Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-10-13

ton of responsibility and limited
means which involves much sacrifice
of comfort to appearances, Lefty Up
ton had resolved to do something that
would add to the family income and
bring to her the satisfaction of being
self-supporting
Miss Upton was trim, bright little
body of 20 years; pretty, in fresh,
winning way, and naturally vivacious
and engaging. It had seemed to her
that this personal equipment was a
qualification for newspaper work. She
had not the training necessary to Sc
cure teachers position; the drudgery
of typewriting was uncongenial, aud
to go into a shop as a saleswoman
was only to be thought of as a last re-
sort.
Lefty had seen in the Sunday pa
pers long accounts of very wonderful
experiences to which were affixed the
names, real or assumed, of women
writer's. She thought she might be-
come, in time, a writer of such signed
articles and obtain high pay for them.
Could she not write as we'll as those
women? From the ''stories" in the
papers things seemed to come their
way easily enough.
Like many reader of such stories"
Lefty did not stop to reflect on the
labor and time expended on them, nor
did she know anything of the trials
and disheartening rebuffs which have
been encountered in working them
up"
She was fortunate enough to OBJ
tain, through the influence OF a friend
of her father, position on the staff of
writer's for the Sunday edition of the
Daily Investigator, one of the promi-
nent New York papers.
The quarters of these writer's seemed
to Lefty smaller and more ''cluttered
up" than she had expected. There
were three or four small rooms with
roll-top desks in them and one or two
chairs. The editor of the "Woman's
Page had her Office in one of these
rooms. She was woman of about
40, with grayish hair and rather sharp
features. Her glance was keen, her
manner of speaking brief and to the
point.
Lefty, when called before this edi-
tor to receive her first Assignment"
or subject to be written up, obeyed
the summons with eagerness and some
trembling. What would she be sent
to do? Oh, that her subject might be
one on which she could be brilliant
with ease!
"Miss Upton" said the editor of
the Woman's Page, holding small
slip of printed matter in her hand,
''here is report that Mrs. Harmon's
daughter is going to marry distin-
guished foreigner. Mrs. Harmon and
the girl have been travelling in Europe
for year and are just back. The
girl may have caught an English
duke or something, as these Harmons
are SO rich. See her, find ont who
the man is, and write up all you can
get about it. If it's true, the woman
will be glad enough to talk about it. +"
"Where does Mrs. Harmon live?"
asked Miss Upton, taking the "cut-
ting"
"Oh, I don't know" replied the
editorial lady with touch of impa-
tience, as she shipped out another
paragraph marked with blue cross
from the paper before her, giving four
quick clicks with the office shears.
"You'll have to get that from the di-
rectory or the Social Register. Miss
Jameson!" she called, sharply, taking
the freshly cut slip in her hand and
looking past Lefty with an air of to-
tally dismissing her from her mind.
Lefty Withdrew, got the directory
and looked for Harmon" There
were so many Harmons that she con-
cluded she had better try the "5ocial
Register. The "Mrs. Harmon
whose daughter was to make brilliant
mlrriage N would be there, and several
the directory Harmons would not.
She took down the names of half
dozen Harmons. with the addresses.
She very much wished to ask the So
ciety editor which "Mrs. Harmon of
this city"-that was all the slip said
was the Mrs. Harmon of her list; but
she felt it would bemore creditable to
find that out herself. So she arranged
her list in the order of their resi-
dences as she would have to take them
on her way uptown and sailed brisk
ly forth.
Miss Upton had determined that
she was not going to be "lady jour-
nalist" or "a lady who writes for the
papers, but newspaper woman"
This title seemed to her honest and
direct and dignitied. A newspaper
woman" would get sooner to writing
those long, illustrated. signed stories"
in the Sunday paper than either of
the other kinds of writer's would!
She called at the first place on the
list and sent in her card by maid
who returned with the request that
Miss Upton would state her purpose
there, as Mrs. Harmon was very busy.
Lefty did not wish to announce
herself to servant as newspaper
woman"-she could convey that in
formation with better results if she
did it personally. Some people had a
prejudice against reporters" Now