The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-20
Euening Story
Snappy Heads.

trades" yawned Alex Winton. as he
watched Dixie Lowell pick a piece
i of type from the case and place it in
the stick upside down.
| Dixie, perci1ed on a high stool, bit
/ her lip and adjusted the letter cor
rectly.
Men are so egotistical," she re-
turned, somewhat sharply. "And how
about women in war work."
! ~AheX sharpened a pencil.
"Oh, they were all right as eleva-
| tor girls and theater ushers and the
| like" he admitted. replacing the
! pencil behind his ear. Don't mis-
understand me- I'm not saying
women lack intelligence, but do con-
| tend that they seldom succeed in
mems work where skill is required"
! The scene was the composing room
of the Elkton observer published
! Weekly; Editor, Samuel Phelps; As
sistant Editor, Alex Winton; Terms. 81
| Per Year in Advance; Advertising
Rates on Application
! Dixie was collector for Berkwiths
| department store, and her duties. fire.
queutly took her past the observer"
office. Occasionally she stopped to
! see Alex and to try her hand at setting,
they were to be married when he got
| there"
"Typesetting is so fascinating she
had just remarked. I wonder If 1
could learn and work at it."
Upon which he made the remark
set down as the opening sentence of
this story.
well. I must co. she said pres
emily, having distributed" the type
she had set up. BY the way, Alex,
you've been in the newspaper business
some time, why don't you try it in
She got down from the stool and
went to the door.
perhaps I Will" he told her, and
there was hint of staggering as he
walked toward the editorial room. Il
could make good all right
She opened the door.
Anyhow" she said as parting
shot, women have the determination
that wins. They got the vote; lust
remember that"
Alex has his share of egotism. -
she murmured, as she went up the
STREET. still, can't help caring a lot
for the dear boy
Soon after Dixie announced she
was leaving Elkton.
Whenever you get there I'm
ready to become Mrs. Winton," she
told Alex by way of reinsurance. Il
just feel that I ought to try the big
! city. My Aunt Margaret lives there.
you know. and she's been wanting me
to go for some time. You'd better
think it over and try your hand On
the big dailies'
! A year passed. Dixie and Alex cor
responded regularly. Dixie had u job
and was enjoying her work. she told
| him. Better come on down and get
into the big game" she urged in every
| letter.
At the end of the year Alex de-
cided she had the right idea.
Il can make good on any of the
papers" he assured himself This
| small town training is the best thing
/ possible. I ought to be able to hold
any job"
! So Alex followed Dixie to the big
city. He could not see that she was
! changed a bit, but her temerity in
trying to make a place for herself in
the city had made him more in love
with her than ever. He felt ashamed
of himself for not leaving Elkton
| sooner.
| Where are you working, Dixie ~
he inquired the first night he called
on her at her aunts home. Got a
| job collecting?"
She smiled and countered:
What would you expect a woman
| to do-without a trade? I was a col
lector in Elkton, so what would 1 be
| likely to do here?'
Alex found a room and started out
| to make the rounds of newspaper Of
| fees. There were only three. one
morning and two evening. for strictly
1 SptdhIHS II was IlOl d large II
was large only from an Elkton view
point
| At the first place he called-the
| Evening JournaI"-he was given the
| position of sporting editor for trial
| Newspaper men were scarce, and five
years experience was deemed suffi-
| cient to warrant trying Alex out. He
neglected to tell where he had the ex-
| perience, simply stating that he had
handled sports" AS a matter of fact,
he had handed everything from we'd
| dingS and killings to editorials and
personls = everything except tele-
| graph, of which there was none on
| the observer"
That night he told Dixie that he
was to artGwork in the morning on
! the Journal"
/ "Fine!" she said You'll make
good. too, Alex; and them"
"And then he echoed, and he
| dreamed all night about Dixie.
The job did not prove so easy as
cally different ideas as to how copy
| should be handled. The observers
headline were much like labels, while
the Journals" had to contain verbs
and be ''snappy." However. Alex did
his best and refrained from telling his
| co-workers I'VE did it this way in
| Elkton."
When the last edition went to
press Alex congratulated himself
that he had done a fair days work.
His hopes fell when he looked at
! the sporting page, for the headlines
| bore faint resemblance to- the ones
he had puzzled over. However, he
kept his own counsel.
The next day the mana aging editor
| paid him a compliment.
Nice snappy heads" he said.
| That's the way We like Them
The work came a. little easier. but
again when the last edition appeared
Alex could not account for the strange
lack of resemblance between the
| heads he had written and the ones
| that appeared over his stuff" He
wondered who had made the changes,
and knew it could not have been the
| managing editor because the latter
had commended him on his way of
doing things.
! Yes, Alex found big city newspaper
work far different from the Elkton
variety, but he stuck to it. Three days
after he started to work he discovered