The Topeka state journal., 1919-07-04
EVENING STORY
|. Sporting Blood.
) BY WILL T. AMES.

lice VINO didn't treat little MISS NC
Lean with the utmost respect from
the moment of her joining the staff
was Bannister. Bannister wasn't the
typical sporting editor of fiction and
the movies. He didn't wear checked
suits.
He didn't gable increasingly in
ber and chronically peSsimisttc con-
cerning prize fighters, star pitchers
and race horses. He was sporting
editor because of an uncanny gift of
analysis that made him the best fore
caster in that field in the state.
The "old man" had discovered this
quality in Bannister and bribed him.
with an increase in pay, to quit gen.
eral reporting and specialize in sports.
Bannister didn't like being a sporting
editor. He wanted to be the papers
feature writer. And Betty Mclean
had just been given that job.
Betty had come to the Argus
from an unin1portant upstate paper
Enders, the old exchange reader, had
discovered her stuff and showed it to
the boss. Phillips was always after
good material. He sleuthed Betty out
and hired her.
When Billy Saunders. the city edi-
tor. introduced Bannister to Miss Nc
Lean Bannister grunted. He didn't
give the girl a second look-which
was bad judgment, because Betty was
well worth looking at.
Also she overheard part of what
Bannister said to Bart Heminway, the
police man, as he passed the latter's
desk a moment later: something about
putting the newspaper business on
the blink"
From the apprehensive glance
Heminway directed toward her at
Bannister's words, Betty knew well
enough what it was the lanky sport
ing editor had said. She flushed hotly
tho, she resolved to "show that big
boor that IL anything is putting the
business on the blink it isn't the
women"
Betty took rather more pains than
she otherwise might have to be nice
| to everybody else in the Argus
shop, so as to make more pronounced.
the lofty indifference with which she
treated the sporting editor. She ig-
nored his almost insultingly perfume
tory greeting the next time they met
and after that the sporting editor
and the new feature writer apparently
were unaware of each others exist
ence.
Betty had been on the Argus al
most two weeks before she got a,
chance to show what she could do.
Indeed, she was beginning to wonder
whether Saunders's idea of utilizing a
woman writer was to keep her rum
ming around to suffrage meetings. get
ting photographs of richest babies"
and such like cubs errands, when her
opportunity came.
Down at the South End there was a
big acid works. An explosion in one
of the buildings killed six of the for
eign employees and manned many 9TH
ers. The fire department, had had an
heroic job. 1t was a big story-but
mans stuff. all Of it. Saunders, hap
pening to glimpse Betty, wistful out
slider to all the hustling work going
story on the wives and sweethearts of
the explosion Victims" he said, and
turned back to his schedule
Betty got the story. Every one of
the six had had family. Four of the
families had been planning to return
to the old homes in Europe the next
week. The story was full of possibili-
ties. Betty wrote it magnificently, in
bold. splendid strokes. Saunders had
limited her to hai1 column, schedul-
ing it for minor head and to follow
all explosion" When he read what
the girl had written he played her
story up in a three-column box in
black type.
Bannister always read every word
of the Argus except the sporting
page. He was poring over the paper
next day when Betty came into the
city room. He was reading her story
for the second time. The girl looked
clean over his head and went straight
to her desk. Bannister. peering SOL
emnly over the top of the paper.
studied her intently. Presently she
went out. "WeH, the darned little
cuss." said Bannister to himself.
And had the gall to think I'd make
a feature writer!"
There was one man in the Argus
office who was even more thought
fully courteous TO Betty than any
one else. That was Travers, the dra-
matte and musical critic. Travers
was as immaculate in manners as in
dress, and very, very superior. He
had a Harvard accent and no inti-
mates in the office. Betty considered
him the most genuinely cultured man
she had ever met
He talked literatu particularly
poetry. with her The day after her
beautifully pathetic picture of the
stricken widows and orphans appeared
Travers bestowed upon it an analyti-
cally calm approval that she valued
more than allNthe enthusiastic praise
of the rest of the office.
Then he invited her out to dinner.
Bannister saw them going, noted the
deferential yet protective attitude of
the critic, and swore volubly.
A month passed. Then came the
night of the riot 1t had terminated
in a nest of anarchists in the slums
hard, bad crowd gathered silently,
then with a sudden, crashing uproar
began raiding the arms and ammuni-
ton places.
The police reserves were out and the
riot call for troops sent in. The town
was in a turmoil. the streets perilous--
all in a moment. Betty had been din
ing with Travers. a frequent custom.
They had been to a foreign restaurant,
little away from the center of things.
As they turned a corner they found
themselves in the midst of a frantic
crowd. red-flagged, crying Death to
capitalists!" One burly fellow threw
an American flag on the ground, spat
upon it, kicked it.
Betty famed into fury. stop that,
ou-you--creature!" she cried, shak-
ing her fist at the brute. Make him
stop it!' she demanded. turning to
Travers. With one accord the wild
eyed crowd rushed bowling at them.
And Travers. shaking Bettys hand
from his arm. turned and fled