The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-04-27
HE MEETING OF THE NOMS-DE-
PLUME.

ObuSyw he said from the door
way. Cant | come imp
She glanced obviously over her
shoulder, biting the end of her
pencil.
"I'm afraid you must not" she
said regretfully. SPIN expecting
Ill my mons de plume this even
ng, and we will have to work like
lnything;" and she turned back
o the mass of papers in front of
Ter. He came and leaned
against the desk.
"Do let me stay to meet them
le urged. II won't interrupt,
jruly."
~ don't know how you'd get on
With Them" she hesitated, tip.
ping thoughtfnlly back in her
chair. "Fd have better aliases
f my work lay in a higher
sphere. This newspaper crowd
veil | don't know about mixing
hem with a young person who
las an office on Wall street"
"But I'm only my fathers
office boy down there. Besides
I'm very democratic.
''Not the way l am. | meet
ny mons de plume on perfectly
equal terms while I'm working
With them. OF course | never see
anything of them socially; but
I'd be sorry to have them realize
that and think | was secretly
stuck up. I'm afraid you might
hurt their feelings in some way.n
''rruly, wouldn't" he prom
iSed. The very fact that they
worked for you would dignity
them. Why, if | could work for
you,
"There's Bennington Stoker;
you might rather like him. she
interrupted. "Bennington's re.
ally nice fellow. He's 'Ob-
served About Town. you know
"To be sure, rides around III
cable cars having things happen
to him and taking statistics on
how many women say Thank
YOU for seats; walks behind
country couples who visit art gal.
.eries and hears them make aG'Ce
comments; guys women'S clubs
and clothes "a small minded,
3heaply witty, gossiping old maid
and frock coat and IA neatly
parted mustache."
"No such thing" she protested
warmly. "Bennington's the
very incest of my noms- de plume,
and | won't have him run down.
He's a very bright attractive fel,
low, though | say that shouldn't.
l don't know what the Page
would do without him."
sob, well, if you like that sort
of fellow-one who does his
daily life into paragraphs like a
druggist making capsules"
he shrugged. 81 suppose he gets
up your society notes, too"
"No, that's Claudia Fribble
-beastm she broke out. "Oh,
if | could cut that NOM de plume
from my staff, I'd die happy. |
can't bear her"
"Bet you're jealous" he said,
Frightening up.
"Jealous-Of society writer!
It's likely. She's always late
with her fashion notes, and then
the Sunday editor jumps on
me And when | tell him it's
lClaudia's fault he only laughs.
There's no justice in newspaper
office. l can't make her prompt
if she is my nom de plume
"She must be a dear little
curly, feminine thing" he unused.
81 rather like that kind. They
always drop things and lose their
hairpins and trust implicitly in
your strength and wisdom"
! "Oh that's the type you like, is
'it9" she said indifferently, pick
ing up a strip of proof and frown-
ling down.
"No, but they're the only kind
that can find time for me-" he
suggested in a lonely tone.
"Um,n she murmured absently,
blue penciling the edges of her
proof with strange symbols.
"Who else is cOming!" he
asked presently.
"There is only one other, Aunt
Plenty (don't you smell the gin
gerbreadf She's come to chap
eron; her work is always in early,
dear old thing. have to toll for
the other two; but | think she
could do her column while l was
asleep! She's my comtort--and
she takes up such a lot of space. T"
~ 'sIs she so portlyG" he asked.
81 meant on the Page" she ex-
planned. Then she stretched her
arms over her head with a sigh.
'"Oh, me, Pm tired" she said.
"If that hateful little Claudia
x,,o,,ld onlx, do har stuff aapIv in