Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-22
The aqathita 1ay gayle Saturday ornng gune e. 1853.

Washington, this gentleman declares; Is the
lmposslbility of escaping the gossipers, who
appear to be ubiquitous and sleepless. Oddly
thing. He said he loved nothing so much
to be let alone, yet it was impossible to escape
from the society reporters, particularly the
women reporters These latter appear to be
his pet diversions, as they are the aversions OF
other people who love quiet and abhor noto-
riety. But as long as nine-tenths Of the
society devotees take precisely the opposite
course, and court the attention of the women
reporters, I think these useful, industrious
and painstaking women viii be able to en-
dlre it.
Several of the women reporters or society
correspondents at the capital have an envi-
able lot. One, not much more fortunate
than several Of her co-workers, earns 500 a
week, supports mother and three sisters,
owns her own home in the fashionable quar-
ter, keeps carriage with iveried driver, is
invited everywhere and in turn entertains
handsomely. Her summers she spends at the
resorts. "A lucky woman! Yes But it was
not all luck. Her early struggles for place
would have broken down nine women out of
ten and ninety-nine men out Of hundred
She merits all she has won
The proportion of persons eager to be gos-
siped about to those who, like Justice Gray
and my nameless friend, strenuously object
to it is about ten to one As a rule / think
the men are much more eager for newspaper
notoriety Of a pleasant sort than the women.
Congressman, particularly new congressman,
eager to make regulations before adverse
politics at home removes them from the pub
lie gaze are frequent offenders in this direc-
ton. There is Congressman Mason, of Chi
cago. He is known all over the country as
a wit, raconteur and orator He deserves
all his fame, too, but it would have taken
several years to work his reputation up to its
present pitch if he had not had some method
about his exuberance For two or three
morthss.afber his first appearance in congress
Mason made it a point to have q new story
every day. He had an immense reserve fund
to draw on, for he has been telling stories all
his life. In few days it came to be
known in the cloak rooms that a member
could get a story from Mason every day
just as he could get a newspaper from the
printing Office Members used to surround
Mason in SKIES and dozens, and demand
the days installment Those who didn't
hear it first handed heard it repeated,
invariably labeled BILLY Mason's latest. i"
After his days contribution to the universal
but unpublished literature of bis country had
been fairly started on its rounds Mason would
60 out into the corridors and wait for the
correspondents to come along. By couples
and triplets the newspaper men heard the
days tale repeated, and it was a very IN
lucky day for Mason In which one of his
yarns was not printed in six or eight of the
most prominent papers in the country. Fame
comes raridly to man who works for it with
so much tact and industry as this
Two of the greatest story tellers in this
country are Dick Wintersnith and Gen
Horace Porter. The latter is like Mason in
that he endeavors to have new story every
day. New stories are not hard to find, but
stories good enough to do justice to the repu-
tation of so famous teller as Porter are al
most es scarce as sunstrokes in coal mines
/ am told that Porter has correspondents all
over the country, Of whom Mason is one and
Wintersmith another, from whom he expects
contributions whenever they get hold of any
thing new and sparkling. OF course, Win
ters1nith, Mason and all the others get in re-
turn the good things which fall in Porters
way, and thus, you see, they have a sort Of
story tellers' exchange or trust.
ROBERT GRAVES.