The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-08-12
Sylvia and
Slang
o0
Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicats.)
BY GERALD ST. ErTlENNE



struggling with beautiful thoughts
and philosophy, though 1t must be con-
fessed right here that although Sylvfa's
tastes lay that way, her mind was not
equal to 1t. She just understood such
things partly-not that Sylvia was
stupid. She was really one of the clev-
crest and most conscientious stenOg-
raphers in the employ of Ellis & Co.,
and was fair to look upon; but that is
all that could be said Of her offhand.
/ Madge was a very different type of
girl. New thought" was farthest from
her mind most of the time, and as for
beautiful thoughts and the art Of liv-
ing in perfect harmony with every
thing and everybody, well, she just
didn't think Of life In that way. Get
all the enjoyment out of everybody and
everything and give everybody and ev-
erything all the enjoyment of yourself
as far as it is within your power. was
the code that Madge lived up to I'M
consciously.
She was the life Of the Office and
popular with everybody but Sylvia.
Sylvia could not make out Madge at
ALL At times she seemed gOod-heart-
ed. and. on unexpected occasions, came
cut with real philosophy that astound-
ed the other girl, but whatever good
impression that made on Sylvia was
quickly banished by Madge's use of
slang.
That was the bugbear of poor Syl-
Was life. She would just sit back and
gasp and hold her head when Madge
let loose some of her new versions of
1.-The English language. Il should wor-
ry," "Have heart" "I'll say that 1t
is'' and such horrible expressions were
! mild to some of the crimes against
Webster that floated so easily from
Madge's pretty. laughing lips.
The others said Madge'was original,
but Sylvia could see no other interpre-
+ 'ati0n of such a manner of speech but
commonness and utter lack of propri-
| ETY..
| II would not have been so bad, Syi-
via thought, If Madge had confined her
slang to use among her associates, but
when she persisted in using 1t even In
| the presence OF the manager and the
president Of the firm, that about
capped the climax as far as Sylvia was
concerned. What did 1t matter If
Madge could express herself better
than any other girl in the Office just
by resorting to slang? Even when
Madge was the means of securing an
1 Iolt Cor. tba of
Sylvia could find no excuse for her.
The incident is worth relating.
For two weeks every stenographer
in the employ of Ellis & Co. worked
nights to finish some special work. OF
course a promised bonus was looked
forward to-anywhere from thirty to
hundred dollars was figured on by ev-
cry girl. Picture their disappointment
| when the bonus turned out to be
paltry ten dollars each. Every girl
| (Sylvia included), excepting Madge
| got angry and mumbled TO them
selves about the unfairness OF the
thing.
Not so Madge The minute she dis
covered the extra ten dollars In her
pay envelope she was back to the cash
ier and said, in a tone loud enuOgh for
the manager and president to hear:
We'll, some people are SO mean they
would sing through their nose to save
the wear and tear on their false teeth.
Now. Mr.. vent.lator." (the cashiers
name was Vanslater, but Madge had
persisted In nicknaming him from the
first), do you think this a fair bon
us7 Or" she added, perhaps the firm
is giving us our bonus In installments."
Madge was never impudent. Slang
from her lips to the ears of anybody
but Sylvia sounded perfectly all
right. She was gifted with personal
fty that could almost have put across
profanity.
Before Mr.. yanslater could volunteer
an answer to her Surprising question.
the manager had come from his office.
You are quite right, Miss Wilson,"
he apologized. There was mistake
this week An additional twenty dol
lars will be Included in the envelopes
next payday"
"HDw .eucyliptis Of your 1t was a
senseless expression. but isn't all slang
senseless? And then the way Madge
said 1t, 1t expressed whole lot.
Sylvia just gasped, while the others
longed to applaud. Every one Of them
knew that such an outburst from any
one of them would have won instant
dismissal, but with the exception Of
Sylvia they realized that Madge's
personality counted more With the Arm
and somehow her slang seemed to
make up part of that personality.
/ Poor Sylvia 1t was bad enough to
have to work with girl that used
slang In about every fifth sentence
without having a man who used slang
In love with her. Dick Levery's slang
was not originate was just ordinary
gosh-ding-blished slang that did more
to irritate the object of his affections
than all the boxes of candy and con-
fessions of devotion could ever do to
pacify her.
AT fiFst Sylvia believed she cared for
Dick, but finally when she found all
her admonitions against the use of
common and, to her, vulgar expressions
were In vain. she refused to have any
thing further to do with him. Madse
she blamed for the whole thing. Dick
worked in the Office and thought Madge
was too wonderful for anything. 1t
was from her he caught his habit of
using slang, Sylvia felt sure.
That was another reason for dislik.
ing the girl. One who disliked the ia
vorite Of the Office could not hope to be
popular, so Sylvia had to content her
self with reading the books of J. Lin
coin Treathway on philosophical sub
Jects. OF course, she did not under
stand them, but there was some con-
ISOLATION in dreaming about J. Lincoln
and admiring his handsome face as 1t
was pictured on the fiyleaf. There was
real mana man who found the fine
things OF life and who l0athed the low
and the bsrbarous.
How her heart beat one day as she
was in the private office Of the man.
ager taking dictation and she realized
that the visitor who entered was no