Cherry County independent. (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 18??-1896, 1892-12-22

NjH A~>head OF the stairs
wy ~; J; s; ;: :: :: : E: s: :: :; ;:
V filled her scales
with punches of holly until the severe
goddess looked like a jolly fiower-girl
out on a lark.
The elevator man was radiant over
a small box fixed up in the corner OF
the machine, a box in whose slot IN
Vulnerable quarters were being
dropped, but from which nothing
visible came out, at least nothing
visible to the "boys" as they struggled
into the "local"-room, and began to
rummage for mail in the wire basket
or peep warily into the assignment
book for the day.
By and by the girl of the office
came in, and, leaning her elbows con-
templatively on the railing which
hedged the divinity of the city editor
from the hoi polloi, looked down at
that imposing individual obviously.
She was among the latest of them all
that morning, for somehow, after she
had started from the clearinghouse
she called "home," the thought of that
other home down by the wide Ottawa
and the carols they were singing there
came upon her, and she had slipped
back into her little hall bedroom
again to have out the "good cry" that
would come.
But this, she thought truly, was no
excuse to offer to the city editor.
When men take the local chair they
kbandon hearts. Patient, generous,
aind men have been known to accept
the position, and they were changed
as in the twinkling of an eye. 1t is
not written that a city editor or a
ballet-master needs be heartless-
perhaps it does not require to be put
in so many words.
Still, she couldn't help hoping
against hope that he would remem-
Der the day and send her home again.
She was very tired after all the society
events she had reported the previous
evening, and it vas SO hard to work
on Christmas.
The city editor called a message to
the Press Bureau over the phone,
signed an expense bill for the relig-
ious editor, ordered the sporting ed
itor to look after that game of indoor
baseball at the Y Club, and be sharp
about it, and to take in that sale of
fast horses on his way back, sent the
pretty boy" Of the Office on a social
assignment, then, running his finger
down the columns of the assignment
book until he came to the initial "B,
NJ" said, briskly: There's a nice
little assignment for you, Miss Max
well. Take a whirl around among
the cheaper restaurants of the city
perfectly safe by daylight-and watch
the kind of dinners some folk have to
eat at Christmas. Splendid chance
for fine descriptive writing. Make
about a column and a half if it's
worth it, and have your copy in early
as possible, for we're going to be
loaded to the guards tonight. Mind,
the cheaper the restaurants the bet
ter material for you to work up"
The girls heart sank. She was a
little bit Of a body, with a brave soul,
but now things really seemed to be
getting too hard to endure. She was
even a trife afraid to go to these
places, besides the actual unpleasant
ness of it all, but-well, were not
and little Paul even now coast
ing their new sleds down the hill of
Monte Bello, right on to the frozen
white breast of the Ottawa, and was
not little Gertrude radiant in a new
and her (Blanche's) pocket just
so much the lighter? Of a truth,
there could be no carping; If there
were to be more shawls and toys there
must be more work. So the girl
slipped a bunch of copy-paper and a
couple of pencils into her shopping
bag, and started on her round.
1t was the same story, new to
Blanche Maxwell, perhaps, but old to
those who know city streets and city
ways. A dreary thronging of the
"men about town."
One of the holidays; pleasant tbs
true;
what is the man about town to dor
ALI the clubs are deserted; the men VIII have
at home to-day, looking in somebody's
eyes.
What was it to Moses, ~world-weary and tired,
70 see-and see only-the land he desired?
1t was not such a hard assignment
all, and after three or four
shabby restaurants she had become
quite used to it, and entered the
shabbiest of them yet with almost a
air. 1t was, indeed, a cheap
place, even lower down in the scale
than probably the city editor had
dreamed of sending her, a place
there was a 1-cent line in the
menu, thus BREAD, l cent; milk,
l cent" etc.
The girl took a seat at a vacant ia
BILE, and ordered tea and rolls she
never expected to consume, while she
ensconced herself behind that morn
Beacon, and proceeded to size
up the heterogeneous collection of
patrons that filed the diDgy place.