Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-02-01
SOUGHT A CAREER
1t Was a Rough Road. but a
Check for $50 Came at
Right Time.


/ nifty. mad put her in the way OF scrib-
( bling for profit. That is TO say. her
Sunday school teacher had been wife
to the editor of rather important
provincial newspaper She II was who
had got Mavis early efforts into print
She It was likewise. who. when the
girl was sweet and twenty. and had
sold one short story to ten cent
magazine. had counselled her TO 60
cityward
Il feel sure you have a career Go
70 meet it," the dear woman had said.
Mavis had obeyed How after three
years she smiled recalling the speech,
then sighed thankfully. TO know her
monitress had gone to the Great Be
yond, and would never know how fu-
tile had been her prophecy.
II q career did really lie in wait for
her, it had so far. successfully eluded
her. Unknown. sensitively proud. con.
scious Of her proyincIalism, it was
rather woderful that the girl had not
starved She still wrote. desperately.
in intervals of sewing. substituting for
friend casually met who worked at
the ribbon counter. and exercising pet
dogs
Naturally the things she sent out
we're crude-but with some vital touch
IN them that now and then appealed
and won acceptance. This was unfor-
tunate-acceptances were Just fire.
Guent enough to keep alive hope, pay
postage, and buy good yellow paper
Mavis hated the yellow paper. She
promised herself that in the good time
ahead, she would use nothing but the
most spotless linen.
This fail she had been more than
ever beset by the writing impulse
Consequently the drain on postage had
Seven scanted her daily bread Where
he had devoured two loaves. she now
made one do. supplemented by crack
ers for lunch She had found a place
to get the most wonderful cracker
bargains-five pounds of broken ones
in a stout bag for twenty-one cents.
II was rather appalling to eat through
such a bag-but there were sundry
ways OF helping. Steamed crackers
for example, tasted wholly unlike dry
cnes. The steaming was managed
over the gas Jet in the little stewpan
that cooked everything When she
had sewing. which meant pay at the
end Of the job. she had hot milk At
other times, hot water. barely dashed
with syrup. warmed her for her work
il 1t did not greatly nourish her De
cember had been wonderful indian
summer balmier than May She had
been extravagant enough to go out
and revel in the balm, through hours
that ought TO have been given to work,
even though she had no dogs to lead
Her patrons in that line fingered in
tho country But one or two had Civ
en- her sewing-making over. mending.
heading
Altogether. Mavis felt reasona bly,
sure Of a Christmas dinner Debt she
would have none Other rent was paid
always TO the day Summing up her
resources. she calculated that she
could pay everything. and have ten
dollars over And she meant TO spend
one OF the dollars upon a dinner Din
ner at the restaurant where all was ap-
netizing and savory was only seventy
five cents. But she meant to buy
nower for her rusty coat also to tip
the waitress. and wish her luck-also
being very extravagantly minded, 10
take cognac with her black coffee
She lived over the dinner in antici-
ration. almost every night It helped
with the sewing, and also with the
milk and cracker diet. Two days be-
fore The holiday she had everything
finished. Since she counted carfares
ieligiously. she set out then to deliver
her various parcels in one round. The
round would run through almost a
hundred blocks, to say nothing Of zig
zags crosstown But by contrivance,
and transfers. she could make it cost
only fifteen cents Reckoning cash in
hand. she found that after paying It
she would have left little more than
her rent
The day made her almost forget that
fact-it was sc softly bright SO filled
with hazy distances. Dreamily she let
lt soak in. as she went down 4 hand
ecrae street. with tall houses either
eide and motors standing at ease in
front IF every other one But coming
cl her steps Jagged sensibly the
maid had taken her parcel eagerly, but
lad said Mrs Gray is in the coun-
IT'S she'll send yer money whin she
comes in"
What II the others Mavis stopped
rhere with something like a chill As
she came TO the car line, a sudden ap-
prehension held her so strongly she re
solved to walk to the next place. in
mite Of the parcels. Only twenty
blocks up town and two across. She
would ride then-of course If she got
money.
She did not ride thence-nor from
any of the other places. It was the
same everywhere-she would have to
wait she walked home, getting there
snent and white-faced at dusk Stuck
under the door was a long thin en-
elope-sight of 1t was the worst blow
cF ar II brought back the thing OF
aich she had liveliest hope-a bit
, III Numerous verse. sent out a month
Commonly that special editor
SICK things within a week
frc sim came always IN
n pes cf cheerful pink