South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-13

OF Impotence as ne started 10 wade
through the copy before him-an-
other story OF society women in war
work. II ever Bert was sick of a type
Of story that wss the type. and the
worst OF il was he mad L. use every
line he could gather 10 about IL, for
somehow the managing e'itcr had
got it into his head that that sort of
"gan' was news. RED Gross Work
ers Achieve Wonders. Society
Women at Munitions. "Wsyside
Club Girls as Farmerettes." those
were just a few OF the headings he
had written that day. 1t called him
TO have 70 o. k. stories written by IN
believing reporters about how sue
cessful the women were IT every
thing they tackled. and how much
better they were filing the positions
than the men, whose places they
had taken. No one knew the falsity
OF those statements more than Bert.
He had an example OF the society
butterflies right in his own Office
juliet Lancelot.
Juliet, with her dainty feet white
little hands and chubby little face
was as successful a reporter as she
would have been . cn1r woman if
that had been her choice Of occupa-
ton She was too cute for any
thing!" all the reporters admitted
II. but after about a week the nov
city OF having a too ute for any
thing person around wore off. and
by the end of the second week she
lad earned the nickname The Pest"
and small wonder. In III his ex-
perience as n city editor Bert had
never been asked SO many questions
as he was by Juliet From morning
TIL night IL was is this written
right. Mr.. PasteIl?" "Oh. Mr.. Pas
tel. how do you spell procrastina-
ton. and are there TWO Is ~ until?'
"Will you fl m typewriter ribbon,
please?" do deaths take place or
occur?" who wrote the dead
march, and is there more than one?"
"Is a corporal higher thu ma m%aior?"
Can women have L quorum" and
other questions just as Hottie. If
Bert could have snapped her off and
| referred her 70 the dictionary or
some other reliable source. as it had
been his custom in training cubs.
her presence might not have been
so offensive, but how could he? She
was a woman.-the most feminine
kind of. a woman ,JOO-1ld If Bert
were lacking in anything IL certain
w wasn't chivalry. There was an
other objection, too. In every news
paper office, every day in the year
there is something } jas the nerves
of the city editor. something that re
qiures a tiny "cuss" ;-oTd 20 put the
said nerve Alright, and the Journal
office and its city editor were not ex-
ceptions TO the rula-but how was
Bert to give vent to tha- IS vear word
when there was a frightened-look-
ing. little girl at his cIoIE. He just
had to choke the hot words back and
feel miserable the lest { the day as
a result. He couldn't trust Juliet
on an assignment. either. She al
ways managed to bungle it just when
he didn't want her 70, although
sometimes she gave him wonderful
surprises by showing signs of rare
talent. but no sooner would a seed
Of good impression be sown in his
mind than she would make some
horrible mistake that would kill IL.
! There was nothing to do but put up
with her, however, for she was a sort
of protege of the managing editors
wife, and from the day Juliet joined
the staff that dear lady was sure
everything brilliant or well written
that appeared in the Journal was
from her pen.
The moment ert discovered 1.-The
Pest" was worrying him, he resolved
20 forget her. and turn her work
over TO someone else 20 edit. which
he promptly did. After that Juliet
was no further bother TO him, al
though he could not forget her for
she made it a point 10 be as sociable
as possible, which somehow he did
not dislike.
Nearly a year after Juliet had
made her debut at the Journal a big
event in the history Of the little city
took place. A rising young lawyer,
Nlllldm BTyon scion OF the
oldest and most a~ristOcratic family
in town. was given a government APP
pOintment that had something TO do
with the war. There was really no
cause for secrecy, but William prided
himself on his power Of silence. Re
porter after reporter was sent 20
interview him, but he refused to be
sA--.-- 81. -
his staff come back from Jenkins
office with gum faces and empty
pads, Bert Pastel chewed at his pen
Gil and swore under his breath.
There on his desk was a note from
the managing editor ordering him 10
get that story and interview from
Jenkins at all costs. After exchang-
ing a few sarcastic remarks with the
beaten scribes Bert armed himself
with enough copy paper 10 hold a
full front page and started out for
Jenkins office with a smile Of a
conquerer on his lips. An hour lat
er he returned, beaten and detected.
These society snobs re fools" he
declared. angrily as he sank into a
chair,-"Every last one OF them"
The other reporters ever too intent
on laughing at the city editor to no.
/ fire Juflet pet m fror1 bar tvna-