Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1919-01-03


vice president that she smoked not al
! all and ahStained from gaines Of
chance. She ate egg salad and milk
for luncheon. went TO bed early and
spent her evenings lat home" She
didn't add that those evenings were
sometimes spent with her tired littl"
body resting on the soft upholstery Of
the long chair in her own little bed
room reading some one of her favoritc
Spanish or Italian authors that she
hai learned tn admire in college.
The next letter expressed approval
Of the young boys steady habits. but
he rcprovrd the boy for not going to
night :'chnol. AMI ended by telling him
that he would give Il prize III S50-
that he always offered messengers in
tn" concern. but had never been won-
il Ee would devote himself so earnest
~ to the study of Spanish that within
six months he could command Il slight
+ reading knowledge of that language.
IL" himself. he said. had been hnndi-
. capped because us Il boy he had not
mastered Il foreign language. 1t was
only recently. when his time for such
study WAS limited. that he had taken
up Spanish. Ii WAS the great language
for business men Of the future. etc.
etc.
Alison really ought to have been
more cautious. but the very evening
after receiving this letter she wrote
back n long and fluent letter in her
best Spanish. explaining to Mr.. Thorne
that. though she did not go To night
school. Sh" had mastered Spanish the
previous winter and spent much time
reading il. She declined the prize,
, however. as she had studied ii with
out knowledge that such Il prize eX-
listed.
Then came the letter that caused
CONSERVATION. Mr.. ThOrne wrote Of
fering Alec a position in the Chicago
office as second correspondent in the
Spanish department. They were get
ting lots Of orders from South Amer
ica, h" explained. and he really need
ed him. His wage would he more than
doubled. and his travelling expenses to
Chicago would he paid.
Alison was ut first confused and re-
pcntunt. She felt that she ought not
to have consented to fhc office mana
gers deception. But then she took II
different attitude toward the matter.
Financial conditions in the Preston
family had not been all that they
might have been for the past year and
it had become apparent that another
year AT college would be impossible
CO...
had about decided to spend tho fol-
lowing autumn and winter working.
And here was chance tn earn SD 4
week. She wrote back to Mr.. Thorpe
accepting the position, confeSSing at
the same time her sex, did not wait
for an answer but, packing her little
travelling box and gaining Il rather re-
luctant consent from her parents,
started forth to take her new Job.
She could live on $40 a week she fig
. ured. especially If she continued to
dress In uniform. and the other SIS
she could save to pay her next years
expenses in college.
The Office manager In the New York
office when he heard of the step she
had taken. predicted stormy rcccp-
ton for Alison. He felt thni he knew
just how ThOrne would Snub her But
the storm and the Snub were not forth
coming. ThOrne told her that u first
he had not known. then he Glanced to
see the New York paper that had the
office managers advertisement for girl
messengers. and. beside. he suspected
from the cgg-Salad luncheon and the
, hand writing that she was a girl. But
IT mad" II" difference. he assured her
II" was thorough going feminist. IL
that meant entire approval of giving
girls an equal chance with boys when
they proved themselves capable OF
%rhSpinG il. AMI this girl had proved
herself more promising" than any of
the messenger boys that had ever
driflrd into the employ Of the con-
Germ.
Then ono day Thornc called Alison
into his office and as she came toward
him in her trim little khaki suit he
held "ut both his hands and tool; hers
into his.
alison did not draw back. but stood
looking down ut their joined hands
with II puzzled smile on her face.
u want YOU here, Alec" he had al
ways retained the first name by which
he had thought of hcr-"I want YOU in
the office. but more than al want you
in my heart. | want you to make Al
hoinc for mo. Is II so necessary rs
finish ont that college course OF
yotlrs?'
"Thcre is always one and only one
possible event that will make n col
leg" girl give up her course" said
Alison. -
"Anh that?" ~ ." w.
"Nhpn the man I'm ali tho vnr,d clio