Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-10-08
A POOR GIRLS TRIUMPH.
BY PAUL PASTNER

The editor of the Summerville Daizy
Nesos snatched up his shears, cut q
column-and-a-half story from city ex-
change, and sent it upstairs to Nina
Kelsey to set up in Bourgeois for the
fourth page Of Saturdays News. Nina
Kelsey and lady companion, some Is
years her senior, set all the padding"
OF the News-the poetry, the literary
excerpts, and the stories. Nina set
most Of the stories. It was some COM
fort to her young. romantic nature to
read them from the copy" as she
worked at her case. Mrs. Sturdevant,
her companion. had long passed the
age Of sentiment, and she liked to set
the poetry and the briefer extracts, be-
cause in the language of the printing
Office, this was "phat matter" and
with its frequent paragraphs. and in
denied lines made the Thousand ems"
70 up faster. So both were, satisfied.
If story came up, it was quietly PIN
ned to Mlna's case, while the poetry
aud scrappy extracts went into Mrs.
Sturdevant's drawer.
Nina Kelsey was glad to get story
to-day, because she was feeling lone
some. In fact, she was suffering from
fit of the blues. Outside it was rain
ing. and the dingy windows of the
fourth-story room were all misty and
dripping, and the gray sky, just over
the brick block across the street. could
scarcely be seen for the fog and the
rain. 1t was SO dolcful there with Mrs.
Sturdeyant, who scarcely ever spoke a
word except monosyllabic "yes'' or
mo- in answer to Mina's questions.
80 when the little office boy came up
with the copy, Nina thanked him glad
" and kept him prattling at her case
until the angry whistle of the foreman
at the tube sent him rafting down the
rickety staircase. Then Nina turned
to begin her task. First she set her
composing stick with piece of brass
rule, SO to be sure that it was the exact
width OF the column, and then she
mounted her stool and took up the first
letter of the title of the story, IA
Hopeless Quest" That was good
something to wake her up. A smile
crept over the pretty lips. and she
rapidly finished the title and began. to
work the story paragraph by paragraph,
enjoying every sentence as she repeat
edit in the clicking type 1t was a
strange story. too, and fascinating.
Nina gradually .lost herself in the
thread OF it. and once or twice she
reused with start to find that she was
reading faster than she ought, and had
left bad tout" to BIZ corrected in
proof.
The story was about a young man,
who. after having wooed and won sew
oral charming but heartless bellies. and
having, fortunately, learned his own
heart before it was too late to break off
his engagements. how at last he made
VOW that he would not rest until he
had found the ideal of his hearts,
noble, self-sacrificing, pure, loving,
lovely, and unassuming girl; lone who
could look 4 man in the eye without
coolly specializing upon his marriage
ability. and who could accept his i'd
dresses, if agreeable, without scheming
how to have a loophole of escape in
case his financial prospects should not
prove altogether satisfactory. Z" The
story described the wanderings of the
young idealist; his lingering in public
J places; the faces that he knew, and was
attracted by, and what they turned out
to cover. Once or twice his quest
seemed on the pointsof being brought
to a successful close. but always some.
thing was found to be lacking, and the
object Of his growing love faded away
in the ever-deepening mist Of distrust
and despair, until at last tho story clos
ed with 3 passionate declarations: '.It
Is vain! All women are false and fair
and tickle. / will turn 70 the friend.
ship of a true-hearted man, and there
seek the tenderness and helplulness
which I had hoped to find in lovelie,
form.'' p s: .- z3..5 s s5sss 8ss4S&
1t was drawing toward dusk whom
Nina finished the story, dropped in the
last period, and closed the line. She
laid down her composing stick, and "a,
looking thoughtfully ont upon the gath.
ering shadows and the drifting rain.
Her life, too, had been 50 far. almost
hopeless quest, !" but oh! of how differ
ent kind! Left early u life. 81. q.
death Of disso1utsf and spendthrif
father to support herself Snd an invalid
mother by her unaided sforts. she has
never known anything beyond the dull
round Of daily toll. o. the romance d
youth. the sunny freedom. the hours q
dream.life and 81 pleasure, ahe wal
sadly ignorant. And yet her nature wa
rich In aspiration. ShA felt that ShsSMls
destined for better things There sra,
2 longing within her which would moi
be stilled. Oh. for Soma respite. some
change from this dreary struggle FOL
daily bread! Her whole soul rose up il
passionate yearnin9 90 she rat there il
the early dusk and looked out upon thu
+ rain-beaten streets and her own gloonJ
future. 81
Suddenly ! thought came into ~,
mind--Why should she not voice ths
yearning Of the soul within hoxl ~ J
not relieve her heart by opening The
Hood gates Of - lin ~ srink Thu
sad romance of her cz3pple youth
Could she not nal N u
pathetic - tint q Whose
Ess'hopeless quest M IA l,el
while she toilod d It y q Aoukht,
q new aspirati0 ion. y nd s1 calG 1he
thought, which W u c
might be actnal
ina put on hsr lnli ga
serudged home tlAt l(3sa 1Ix0ak
slle rain, with q III E g "a IT,
4 ~ Known & 4 - g = j.
~