The Press., 1918-06-20
Back-Door Methods
By Helen Gregg


 looking over the top of his horn spec
 tacles and not taking the trouble to take the cigarette from the place where 1t adhered to hIs lower lip, ''you've got
 to learn the back-doOr method. Get
 the dramatic editor to give you tick
 cts for bum shows that none of us
 want tO see, and hand them out to inc
 telephone operators in some of the
 swell hotels. In return, they will lis
 ten to conversations when the swell
 danes In their places call anyone np
 Kid the ladies' maids In the dressing
 rooms when you go to charity balls.
 and get next to the hair-dreSSerS ana
 manicure girls that are employed by
 the Society women who don't have
 their own maids. of course, the big
 bugs themselves won't take the tr"n-
 ble tn talk to you" and there WAS an
 emphasis on the "you" that was very
 belittling tO Clarice DAw. newly in
 stalled as society editor of the News
 World
 Sometimes. in spite of the city ed Itor'S judgment. the "hig-hugS" did talk tO ClarIce. If they ever mentioned her at all to each other 1t was f." speak of her as nice little thing" Very pretty though she was, she managed never to he striking when she attend ed society functions. and though more than one husband or son would gladly have talked to her instead of the more eligible women of their own set. Clar- lee knew too much to let them. She preferred the hack-dOOr method of get ting news. If she were forced tO con suit the "big-bugS" at all. she had learned that the oldiSh women when approx ched with considerable hut dis erect fattery yielded up the facts she wanted to know better than anyone else. But Clarice had made the dis covery that there is no one In the world that Is S0 hattered by the at- tention of young and pretty woman as an old woman, especially when that attention is accompanied hy complete obliriouSneSs of the existence of that aging ones husband or son.
 On the occasion of the big war ben eft bazaar that was to be given out at Colonel James Drew's country es- tate late in the autumn, Clarice was urged to do her durndest" by the city editor He promised to give the event the most conspicuous position on the front page, of course, provided there was not another revolution in Rus sia or a cabinet minister did not re- sign or something of that sort. Its to be the biggest social event of the season." he told her, "and, besides, want to have Drew think the News World Is the best sheet in town"
 "Well, I'm sure there is every reason why he should" protested Clsrice whose loyalty to the paper for which she worked was complete.
 Clarice circled hurriedly round the large drawing rooms where the Varl- ous booths had been set up and then rOamed through the protected gardens Of the old estate and down linden lanes and through hemlOck groves and In and out & Japanese garden, where the various mOney-extractinG schemes were established. She noted on the tiny sheets of paper that she held in- cOnspicuOusly in her hand the gowns of the various distinguished women whose faces had come to be very Ia millar to her. But, reelected Clarice, gowns wouldn't be enough for first page story. She wished that fire might break out in & wing of the house or that someone would fall into the pool in the Japanese garden so that else might make heroic rescue. But nothing like that hap pened. Then Clarice remembered the back-dOOr method.
 Sheltered in grape arbOr that ran at right angles from the hedge that bounded the kitchen yard was an elab- Orately Set-up bar. Although. per force, all the drinks there dispensed were of the soft variety. The bar was entirely attended by men, who stood and shivering there in the ar their sanctuary from too much feminlnlty. Mayhap behind those bottles Of ginger ale were some others not listed on the enormous, wOrded list of drinks that was fastened cOnSpicuOuSly over the lmprOmptu bar. Clarice knew, of course, that interesting though such a might be, it would never do to make the interest of her article de pend on such information.
 What did focus her attention was the presence of two harji-working men In white linen coats who mixed vari- Ous connections with all the eXpertness of professionals. They were the only that Clarice had yet heen able to discover. She knew that if she could get hold of one of the servants of the Drew household she could ex- tract what information she wanted. She therefore sidIed her way over to- wards the bar in the arbOr taking care that none of the dowagerS. whose proved SO valuable to her. should see her taking steps in the di- -ection of the group where most every one's husband was standing
 She therefore approached the arbor rom the Kitchen side of the house and was not perceived The younger of the wO barkeepS saw her approach. and with the intuitive knowledge of her | lisinclinatiOn to draw any nearer to | he group of men, slipped to the other | ide of the hedge. |
 T know you are very busy" she aid. She realized at once that the nan knew who she was and guessed sr errand. But then most servants I the large establishments did know CT and-perhaps because of the hum heater tickets"-rather liked her. She ad never, that she remembered. had ny direct transaction with this one. IS there anything doing here? I'm Doklng for a scoop for the News 1orid-you know, something that one or the other papers have. How ave your drinks been Selling?"
 The barkeep smiled Knowingly and aid Yes, madam" and "rn see, adam. Then, cogitating for mo- lent' T don't believe as ow the 'lonel wanted 1t to be published but