The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-11
The EVENING STORY
The Real Somebody.
(By Annie Hinrichsen.)

| gOOd-by to the two women writing IL
| the news room of the "JournaF' ofnces
| When she reached the street she re-
| membered an unmailed letter she hao
! left on her desk. Her office adjoineo
! the news room. She entered the ONCE
| from the corridor. The sound OF her
| own name spoken in the news room
| came to her
"Of course, she is successful" The
resentment in the woman's voice was
not concealed. "She is called bril-
| liant newspaper woman. But any Wo-
man with a grain of brains could sue
coed if she had Miss Courtland's ad-
| vantages. She is beautiful, wealthy
and a CORTLAND. She is clever, hard
working and she loves the newspaper
game But she has never had to toll
her way up from the foot of the ladder
as you and 1 and hundreds of others
have had to do. Any woman could
succeed who is exquisitely groomed,
wears the CORTLAND name, $500 tai
lored gown, a plain little $50 hat and
drives around in her own car.
Yes [ know" the voice went on,
that she is bright and charming and
industrious. But her success is due
more to the material things fortune
has given her than to her own ability.
I wonder how she would fare if she
started out to make her way as hun
dreds of the rest of US have done, cook
ing her own breakfasts, wearing mex
pensive clothes, living in a hall bed
room, walking to save carfare, doing
all the nerve-racking, breaking
things the rest of us have done"
Il wonder if she will marry Mr.. Ed
gerton" the other woman said.
Il don't know. 1 believe she cares
for him. Sometimes he seems to be in
love with her and at other times he
looks at her with the cold, appraising
look he turns on all shams."
Eleanor slipped nOfselessly into the
corridor. AS she was entering her cleo
trio car Robert Edgerton came from the
Journal building.
Mr. Edgerton,' she said abruptly,
''am 1 a good newspaper woman or a
sham?"
The young managing editor of the
Journal smiled quizzically. You are
a very beautiful woman" he answered.
But my work. she broke in impa
tiently.
II have never found fault with your
work. he said stiffly.
The next morning Edgerton received
a brief note from Eleanor CORTLAND
She resigned her position on the Jour
nal She was leaving the city for an
extended trip.
1.-The fault with your work, Miss Car
ter" the editor of the Morris Dis
patch" was saying, lis mediocrity.
There are many young women in the
city who write quite as we'll a. you do,
and on this staff are several who write
far better. The things you write do not
ring quite true to life. You have the
stilted. conventional style of the writer
who has never been close to this
worlds sordid realities
Every editor in this city has told me
that replied Miss Carter. 81 came
here a stranger, hunting work in
newspaper Offfce-no letters of recon-
mendation, no record of previous ex-
perience. I have learned that no news
paper in this city wants my services"
Several weeks later Miss Carter re-
turned to the office of the dispatch"
The editor glanced over the typewriter
sheets she laid on his desk When he
had read them through he looked curl
ously at the young woman
Il have been working in a factory"
she announced, "a cruel factory, where
women and girls and little children toll
for a mere pittance. I have lived in a
crowded tenement with other working
girls. These stories are their stories.
written about them while L lived and
worked with them. Will you use
them ?"
You have a position on this paper
as long as you write this sort of stor-
les the editor answered.
who is this Ellen Carter who
writes The Toilers' ?'' the editor of the
Sherwood Journal asked the editor of
the Norris Dispatch
Il don't know anything about her
except that she writes good stuff
about a certain class of people, Lives
and works with them. She will be
here in a few minutes. But don't try
to hire her away from the Dispatch.
She-here she comes now. Miss Car
ter, this is Mr.. Edgerton, of Sher-
wood"
He stopped suddenly. Robert Ed
gerton was staring with wide eyes at
the girl in the doorway.
Eleanor CORTLAND, what does this
mean?''
Il am Ellen Carter who writes
spoke as unconcerneGly as.if she were
the weather "A person
named Eleanor CORTLAND worked on
your paper. She was a vain person
who possessed a little ability and a
great deal of prestige and money. AS
Ellen Carter, a nobody who wore cheap
clothes, she could not secure a posi-
ton. Her work was mediocre. Hun
dreds could write as well; many could
write far better But when Ellen Car
ter went into the sad, cruel corners
and worked with the toilers there she
learned enough of life to get a posi-
ton
Robert Edgerton's eyes were shining.
His hands were clenching and I'M
the arms of his chair.
ELLEN Carter" continued Eleanor,
lis a real somebody, a woman work
ing for her daily bread. living in
tiny room, cooking her own breakfasts, |
wearing cheap clothes, doing all the
things other women
have had to do. She has succeeded !