Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-03

putlNS Hlu Jul VI HSt ilS, SoHhs
back to her lonely sordid struggle.
Whoever had sent the anonymou.
notes, they were effective in Compel
ling Margaret to relinquish friend.
ship that had just begun to illumine
her weary discouragement.
But brooding was a luxury in which
she could not indulge. The need tc
work was imminent. Her unpaid
board bill looned ominously. Before
her manuscript strewn table. grimly
she forced her recoiling mind to cut.
ting and polishing the rough draft oi
3 story. =
That evening she went down to din.
ner with more than her usual aver.
sion for the noisy odoriferous dining
room.
II didn't realize It was so late"
conscious that her unpaid board bill
was the cause Of the landlady's
scowling glance. "No, don't care
for soup" hoping by this omission to
compensate for her tardiness.
Margaret aloofness had antagonized
the other boarders, and now she hur-
ried through her dinner to escape the
unfriendly atmosphere.
Going back upstairs, she heard a
labored painting and knew the land
lady was following her. Belligerently,
her stout bust heaving from the ex-
ertion, Mrs. Devlin demanded her
money. Vainly Margaret pleaded for
more time, saying she would soon get
a check for a story.
"How bout your lawyer friendse"
Insinuatingly. "Instead of dinners
and taxis, why doesn't he pay your
board?"
With flaming indignation Margaret
ordered her from the room.
Ordering me out, eh?" with sneer.
swell ! guess you'll be the one to
CO." .'
Every WE'LL" swept on by her in
dignation Margaret thrust a few
things into handbag.
"No you don'tw Mrs. Devlin's bulky
form barred the doorway. You'll
take nothing out of here til you pay
your bill. I'll call up the police sta
ton! I'll see if | can't get my money!
as viciously she slammed the door,
locking it from the outside.
Terrified, with hysterical vision OF
imprisonment, Margaret rushed TO the
one window as the only means of
escape. With reckless disregard of
the danger, she swung herself out on
the sloping tin roof, from which a
fre-escape led to the ground.
Out through the alley, up a dark
side street, and still on for four long
blocks before she paused breathless-
safe from pursuit.
Under a bright light, hung a sign,
Salvation Army" Clean Beds 15c.
Tremulously opening the door,
Margaret found herself in a barren
office. A blear-eyed woman was TAX
ing from her dirty handkerchief three
grimy iiickels, for which she received
ticket and passed on.
Margaret felt the surprised scrut-
my of the matron. But asking no
questions, with a kindly Come with
me-" she led the way to curtained
cot. The mattress was hard and
discolored, but the sheets were clean,
and exhausted, Margaret soon fell
asleep. " r,
She awoke at dawn. 1t was a chill,
misty morning. A cup of coffee and
roll from cheap lunch room at the
corner-and she started out in search
of work. N-+
The very urgency Of her need con-
tributed to her courage, and at 9
O'Clock, as soon as the offices were
open, she stood before the managing
editor of the Evening Star"
well, what can you write? Don't
generalize; something definite" he
flung at her impatiently, glancing
through his mail.
I've just spent the night at Sal
ration Army lodging house" faltered
Margaret. I'D like to write a story
ibout that"
With gleam Of interest he glanced
Up. ...
Go over there" nodding to a desk,
and tear it off"
By noon Margaret had written the
'tory--tense, vivid, aglow with at
nosphere Timidly she laid the pages
IN the EDITORS desk.
mot bad" as he glanced through
Them. '"Well give you a tryout at
eighteen a week"
With leaping, dizzy joyousness,
Margaret murmured her thanks At
asst. when her need was most des-
perate. she had secured foothold.
The sultry day deepened to dusk
with no relief in temperature. Wan
dering around the deck of the house