The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-12
EVENING STORY
~.Friend of Errand Boys .
BY JANE OSBORN.


NIB her mind that that Job. should not
be Of the sort that would confine her
within the four walls of an office. She
wanted an outdoor Job and, after hav-
ing received stern parental objections
to taking land army job where she
would be away from home for the
vacation. she scanned the want ads"
in the daily papers, several days In
vain. Outdoor Jobs for girls did not
upon that advertisement of Brown &
Brown, calling for messenger girls.
The wage offered was not very tempt
ing, but as the advertisement stated.
the work would be for the most part
going errands in the busy downtown
business section.
s Brown & Brown is a very large con-
Germ. with branches in cities in various
parts OF the country. and when you
join their force Of employees 1t Is like
enlisting in an army-yous have to
submit to considerable catechising
your parentage and your place OF resi-
dence; and all this is written down on
a formidable large white card that Is
kept IN a filing case for future refer
ence.
ask you," said the young office man
ager who employed Alison Preston,
land 1 will ask you to keep this con-
fidential I don't want every one to
know we are taking on girls for err
handsome person in particular
mustn't know. That's our vice presi-
Chicago office now and-well. to
make a long story short, he began as
messenger himself and he's nuts
about them. He makes hobby of
giving every messenger that Is EN-
ployed what he calls chance.
M a
vice, which would be all right If the
boys had sense enough to profit by it.
He has made up his mind that the
future executives of the concern must
be drawn. as he was. from the ranks
of those who began at the bottom
rung So whenever we get new
messenger he takes no end of interest
in him. He it was who installed this
card system-wants to know all about
the life history of every one that is
taken into the concern. And now that
he is off in Chicago he has left word
to send on records of any new mes
sengers. He wants to give them long
distance advice. So here is what I'm
going to ask you," said the young
clerk. coming back to his point, after
! his long explanation: you'll Just let
me put your name down here SO that
he won't know you're a girl. Alison,
you said it is. May put it down as
Alec?"
why, certainly faltered Alison.
"Only, won't he find out?"
HE won't be back for months, and
you say you can't stay later than the
| middle of September You'll escape
him completely. You see, we did our
best to get boys, but we couldn't get
any. He'd say we hadn't tried hard
enough. And. by the way, don't say
college. 1t might interest him too
much and. then he'd write to you and
| the>cat would be out of the bag"
+ So Alison reported the next day for
work and. provided with her pigskin
wallet that swung easily over her left
shoulder and rested on her right hip,
she started out on the rounds Of the
day, carrying stocks and bonds about
| to various offices, reporting at the
bank and back to the office of Brown
& Brown. If she attracted any atten-
| tfon it was because she was SO much
| better dressed for her work than the
| other girls who were beginning to
| take the places of messengers and err
| rand boys in the downtown section
She wore neatly polished shoes that
| viouS winter in college. Her suit was
| plain and of khaki-such as had been
| chosen by well-to-do, college chums OF
hers who had gone in for motor
messenger service in the vacation.
The coat collar was neatly topped by
/ a iidu . SUI p1quS COlldI dIlu d udTh
blue four-in- hand tie and a banded
sailor of brown completed the equip
| ment.
/ Yes. Of course, she grew tired with
her many errands, but the fatigue was
repaired by her healthy appetite and
by the soundness of the sleep that al
ways followed her days in the open.
The first letter to Alec Preston was
practically like the letter almost al
ways received by errand boys from
the vice president, Morgan Thorne
when that young officer of the con.
personally. Mr.. Thorne assured Alec
of his interest and his hope that he
was regarding his new position step.
ping stone to higher things in the EN-
ploy of the concern of Brown &
Brown. He asked him some question.
Il that he wanted him to answer frankly
4 in a letter that Mr.. Thorne assured
him would be confidential.
did he smoke cigarets? If SO, die
he smoke in bushes hours?
Did he indulge in games of chance
with other errand boys?
What did he eat for luncheon? Die
he go to night school? How did h.
spend his evenings? What time die
he go to bed?
There were many more questions il
the same vein, and Alison answered
them promptly. assuring the kindl.
vice president that she smoked not a
AZ and abstained from games o
chance. She ate egg salad and mill
for luncheon, went to bed early ant
spent her evenings "at home" Sh
didn't add that those evenings wer
sometimes spent with her tired littl,
body resting on the soft upholstery 0
the long chair in her own little bed
4 room reading some one of her favor
Lite Spanish or Italian authors that sh
had learned to admire in college.
, The next letter expressed approve
! of the young boys steady habits, blu
he reproved the boy for not going t
night school, and ended by telling hin
that he would give a prize of $50
that he always offered messengers il
the concern, but had never been wol
If laa hi Solf I'm