The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-28
EVENING STORY
The Appeal of Khaki.
By JANE OSBORN.


sat before her high piled desk in the
editorial offices of The Purple Book;
all-story, cent weekly" H. P. Tru-
man, the remainder of the editorial
staff, laid gentle hand on his bald
head and looked over his shell-rimmed
spectacles at his colleague on the other
side of the room.
He looked just in time to see Miss
Shxnley dash off her own shell-rfm-
med spectacles, lean supinely back in
her swivel chair and at the same time
emit a stifled yell.
There, said I'd do 1t, and / did.
The very next manuscript I turned to
began right in the first paragraph
with Her head dropped on his khaki
shoulder. Goodby, she whispered and
pushed him away and then at the
end, IT thought you were here wait
ing for me I could fight thousand
Huns, They are all like that. If the
hero isn't in khaki he is in sailor blue
and half the heroines are nurses"
WAS that what made you make
that funny little shrieky noise?" asked
Mr. Truman, obviously relieved.
Certainly. why shouldn't it? Every
blessed story that comes in is the same.
How am going to get enough possl.
BILE stories for you to make up the
magazine out of here am sure don't
know. They are all alike. The con-
tribs have lost their balance. They
think that all they have to do is to
bring in little trench slang, a lot OF
mush and twaddle about broad khaki
shoulders, blinking spurs and that sort
Of thing and their story is sold.''
Mr.. Truman suggested that possibly
the readers of the Purple Book liked
clinking spurs and khaki shoulders;
there were a good many men in the
camps who read the magazine and
they should be catered to.
ITO be sure" agreed Miss Stanley,
Sitting the next large envelope. that
lay before her and unfolding the man.
uscript mechanically. "But I'VE found
it out. There are only about seven
ways a soldier can fall in love, and
we've used each one OF those plots
at least five times over. It's-monoton-
Gus. There is the man who doesn't
know he loves the plain little girl at
home till he gets away In the trenches.
and there is the girl who doesn't
know she loves the awkward frank
eyed, broad-shouldered hero till he
gets away. Then there is tn girl who
wants to be suffragette or some
he's gone and then she gets an idea
that she ought to keep the home fires
burning and she sends for him or
something and"
Eyes, I know" said Truman, who
was rather bored than otherwise at his
oSSiolaAb aldlyZ lI6 LeuuSuCleS. rIH0Ie
were times when she was delightful,
really too delightful for his own peace
Of mind. But in this mood she was
trying. well, please don't shrek
about it next time-you gave me quite
a scare. I thought you were having
a fit or something"
Il told you was going to-" argued
Miss Stanley.
Il thought you were testing. Sup
pose instead of doing that you whistle
Joyously when you come to a hero out
or khaki? Really 1 quite agree with
you that we do need some really grip
ping stories of monmilitary nature"
Then Mr.. Truman went back to his ed
1tortal work, and gradually there be-
gan to creep over him a pleasurable
consciousness He had had an UNDER
current of conviction that his col
league disapproved of him because he
had not enlisted; he had feared that it
would be necessary as means of
winning her permanent esteem for
him to don khaki or sailor blue, But
he had been mistaken. She
could not have spoken as she had
about broad khaki shoulders if she
had admired them as much as most
young women Were reputed to do.
Suddenly Mr.. Truman started in his
chair so violently that his spectacles
fell off from his nose. Miss Stanley
had emitted a whistle so piercing and
sharp that it had very violently agitat-
ed his delicately strung nervous or
ganism.
That" she announced, was to let
you know I'd found the gripping story
you were wishing for. It's thriller
and the hero is an Argentine cowboy,
and there isn't one reference to the
war. I'm going to accept it without
waiting for you to read it, I'm so sure
it is what you are looking for
You might tell the young woman
that wrote it that we appreciate not
having the hero in khaki and would
like more in the same vein," smiled
Mr.. Truman as Miss Stanley hailed
the diminutive stenographer from the
next room SO that she might at once
write her letter of acceptance.
1t isn't young woman-it's one
Patrick Henry Madison.
f9ou never can tell" commented
the superior editor. That's just the
sort OF name a girl writer would
The letter notifying Patrick Henry
Madison" of the acceptance of his
story and the announcement that he
would receive his check ION date of
was brief but encourage
ing. It was signed H. B. Stanley and
eft little suspicion in its abrupt, bust
nessiike wording that H. stood for
Helen and B. for Beatrice. Perhaps
Patrick Henry Madison had seldom re-
,eived editorial letters so encouraging,
perhaps he read between the lines
1t all events he wrote a letter OF con-
siderable length on sending in his next
1onm1iitary story-the hero this time
was South Sea Island planter with
put suspicion of khaki-and of 50
friendly a character that H. B. Shan
ey was constrained to write an equal
y friendly letter in reply. Again that
editor congratulated him on his rare
1iscernment in keeping his heroes out
IL the war game. Unless you can tell
your story like q genius and have an
entirely new twist, any war story now
would be deadwood- They have all
been written except the really great
,nes. The correspondence continued
'or several months and the stories ap-
1eared at close intervals. Then pat
lick Henry" asked permission to meet
H. B. STANLEY and the interview was
arranged to take place in the