The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23

met. His clothes were shabby and linen
was frayed. 1t was worse when he de-
parted than when he came in for she
spilled coffee down his left arm on to his
neck. The poor man didn't scold her, or
didn't even frown. He mopped the coffee
off his coat sleeve and off his collar and
he wiped his neck. And after it all he
gave her a five-cent tip.
She didn't remain in the restaurant
long. 1t was not her fault. She was fired,
She went out then and looked for another
job So far as she knows, no one had
recognized her, but in the department
store, two or three persons from st.
Louis looked at her sharply and she be-
iieves they recognized her, or thought
they did.
Her third job came through an adver-
usement. The ad called for r1ppers.,
That Is trade term In the tailoring
business. She got an engagement in
sweat shop in Allen street. OF all the
congested sections of New York there is
none that is worse than Allen street The
shop in which she got employment was
a wretched one. Most of the employees
knew no English Nearly all spoke Yid-
dish or a Polish dialect. She was to
to work by the piece. A good ripper
could earn 90 cents a day. Miss Hurst
was no better as a ripper than she was
as ribbon girl or waitress. She earned
her car fare and a little over. She prob
ably was considered as a hopeless sub
ject. The boss discharged her.
After leaving the sweat shop, she
plunged into writing. She had gathered
lot of material. She had kept her eyes
and her ears open, not only in the de-
partment store, the restaurant, and the
sweat shop, but on the streets, In the
subway, in the 81 trains. everywhere.
She was gathering impressions, studying
life thinking of people, creating situa-
tions. She wrote story after story, and
sent the articles out She sent various
manuscripts to a publication that has the
largest circulation of any in America.
They came back regularly. She sent them
elsewhere. Occasionally she sold one. She
was sure that she was going to succeed
sooner or later. One day she got a let
ter from this publication of great cir
oulation. 1t asked her to call at its New
York office 1t also informed her that
one of her stories which she had called
Power and Horse Power" had been ac-
cepted. She went to the office consid-
erably exercised. She had made up her
mind that she would ask a big price for
that story She would insist on getting
500. The gentlemaA was very polite He
told her the editor was much impressed
with her work. THAT he had been watch
ing her for long time, and that she had
been showing steady improvement. The
publication wanted her to submit all her
stories from that time forward he said
Now, what do you think your work
is worth?' the gentleman inquired.
She tried to say 500, but the words
wouldn't come. She hesitated, and .hesi-
tated and finally said:
''Ill leave it to you"
''Well," he said. suppose we start at
$500 an article?"
She nearly tainted.
That was two years ago. She has been
writing, writing, writing, ever since. She
gets far more than $500 a story now.
She is one of the highest-priced short
story writers in America If she keeps
on as she is doing at present she is In
danger of becoming disgracefully rich on
her own account. Half dozen magazines
have offered more money to her than she