The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-02

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1t was dead low water with The Week
ly Compendium when Nine. de la Mode
quarreled with the editor, and he en-
gagged new young lady for the fashions.
Her name was Violet Raikes, and she
was rather nice to look at. She sat OPP
posite to mel am subeditor-so the fact
impressed itself upon my notice. But
somehow l didn't take to her. She was
fond Of slang, she bicycied in nationals"
and she hoped that didn't object to a
cigarette. felt inclined to say that /
objected TO her altogether, but I didn't.
She was remarkably smart in her work,
and couldn't afford to object to any one
who was useful.
She hadn't been with us more than a
fortnight when the editor was laid up,
and had TO be editor, sub, leader writer
and political critic all at once. Then our
financial expert went bankrupt and bolt
ed, so l had to do the city news in addi-
ton.
The next week our sporting authority
disappeared--he had backed some of his
own tips, poor fcllowi-and we couldn't
get another.
The only members of the literary staff
left were our art and theatrical critic,
who doesn't know horse from dom
key; our tame poet, who doesn't know
anything, and Miss Violet. l felt had
about come to the end of my tether, and
1 said so pretty forcibly.
Miss Violet looked up from some out
rageous costume which she was drawing
and laughed at my outburst She was
: always laughing.
''Don't put yourself out" she said I'm
knock off the sporting news for you." /
jerked my eyeglasses from my nose in my
amazement.
''You?' said. "You?'
'.Why not?
"W'hat do you know about it?"
For the matter of that, what did he
know about it?' She nodded her head
several times and pressed dimples in her
cheeks with her pencil. you really can't
do any more yourself" she said.
NO" | said YEARLY. but l am
afraid
''You needn't be. I'll run it out to-
night. and you can cut it up tomorrow
morning"
She wrote the sporting article MS il she
had been brought mp in stable, AMI
from that time she became our sporting
tipster and allowed herself an extra Gig
arctic when she and | were working late
in the evening. She always insisted upon
lending hand when was extra busy.
you'll kill yourself il you don't mind"
she remarked suddenly one evening when
we were making up the next issue. /
had just announced that we were short
and l must do another column.
Il can't let the paper break down." !
said feebly. | had been working for j.
hours, and nature was almost exhausted
"Of course not. Fill up with this"
She threw over manuscript headed
Answers to Correspondents" and began
laughing as usual. Il knew we would be
short"
"why?" said. "What? Who are
the correspondents"
II am, of course. You didn't think
there were such things as correspond
ents,' did you?"
"umph! don't know
you're a fine editor!"
didn't reply. 1 was deep in the man.
uscript, which might have passed for a
page out of several journals could men
ton. "Nellie O." was given a recipe for
sponge cake, "Devout Lover" was adj
vised upon the etiquette of presents,
nicious habit of smoking cigarettes ia
most unbecoming and unladylike prac-
tice'o, "Abstemious" was encouraged in
teetotalsm, ''True Tommy was told to
persevere with his obdurate ladylove,
'Flossie" was warned against slang,
Careful Housewife" was recommended
to insist upon having IA penny scenes
for shilling, etc.
"IInon my word" | said warmly
''you're a little brick. / only wish ! could
get you something extra for
'Oh, shut upp she said. She was Civ
en- to saying things of that sort. ]
thought it great pity, because she was
otherwise very charming girl, but
never could tolerate anything unfeminine
In a woman's manners
No sooner had the number appeared
than real applications for advice poured
in, and our correspondents column be-
came regular feature. When we had
spare moment, she would read us some
of the letters with her answers. She
used to make us roar. She was such
comical girl-neyer could be serious about
anything. The pseudonym she adopted
was Mother Hubbard.
About this time the paper commenced
to go better, and advertisements came in
more freely. ! persuaded the proprietor
TO give Violet raise, and offered to do
the sporting" myself now that we could
afford city editor but she wouldn't
hear Of 1t.
"You couldn't do It half SO welI.' she
stated. "Now don't get savage, old
chap. Have cigarette"