The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1917-03-29
ACCEPTING ASSIGNMENTS
BY sEFToN LEE.

on the window seat. Her mother and
father and her aunt and uncle, who
had come in to spend the evening, sat
around the fireplace. jeans brother
Jack. who stood by the library table
putting cigarette, picked up the Eve
ming Argus and looked carelessly over
its four pages.
See! A deaf and dumb and blind
man could get up more news than this
paper prints" was his sweeping crit
icism.
Jean suggestion which she thought
over all during the evening. The next
morning she astonished SIR. Archibald
Edwards by appearing in his sanctum
and asking for job as reporter on
the Argus.
"why, Miss CRANKY, nothing would
please me more If it were practicable,
OF even possible" stammered the sur
prised editor.
"Now, Mr.. Edwards, first let me tell
you what practical and possible plan
I have" Jean was convincingly in
earnest, and she made <, charming pic
ture in a trim blue cheviot suit and
a highland cap with u biz of plato 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 civic spirit OF
Marshton by persistent appeal
through the Argus. There was to be
column headed, Its Up to You" an
other headed. "How the Women Can
Help" and another. "Marshton's Many
Merits"
An hour later Mr.. Edwards was un-
nble to tell whether it was the bonnie
smiles of the applicant or the rlausi-
bility 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
that paper there were many evidences
that Marshton was beginning to shake
of its social and civic stagnation. In
the Argus office rushing activity be
came the daily program In all depart
ments.
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
lumbago. Jean faced the crisis brave
ly. but she realized the impossibill.y
Of getting the paper out in any sort
Of shape with the two mainstays of
the machinery missing. She remem-
bered having heard Mr.. Edwards say
that his nephew, now a reporter on
city daily, had been most promising
all-round newspaper worker when he
left the Argus Office a few years be
fore. Something had to be done quicB-
ly. and Jean decided to telegraph for
the nephew, for there wasn't an avail-
able man in MarsbtoD.
IT was then ten O'Clock and the first
edition should he out by one, so Jean
rolled up the sleeves of her soft white
shirtwaist, and for the next three
hours fluttered back and forth from
editorial desk TO composing and print
Ing rooms. 1t was / 80 when the first
edition was out
She was turning the damp pages of
paper just of the press when the
Office door opened and tall, broad
shouldered man entered The room. II
years since hat man had been merely
promising boy. yet Jean rightly
guessed that he was Mr.. Edwards
nephew
''Alr. Bert Edwarls?" she asked, and
there was a slight twinkle In the mans
gray eyes as he inclined his head af-
iirmatively.
81 am Miss CRANKY. special writer
on the Argus, but today I've been ed
itor and foreman as well. Tn going
to ask you to take hold of the fore
mans work at once so as to get the
home edition out promptly. When
that is done we can work together on
tomorrow's editorial page. I've got
to give the next two hours to some
special Interview stufr'
Thus coolly did Jean assume the
generalship. and the tall man accepted
the assignment without letting her
see his amused smile as he turned
away. For the next two days, he did
cheerfully and went about what
should be done. On the morning Of
the third day Mr.. Edwards returned
to the Office.
Bert, my boy. 1t was like you to
help me out In a PINCH" he said. in
greeting his nephew. "and Miss Gran
by, 1t was like you to know what to do
in an emergency. I'm glad you sent
for Bert. But how did your chief
happen to let you of, BertT
Tin pretty much my chief, Uncle
George, and had two capable young
fellows to, leave at my desk"
a'Af your desk? Why. what's your
position now7'' asked his uncle.
"City editor" said Bert quietly, with
b ifcetIng RThnce at Jean, who van
isIsiNd 4dtishIngly into the next room.
kInlf an illnris.i ilnfs, . phefs Mr. Ed.