Show Tommy the Cork Marries Marr es Secretary Who Like Lile All Girls Gil ls Once Feared Feal ed Him Hilll I By DREW V PEARSON and ROBERT S. S ALLEN Copyright United Features Syndicate Inc Released by Western neN Newspaper lII r union TI WASHINGTON This is VV V V the story of a lovely lov ly sym- sym of the modern Girl Friday Peggy Dowd who a few days ago married marri d her brain- brain truster boss Tommy Corcor Corcor- Corcoran to an and thereby brought many persons in inand and out of Washington a breathing spell for as as a's long as she can keep him away on their honey honey- moon Its It's a romance as colorful as the eventful career of the haired curry bridegroom In Washington Peggy Dowd Is al aI- always ways associated with the brain brain trust But long before there was a brain- brain trust or the thc world had ever heard of Tommy Corcoran Peggy Dowd was holding down an important Job She was the personal secretary of one of the big men of the Hoover administration Gardner Cowles owner of the Des Moines Register and Tribune and director of the thc She Liked Midshipmen Until Until- It was a very pleasant job and Peggy thought her boss was a grand man But her only interest in gov gov- government government government was prom hopping with dashing dash g Annapolis midshipmen About this time there came to the a young lawyer as Irish as her her- self seU Peggy would see him now and then rushing along the corridors but she never talked to him for it was rumored in feminine circles that t at he thoroughly oro g l disliked women o I thought tacy mey nau Deen pu pui on only to get in the way of mens men's work ork Girls frankly were afraid to work for Tom Corcoran He lie had come comedown comedown comedown down to Washington from a big Wall WallStreet WallStreet WallStreet Street law lv l w firm and just could not get used to the deliberate civil service service servIce ice ways of government He con con- considered considered dictating to a shorthand book a waste of time Insisted that his see see- secretary take it down on the type type- typewriter typewriter writer Titer as he talked talked and and he talked a blue streak Tommy Was a Tough One He also had a lot of crazy Ideas about short cut through the tele tele- phone He didn't care how big his phone bills were so long as they saved time And around him he had hada a crowd of young fellows out of Har Har- Harvard Harvard Haryard vard yard law school who were just as wild as he was wa's wasand and who like him telephoned all day and dictated all night Secretaries came to his office and departed like the days None ever stayed longer than a week There was a ladies' ladies room legend which persisted though Corcoran denied it that he had once jerked a phone right out of its socket and tossed it at a secretary who insisted on go go- going going ing lag home at three o'clock in the morning His constant cry to the head stenographer was for a male secretary The morning after Director Cowles Peggys Peggy's boss resigned and left for Iowa the head stenographer stenographer stenographer pher faced with her daily headache of finding a secretary for Corcoran she called it the suicide assign assign- assignment assignment ment summoned Peggy Dowd and said gently Report please to Mr Corcoran Oh no said Peggy not me There are other jobs In this world For my ray sake please try it for a I c c 4 i i. i q i L' L 4 1 it 1 t J j c 7 r- r p. p BRIDE AND GROOM GROOM- Thomas GROOM Thomas G. G Corcoran No 1 brain brainI I truster poses with his hi bride and former secretary Peggy Dowd DoLed I I following their surprise marriage at Leesburg Va l' l a. a Peggy feared aim hinz im and what secretary didn't until each discovered the other I was also Irish few days pleaded the head After all aU hes he's Irish and youre you're Irish and you can handle him if U anyone can Just dont don't ar ar- argue argue ar- ar argue gue with him Let him do things the way he wants to to even if U they do seem crazy Who knows per per- perhaps perhaps perhaps haps there is a method in hi his mad mad- ness So Peggy went up to the lions lion's den In a short while Corcoran's buzzer rang and Peggy went In InGet inGet inGet Get this telegram oft off of right away he ordered without looking up or giving her time to sit down Then for two minutes he reeled oft orr orra a long wire so fast that Peggy didn't even get the start of It For a low f w moments she stood there helpless then with a jerk of her head she started for the door