could make the .03 and land home in
time TO see the breakup of the affair
and maybe watch 'Ikky Boy get away
with his second plate of ice cream.
I must have been kind of deep in
such thought not to hear my ring on
the buzzer. but what followed brought
me out of the trance all right. l don't
but it sounded to me like cross be-
tween bull bellowin' and brick be-
ting thrown through plate glass win
dow. What it was meant for was:
"Torchy,"
Coming. sir" I sings out as slides
toward the door of the private office.
AS usual I finds him putin impetu-
Gus on a brunette cigar and scowlin
murderous at some papers on his
desk. Oh, yes. a nice, pleasant old
boy when he's in one of them mooos.
Just the kind you'd like to sit down
for a nice cozy chat With don't
think.
"Hah" he snorts. Growing deaf.
are you, young MANI"
Looks SO, sir. don't it," says l
sBut thought l heard you call DID
you-er-want me for something"
En-" he gasps. Did Say. do
you imagine I was Simply exercising
my voice? Why the syncopated Sis
syphus should shout that way unless
I did want you? Now. what about
this report?"
If I'd been a mind reader, or could
have got glimpse of what he had
crumpled up in his big fist. mig ht
have made a fair guess. AS it is I
has to stall around.
About our plant at Beaverdale,
Pa. he snaps out.
oh. that one"' says I.
Precisely" says he. Il understand
IT was Roberts brilliant idea to send
you out there?"
-rm willing to give him all the
credit for that" says I, for II you
ask me, Beaverdale amt just the
place I'd pick out to spend three days
in. Say, Mr.. Ellins. you ought to try
night in that hotel there. Or have
you?'
Il have not. and don't intend to-"
says he. But you saw something be-
sides the hotel. 1 take it?"
Sure" says l. II saw everything
in the whole blooming place. from
the switch tower at the spur track !
to the Stag dump at the other end of |
Main street. 1 went all over the |
plant. too, with the superintendent
knd his assistant, and I listened for |
hours while they SIX ethed out the de-