The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-29

had been Obliged to go away for a week
or two, and asked me if l would write
the Introduction to the society column.
l did ii for two weeks, and then the
managing editor sent word to me to
write something else for the paper.
There was an old colored woman who
quarter there. had known her ever
since l was a child. Bon Gateau, we
used to call her, and all the creoles knew
her by sight, II not in any other way
Well, / wrote little sketch about Bon
Gateau and sent it to the Picayune, which
sent me $40 in return and request for
more.
"And that wasn't ALI" Miss Points ex-
claims at this point when she is telling
the experience, and she buries her face
in her hands and laughs in a very pref
ty shame-faced fashion. You will think
1 was stupid and ignorant when i tell
you about it. A little while after the
story of Bon Gateau was printed l had
a letter from Charles Dudley Warner,
praising my sketch and encouraging me
to go on. Well, you will scarcely believe
II, but didn't know who Charles Dudley
warner was. You must remember that
l was a creole girl, speaking French
as my native language, and educated in
a convent. where you don't take course
in American magazines.
My only feelir~ about the letter." Miss
Points hesitated---'u makes me hot now
with modification to think of twas Of
indignation that a man, a strange man,
should take the liberty of writing per-
sonal letter to me. Just think of my stu
pidity! l put the letter away hoping to
nnd out some time the guilty writer. When
/ did find out was too mortified and 1t
had been too long for me to take the lib
erty Of replying taiit
sketches and the managing editor kept
sending me word to come to the office. L
would just as soon have. gone to a fiery
furnace. wouldn't do it, But time went
on, and at last Mrs: B. came around one
day with her carriage.
Marie she said, you have been fool
mr. frntd I'm I n
to see that you go down there to the Of
flee and find out that 1t isn't such bug
bear as you imagine.
She wouldn't be denied. Prayers and
entreaties were vain. She took me off
down to the office, went up stairs with
me, opened the door into the managing
editors room, and then she ran down the
stairs and left me to my fate. Well, L
felt as if / should fall through the floor,
and would have been only too glad If |
could. was so weak with fright that.
couldn't move or speak. Maj. Burbank,
the managing editor, looked up from his
desk and saw me standing there. l know
l must have looked pretty white, for,
whereas he generally gives people one in
different glance, he got up and came right
to me- He asked me if he could get me
anything, and, though managed to shake
my head, he brought me glass of water.
Then he asked me what | wanted, but
stili / couldn't do anything but shake my
What Is your namess' he asked at
last, in despair, / suppose.
1OunQ my Tongue long tHOuBH 10 tel
him, and then of course he knew who
was There We're two ladies sitting at an
other desk in the room. / found out af-
terward that they were Mrs. Nicholson,
the owner of the Picayune, and Catharine
Cole. The one who proved to be Mrs Mich
olson looked up just as Maj. Burbank was
trying to reassure me-
WHO is it, Major?" she asked.
F''Oh,a just little frightened bird!" he
said just like that.
Then Mrs. Nicholson came and took
my hands in hers and led me across to
her desk and made me sit down beside
her, and took off some flowers she was
wearing and pinned them on my dress,
and talked to me with such tact and kind
ness that all my fear and embarrassment
melted away. Finally she said:
Now, my dear, want you to go home
and tell your father and mother that 1 am
coming tomorrow to take you home with
me for while, and show you that a news
paper is not so dreadful d thing, after ALL"
Sure enough, the next day her husband
came for me, and they took me over to
Bay St. Louis, where Mrs Nicholson had
a beautiful home on the Gulf. l stayed
with her two months, except when 1 went
home for an occasional Sunday, and l
reckon that sealed my fate for newspaper
work. But I'm creole first and a news
paper woman afterward," Miss Points
added with flash of her dark eyes, as
she concluded the story of how one creole
girl got into journalism.