Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-19
Euening Story
ACCEPTING ASSIGNMENTS.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.) 49,
BY Sefton Lee.

/ Jean CRANKY sat among the pillows
on the window seat. Her mother and
father and aunt and uncle, who had
come in to spend the evening, sat
around the fireplace. They had gone
Through their usual thorough discus
[sion Of the temperature as compared
with October evenings Of former years.
jeans brother Jack, who stood by the
Library table putting cigarette. pick.
led up the Evening Argus and looked
carelessly over its four pages. 9Ny ;"
! Gee! A deaf and dumb and blind
man could get up more news than this
paper prints" was his sweeping criti-
cism. '.as
I well, isn't news a record of things
that happen? asked Jean. ..-.
Search me- laughed Jack. What
] is news, anyway, Uncle Art?" p.
| 81 should say that news Is a record
Of anything that has recently happen
ed" said Judge Atwood seriously, "or
of anything not before known, though
! it may have happened some time prev
, iously.' q, .,-
| Then call 1t farce to try to have
a newspaper in Marshton" said Jean.
"Why, Jean" her mother mildly re.
buked. 81 consider that Mr.. Edwards
gives us very good paper, with all
the leading events faithfully chron-
ricled."
: I'm not blaming Mr.. Edwards. moth:
err, but If news Is a record Of what
happens. nobody could run good
newspaper. in town where nothing
ever happens -. .-..
What you should do. JEAN said
| To- A>1 - -
news yourself, so that Marshton folks
might read at high noon today two
prominent families led to Hymen's al
tar Miss Jean Olivia CRANKY, the beau
tiful and accomplished"
Jean interrupted him with a con
temptuous sniff. and broke off with
this retort: Talk about the incon-
sistency of woman, will yon? You
growl because the Argus has no news
and then you scorn the idea of supply
ing" Jack dropped his head and
! shielded it with his hands to ward off
| imaginary missiles as he passed Jean
on his way to the hall
! The thoughtless brother had given
Jean suggestion which she thought
over all during the evening. The next
morning. she astonished Mr.. Archibald
Edwards by appearing in his sanctum
and asking for Job as reporter on
the Argus. @' a.
why. Miss CRANKY, nothing would
please me more if it were practicable,
or even possible" stammered the sur
prised editor as he rose from his
roomy swivel-chair and wiped his steel
trimmed spectacles
Nov, Mr. Edwards, first let me tell
you what a practical and possible plan
I have" Jean was convincingly in ear
nest. and she made charming picture
lin trim blue cheviot suit and a
Highland cap with a bit of plaid rib.
bon dangling from it. Her dark eyes
flashed and her color deepened as she
unfolded her plan, which was to arouse
the social and the civic spirit of Marsh.
ton by a persistent appeal through
the Argus. There was to be column
headed, Its Up to YOU" another
headed "How the Women Can Help"
and another. "Marshton's Many Mer-
it's" There were to be frequent ar.
ticles to interest the children, occas.
ional reminiscent interviews with old
er citizens and general write-up of
the towns business enterprises.
Truly promising plan," said Mr..
Edwards, but it would be gigantic
task to carry it out, and my Office
force is small"
But I'm asking you to increase it
by taking me on" said Jean. with q
winning smile, and an hour later Mr..
Edwards was unable to tell whether
it was the bonnie smiles Of the ap.
plicant or the FEASIBILITY Of her plan
that had induced him to take her on"
The plan worked so well that few
weeks after Jean began her work on
the paper there were many evidences
that Marshton was beginning to shake
off It's social and civic stagnation. In
the Argus office rushing activity be-
came the daily programme in all de-
partments The advertising columns
grew with the general infusion of new
life, and the boilerplate columns be-
came only memory.
On the same morning that the fore
mans wife telephoned the Office of her
husbands illness with the grip, Mr..
Edwards had violent seizure of lum- !
bago Jean faced the crisis bravely,
but she realized the impossiblity of !
getting the paper out in any sort of |
shape with the two mainsprings of the
machinery missing. She remembered
having heard Mr. Edwards say that |
his nephew, now reporter on city /,