The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1918-03-06

%aWho/s
OFT IN THE COLD WORLD.

Miss Marlin, why we cannot keep
you on as a member Of the Sun
day staff said the edi-
tor to me when l acknowledged
that / was not married.
al confess / can hardly see
1t from your point OF view was
my rejoinder, i do my work well,
do l not?'
mo woman on the staff does
as good work, he said warmly,
| "'You have never had the
slightest reason to suspect that
was not self-respecting wo-
man.
mot the slightest was his
somewhat wondering reply, as II
he did not know Just which way
my questions tended.
You also are quite cognizant
of the fact that Mr.. Brown. the
man who told you about my little
daughter, was one of the men who
was caught in the raid on the
most disreputable house in town
last week, and that he used his
connection with the paper to pull
him out of a very bad mass
| Yes, I know that too.
Does Mr.. Brown get his dis
missal today. too?'
Certainly not. Brown has
been doing some splendid work
lately, and we have nothing to
do with a mans private life, un-
less he is caught in something
that will hurt the paper
What he was caught at will
not hurt the paper, according to
your idea, Mr.. Lemmis?'
" Not in the least
land what / was caught at
will?'
| "'You have been long enough
out in the world, my dear young
woman, to know it will. There
| is distinctly a double standard,
whatever the suffraget may say.
In other words, Mr.. Brown
will be allowed to break the law
with impunity for the sport of the
moment, and l and my baby must
suffer, and, perhaps, starve, be-
cause l have broken the law;
when I honestly believed l was
acting on principle
THE Managing Editor turned
to his desk impatiently, and l
knew I was dismissed.
Tim said, Miss Margaret,
that he had never seen Mr.. Sy-
none so much wrought up but he
said nothing and the young wo-
man continued her story"
You see l had not then
learned my lesson of compensa-
ton. and | was absolutely des-
perate as l left the office.
" 1T seemed to me that a great
wrong was being done when l was
not allowed to earn an honest liv-
ing for myself and little baby.
~" I had a thought of killing
myself and her, but when I reach
ed home and saw her darling lit.
tie face, and heard her lisp Ma
ma | could not do it. Certain
ly. | could not kill my beautiful
baby and neither did I dare kill
myself, and leave her to the
worlds cold mercy-the kind OF
mercy that I had just expert
enced.
" I had just the contents of my
last pay envelope between us and
starvation, and / tell you, your
Honor. l did not know what to
do. Finally decided to 60 to an
other city, where was not
known and see II could get on
the paper there.
Il had never been in your
city, your Honor. until about
eight months ago. / was de-
lighted with it.
II got cheap little room and
hired a woman to look after the
baby for few hours a day, and
started out to hunt for work.
Il passed the place of great
est historic interest in the United
States in going to one of the
newspaper offices, and l could not
resist going in for a moment. 1t
thrilled me as l had never been
thrilled before.
A great story began to
spread itself in my mind. I was
crazy to write it,"
Ito Be COntinuedD,