The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-11-07
The
of Khaki
00
BY JANE OSBORN
copyright. 1915. BY the Mcclure Nswspa-
per oyndicate.)

snail snr1ek-I certainty snail
shrek II I come to another khaki
hero" Fl. b. Stanley mumbled this
rather to herself than aloud as she sat
before her high piled desk In the ed
ltorial Offices Of "The Purple Book /;
all-story, flve-cent weekly" II. +.
Truman. the remainder Of the editorial
stntf, laic a gentle hand on his bald
heed and looked over his shell trimmed
spectacles at his colleague on the
other side of the room.
He looked Just In time to see Miss
Stanley dash of her shell-rimmed
spectacles, lean suplnely back in her
swivel chair and at the same time
emit a stiied yell.
"Therc, I said I'd do It. and I did.
The very next manuscript I turned to
began right In the first paragraph with
! Her head dropped on his khaki shoul-
der. Gooa-by, she whispered and
pushed him away and then at the
end: II I thought you were there
waiting for me I could fight a thou
sand Huns They are all like that. II
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 noIsef" asked
Nj. Truman. obviously relieved.
"Certainly. why shouldn't I? Every
blessed story that comes In Ia the
same. How ! am going to get enough
possible stories for you to make up
the magazine out Of here I am sure I
don't know. They are all alike. The
contribs have lost their balance. They
think that all they have to do is to
bring in a little trench slang, a lot Of
mush and twaddle about brond kha-
XII shoulders, clinking spurs and
that sort Of thing and their story is
Sold"
Mr.. Truman suggested that posi-
bly, the readers Q iAthe Purple Book
liked clinking spurs and khaki shout
ders; there were a good many men In
the camps who readffhe magazine and
they should be catered to.
ITO be sure" agreed Miss Stanley,
Sitting the next lnrge envelope that
lay before her and unfolding the man.
uscript mechanically. "But I've found
1t out. There are only about seven
days q soldier can fall In love. and
we've used each che Of those plots
at least flve times over. It's mo
notonous. There is the man who
doesn't know he loves the plain lit.
tie girl at home till he gets away
- Tho tropchoo opd thara 20 tho 0trl
who doesn't know she loves the awk'
ward, frank.eyed, broad-shouldered
hero till he gets away. Then there
Is the girl who wants to be a suf'
fragette or something and won't marry
the man till he's gone and then she
gets an idea that she ought to keep
the fire burning and she sends FOL
him or something and"
eyes. I know" said Truman, who was
rather bored than otherwise at his as
~sistant's analysing tendencies. There
were times when she VA delightful
really too delightful for his w pence
Of mind. But In this mood she was
trying. "Well, please don't shrieh
about 1t next time-you gave me quite
q scare I thought you were having
Q At or something"
~ told you I was going to-" argued
Miss Stanley.
II thought you. were testing. Sup
pose instead of doing that you whistle
joyously when you come to a hero out
Of Khaki Really 7 quite agree with
you that We do need some really
gripping stories Of q nonmilitary ma
ture." Then Mr.. Truman went bach
to his editorial work. and gradually
there began to creep over him q pleas
urnble consciousness He had had ar
u~ndercurrent Of conviction that hill
colleague disapproved Of him because
he had not enlisted: he had feared
that 1t would be necessary as q means
Of winning her permanent esteem fol
him to don the khaki or sailor blue
But apparently he had been mistaken
She could not have spoken as she hat
about broad khaki shoulders II ski
young women were reputed to do.
Suddenly Mr.. Truman started In hii
chair SO violently that his spectaclei
fell of from his nose. Miss STANLEY
had emitted a whistle so piercing ant
sharp that II had violently agltatet
his d~elicately strung v organ,
ism.
THAT" she announced, twas to lei
you know Id found the gripping story
you wishing for. It's q thriller
and the hero Is an Argentine cowboy
and there isn't M reference to war
I'm going to accept 1t without wait
Ing for you to read Il. I'm 30 SUR Il
Is what you are looking for"
"You might tell the young woman
that wrote It that we appreciate moi
having the hero In khaki and would
like more In the same vein." smiled
Mr.. Truman as Miss Stanley hailed
the diminutiye stenographer from thu
next room SO that she might at once