Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-03-10
Their Married Life
By MABEL HERBERT URNER

! the back of the letter Helen wrote:
"A good stenographer. but think she
would be very assertive."
| Helen had heard the outer door
open and close several times and
knew that there were other girls
waiting.
The one who entered now was
most frivolous young. person with a
very large black hat, very narrow
black skirt, quantities of puffed hair
and a pert. powdered nose. l
Not Desirable
But I-Mr. Curtis didn't answer
any letters except from those who'd
had experience in legal work." ex-
claimed Helen puzzled, when the girl
admitted that she had never been in
lawyers office.
"Oh, I was sent by the Wilson En-
ployment Agency"
But how did they know Mr.. Cur
tis wanted a stenographer?" for War
rem had spoken of answering no let
| tiers from any agency.
Il guess they wrote under some
girls name. They do sometimes"
That this was exactly what had
been done was proven by the next
three applicants. who admitted they
were all from Wilson's Agency.
In marked contrast to these young
and inexperienced girls, there now
entered a woman of about thirty-five.
She was small and painfully thin, her
rather sharp features angular to the
point of gauntness.
The clothes of some of the others
! had looked worn, yet Helen had not
had this impression of desperate
need. No, 1t was not the clothes. and
certainly nothing that she said, for
her answers were most reserved.
She had had two years experience
in legal work, and many years in
wholesale hardware. She took the
letter and transcribed 1t accurately.
She said or did nothing different
from the others, and yet, from the
moment she entered Helen had felt
the air charged with a curious tense
ness.
When she gave her name. Agnes
Middleton, Helen remembered her
Tletter. 1t had been one of the best.
And now, as she repeated the set
phrase about having to ''see one or
two Others" the woman dropped her
eyes and Helen saw that her hands
were clenched.
| With a strained smile of assent,
but without word, she rose to go.
| Wait" Helen opened her purse,
you won't be offended If I give you
your carfare? 1t must take a great
/ deal If one goes to many places"
| Besides a couple of bills, there was
only fifty cent piece and three
pennies in Helen's purse. She hand
ed the woman the half dollar.
! NO." drawing back with a deep
flush. IL haven't any change"
| We'll take this anyway, your time
coming down here is worth that
much"
Then suddenly, to Helens aston
ishment and dismay, she turned
away, buried her face in her hands
and burst into tears.
1t was an embarrassing moment
Helen stood awkwardly by the desk
not knowing what to do or say. But
quickly Miss Middleton recovered
herself, her sobs ceased as suddenly
as they had come.
II wouldn't have broken down be-
fore man." she murmured, as she
turned toward the door.
'No-no. wait!" tenseIy. "Are you
l-have things been very hard?"
The woman nodded. She could not
trust herself to speak
Tell me-" Helen insisted. "You
can tell woman, you know, you
know"
She hesitated a moment and then
said simply:
Il spent my last five cents to come
here. I was going to walk back"
Little by little Helen got the story
from her. She had been a stenog-
rapher since she was eighteen, and
had references from everywhere she
had worked. But now-well, every
one wanted younger and more attrac-
tive girls. And this had been hard
winter. All the big iirms were laying
off help. The employment agencies
and typewriter offices were crowded
with applicants. There were a hun
dred girls for every position-and
always the more attractive and pros
lperous looking ones were engaged.
For the last six months she had had
only two weeks of substitute work.
She had sold or pawned everything,
and was now living in six -dollar-a-
month hall room, getting her meals
to try for one more day. and then