to tell the head stenographer cr it It f was no go The Day Is Saved As Peggy turned there burst into the room one of the Harvard law school boys J. J Raburn Food Monroe now a successful New Or Or- Orleans Orleans Orleans leans lawyer and a power in the new Long anti group who flashed nashed a tele tele- telegram telegram telegram gram before Corcoran That changes everything Cor Cor- Corcoran Corcoran Corcoran coran shouted to Peggy Kill that wire I just gave you So Peggy just walked back to her desk pretending she had the wire but was not going to send it The fortuitous interruption had saved her And today Peggy has one ex cx- extra tra name among her patron saints The name is St. St Food The first crisis thus survived so so fortunately Peggy decided to test testher testher testher her luck further At seven o'clock that night Corcoran nonchalantly instructed Go out and get some some- something something something thing to eat and meet me at the Capitol in the legislative counsels counsel's office at Weve We've got a little job to do tonight wont won't take more than an hour or so It took most of the allotted half haU hour just to get to the Capitol but Peggy was there on time And there she met two other turbines of the trust brain Ben Cohen and Jim Lan Lan- Landis Landis dis later to become SEC chairman and dean of Harvard law school Big Little Job The little job was something about a securities bill which had to be ready rendy for a congressional com com- committee committee committee the next morning It was 4 a. a a m. m when she pulled the last sheet out of the typewriter and the three men after a critical reading pronounced it okay Yes added Corcoran with a cheery smile a swell job Miss What did you say ny your name was Margaret Dowd Well Margaret Dowd tomorrow morning you tell the head stenographer stenographer stenographer pher that I said you'll do Thus Peggy Dowd got her start as the Girl Friday of the trust brain brain trust and began seven years of thrilling work carried on at about the same hectic tempo as her first day Side Sideby Sideby Sideby by side with Corcoran Cohen Lan Lan- Landis dis Douglas Jackson Foley Rowe Dempsey and others of the family she went through the ep epochal ep- ep epochal ochal legislative battles of the New Deal the Deal the securities act the fed fed- federal federal eral housing bill the fierce TVA TV A clashes the tremendous holding company fight the wage hour bill the historic Supreme court struggle struggle struggle gle the Jackson Jackson-Ickes offensive against monopoly No More Parties for Peggy She was in the thick of them all alJ always In the background but al al- always always ways on hand the confidential sec see secretary secretary of these confidential men men-at- arms of the President It meant no parties no planning for a week or even a day ahead Every waking hour was devoted to the job And Peggy thrived under it all Whether it was because she and Tom Corcoran were falling In love Peggy became more and more beau In the last few years she has been conceded to be one of the most beautiful women in Washing Washing- ton attired a honey honey-col ored blonde with big green gray eyes Vivien Leigh eye Corcor Corcor- Corcoran an calls caUs them and a delicate com corn complexion that her favorite pink camel camel- camellias lias has light up beautifully she was the prettiest picture in working Washington At the occasional play they went to all eyes turned toward Peggy Dowd But If the onlookers I got an eyeful they never got an earful Silent As As' a c. For one of the most amazing things about this very amazing young lady is that flattered nattered court court- courted courted ed and cajoled by everyone seek seek- seeking seekIng ing the inside lowdown no one has ever been known to get anything out of her her except except when Tom Torn Cor Cor- Corcoran Corcoran coran for his own devious purposes wanted w something to get out But there was one secret that Peggy did spill She whispered It to her mother at the wedding party just before she and ana Tom slipped out of town on thir skiing honeymoon It was Vas tills his That the last man who kissed her before Tom Torn Corcoran gave her his bridal kiss at the al alp altar tar of the little church in Lees Lees- Leesburg burg Va was tho President of ot the United States Note Peggy Note Peggy will continue to be Corcoran's secretary Also the fa famous a- a amous Corcoran Cohen penthouse menage will be continued occupied by Cohen alone |