The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-03
EVENING STORY
Where Martha Fitted In.
BY VINCENT G. PERRY.

Copyright, 1915 by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)
AS reporter Martha Fiddas was a
failure, everyone admitted it. It was
doubtful if Martha believed herself of
much value on the Telegram staff.
Why she was kept there was more
than anyone was willing to say. but
some of the boys limited that 1t was
because she was pretty and Phil
Weekes, the city editor, had a weak
spot in his heart for all pretty girls.
Not that he was ladies man or a
masher-it was just a kindly, broth
erly interest he seemed to have in
them all. 1t was thru him that
Martha had been taken on the staff.
She had been hired first as a stenog-
grapher for the business office. but
she made SO many blunders that she
would have been discharged from the
employ of the Telegram if Phil had
not suggested that she might prove
of value as a reporter.
Her good looks had not been the
only thing he had seen. She was
sociable, had a winning personality
and was a splendid conversationalist-
qualities that should have made a
successful reporter. The first week
was enough to show Phil that there
were many things Martha lacked
that she should also have had, but he
hoped experience would develop them.
After the first month he gave up the
idea of putting her on assignments
that required head work. If there
was a story that required dat, Mar
tina would be sure to miss it; she never
spelled names correctly, always got
numbers and even the names of
streets wrong, and if by chance she
ran across an accident story she al
ways had to go back to the scene
of the accident to get the time that it
occurred, and other little necessary
details that she never remembered to
get the first time. 1t was almost nee
essary to hire another reporter to do
her work after her. Once in a grea
while she wrote sentence that didn't
have to be rewritten. 1t didn't seem
to bother Martha much, though. If
she had shown that she knew she
wasn't doing her work satisfactorily it
would have been much easier for Phil
to discharge her. but every time Phil
mustered up courage enough to tell
her, something would turn up to make
him change his mind. Her salary was
such a small one it didn't matter much
he told himself. When she asked for
raise it would give him an oppor-
tunity to let her out. AS the weeks
went by Martha showed a little i'm
provement-or was it that he got so
used to her mistakes and working af-
ter her that e ina -i1ed she vas i'm
| proving? Phil had hard time keep
| ing her mistakes out of the way of the
mana ging editor. The managing edi-
| tor never could put up with care
| less reporter and. because Phil l,new
that. he even stole time from his own
work to put some touches on Mar
tha's that would pass it. if by chance
| the editor happened to come across
it He often told himself that he was
foolish to do it, for it would have been
easier for him if the managing editor
/ had relieved him of the unpleasant
duty of giving Martha her notice
but just the sames he did it. The
Telegram staff was limited to a speci-
| fled number of reporters. and because
| of Martha it often required doubling
up.
IF you dom get rid of that girl
and get somebody you can depend
upon in he-- place, you are going to