The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-09
DIVORCE FROM BUSINESS
1T Is AN IMPOSSIBLE THING FOR THE
SUFFERING REPORTER.
At Ping-Pong Parties and Drawing
Room Functions He Has to "Stand
forv Hostess Warning.

The note of invitation came at a time
when things around the newspaper Office
were little less strenuous than usual. The
scourge of conventions was over The
Observation-Disclosures of the Boston tea
party were low on the horizon, and the
delegates TO the political gatherings were
once more blowing in the fields. The low
browed, as the police reporter called them,
were little less turbulent than common
and more of mind to keep out Of Jail.
Councilmen were less inclined to air their
views and TO hold meetings at inconvenient
hours There was little doing.
BY the grace OF the city editor. the re-
porter obtained a night off and went away
into the mysterious precincts of the North
Side TO forget in the dissipation of ping
pong and, perhaps, in the eyes OF a pretty
girl. that such a thing as a newspaper Of
fee ever existed. With the doffing OF his
sack coat he put away the shop and its talk
for the brief time that the gods granted.
His hostess, fat and bland greeted him
with spreading smile. at is really aw-
fully good OF YOU" she battered, and with
a sinking of the heart the reporter heard
the next words: II know you newspaper
men are so occupied with your fascinating
social affairs. 1t must really be delightful
to be writer for paper, and 1 want you
to tell me how you do it all before you
leave. Now. here is a girl 1 want you to
meet You are to take her TO the dining
room, too.
Miss Stevens" she began. as she held
up warning finger in the direction Of the
reporter, this is Mr. Blank. He's really
very nice, but he is a newspaper man, and
you must be careful what you say before
him or the first thing you know he Will
have you in the paper. She laughed with
intense appreciation of her humor, which
contained TO her a disturbing substratum
of fact The reporter, with fierce rage in
his heart, could not help wondering in that
minute why women who had got past forty
insisted on wearing extreme GecoHete.
He picked out a mole on the powdered
neck of the chattering woman, and had
vision of what undiluted joy IL would be
to apply the business end of cigar TO the
spot in the interests of justice and human
ity. The thought came to him, too, that
brutal as 1t sounded there might be times
when a man would almost be JUSTIFIED In
striking a woman. But he summoned me-
chanical smile and deprecatory manner as
he managed to convey TO Miss Stevens that
she was in danger of appearing before
the public through his agency.
With sweep of silken skirts the hostess
left the reporter and the girl, and they
looked at each other. AS IT happened she
was a girl in whom the faculty of under
standability' was strongly marked Inc
in her developed to keenness. She looked
at him a little soberly at first, and then
laughed with ring of true enjoyment In
her voice.
Pardon me-" she said, "but while it
must have been annoying to you, ii did ap-
peal to me as awfuly funny. L kept think
ing what she would say if you had asked
her to please request her husband to send
you in the morning a quarters worth OF
tooth paste and bottle of cod-liver oil
you know Mr.. Riddell is in the drug bust
ness-and picturing the expression of blank
amazement that would have appeared upon
her face"
II see" said the reporter, with an an
swering grin of appreciation. There's only
one way TO take ii and that is as joke,
but it is a grind you know TO have people
absolutely refuse to separate you from your
business at times like this and to jab
knife into you by their fear, real or as
sumed, that you will put them in the pa
per- 1t makes a fellow want to commit
murder you know, until he realizes that il
wouldn't be worth while to get in huff.
Il think said the girl, that L shall con-
stitute myself an ambassadors from the
court of Common Sense to the barbarians,
and my diplomacy shall be along the lines
of rescuing misunderstood newspaper men
from the tolls of the heather. There Is work
TO do there.
You have my blessing" said the report
er, and he and the ambassadress went out
to dinner.