The leader., 1905-03-04
DEBTORS TO
CHANCE
By ELIZABETH P. TRAIN
.loOpyright by DAD ssOEy Pub. oo.l

I
up and down her spine at the thought
of what this magnificent item would
mean to her in the way of copy. She
scarcely dared breathe for fear of pro-
voking caution and consequent silence
iii her neighbors. She was d newspa-
per woman, rs years old, who had been
thrown to her own resources at 90, and
W6fked like d horse at tTead-mill
ever since, making hardly any more
petceptible headway id her profession
than the poor beast at his dull task:
The ranks are SO over-cfowded, and;
If there is indeed room at the top, one
needs an occasional boost to get there:
She had been III state of almost
complete encouragement when she
took her seat id the elevated, next 4
couple of gaudily-dressed young
women who apparently saw nothing in
her to interest them. Assignments
were recently as scarce as white black
birds and she had not displayed her
usual skill in interviewing of late. It
had not been necessary for the chief
to hint this to her, as he had done.
She knew herself when her tact an,
ingenuity were at low ebb, and furth=
ermore, she was quite well aware what
the. cause of the falling off was.
If only Rossiter Kenset had not
moved into the same lodging-house
with her! Then some other person
would have come to her assistance in
response to her cry for help when her
alcohol lamp, had, exploded On that
memorable day and set fire to her
gown, or else7-well, or else by now,
she should have settled for herself the
question of the Great Perhaps. The
alternative, she concluded with a
weary sigh, might have been prefera-
Bile to the event that had played4havoc
with her work, engaging the interest
she should have brought to it. in, be-
half of a man who seemed tc have
made of his life even poorer success
than she had made of hers
How could she concentrate her at
tention upon purely Indifferent and
impersonal subjects when every throb
of her brain and beat of her heart
were operated by an engrossing love,
sympathy and apprehension for a sins
gle individual with whose poor affairs
editors and subscribers had no con-
Germ? How could she spare from that
haunting dread of possibly violent
and voluntary termination of Kenset's
increasing Encouragement and de-
spondency which had of late been con-
suming her, even pretense OF inter-
est in outside matters?
Engaged in the same profession, the
two had much in common. Over how
many cup of tea in her shabby little
apartment had they groaned in unison
over the remorseless requirements of
editors, and commiserated each other
upon their common lack of that keen
scent for news which is of such conse-
quenee to the reporter.
And now, quite by accident, she had
come upon sensational bit of intelli-
gence which would be beat of the
biggest sort, and for which any paper
in New York would pay the price of
years living. Nay, more, having once
furnished such story, her value to the
Office would take on quite another
character. She would be recognized as
a reporter of enterprise and eonse-
quence and advanced accordingly. Ex-
elusive information such as this she
had gained was a jewel Of such price
that she could in imagination see the
black headlines glaring forth from the
front sheet of the Universe
Chance had seated her beside two
maids engaged III the service Of Henry
w. VANDERBILT, whose daughter, Eu-
genia, was at that time the greatest
heiress in New York-one Of the great
est in the world Both women were
French, one the personal attendant Of
Miss Vanderbilt Speaking a foreign
tongue, they probably deemed it safe
to discuss publicly private matters per
tanning to their employers which could
have only been discovered surrepti-
tiously by them Indeed, the Great
Fact, disclosed by the one to the other
under pledge of profound secrecy and
amplifed by many details, that Of Eu-
genia Vanderclip's recently consum-
mated betrothal to the marquis of
,Ayonshire, had ayowedly been CLEANED
by perusal Of the mistress correspond
ence
Not the slightest hint Of the engage
ment had as yet publicly transpired.
According to the maid it was not to be
disclosed until the arrival OF the mar
quis in New York, some two or three
weeks hence. It was the wish of the