The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-08-04

IS HORT 81 Or 4

tS1lElAlINsls sAyI3AAss1!
HOUSE AND on
Helen Thompson. newest and
youngest member OF the reportor-
ial staff of the DAILY News look,
ed with some trepidattonrin the
assignment book xof the city
EDITOR. She hoped she wouldn't
have to cover one Of the society
weddings that usually fell to her
"A lot. AZ such events she always
felt like an outsid er and Intruder
Instant content came, however.
when she saw sprawled in the city
EDITORS hand ,"Homemakers Elk
bib Patterson Hall. Apply for
1 tickets at business office. And
then beneath. Make it snappy-'
These three words Of instruc-
Nktion EbroMghtycolor to Helen's face.
ssssaJust as If my copy wasn't always
said Helen to herself Il
always bring in snappy copy and
then = oe@Brooks takes it all out
sShesfelt a tinge of rebellion, but
ssssi twas only q reflection. Helen
Was loyalty itself toward her sup
Joe Brooks. the city editor.
and II had caused more than one
81 laugh among her associates by her
rapid-hre defense OF sBossy J oe-'
In the main, however, Helen
Thompson was filed with satisfac-
IN ton an d. having taken ticket
for the .Homemakers' EXHIBIT
from the business Office, she set
::ssouts on what seemed to her an
AFTERNOON Of real pleasure. For
SHelen was essen TALLY domestic
81 She spent many leisure moments
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES houses, perfectly
gsposfble little six-room houses that
* any young girl like Helen might
Sssfeasfbly expect to live in. But
" She had no such expectation. Nee
sessity and circu ms stances had led
S her toS start to work at twenty,
she assured herself that no
az body ever N arried woman re-
sstporter. So she wore her Dobbed
5sss hair straight, donned~ trimmed
ss spect ac1es. and never appeared In
THE office OF the DAILY. News IN
any other costume than that Of
nlannish tweed suit.
AT least She told herself, no one
Sxcould accuse ner OF being a yamp.
SSsyen If she did work in a news
$paper office.
..9s Helen took her time at the eA-
3hibit She would not !lave to
write her copy until after
So,clock dinner and she could
7sspend the afternoon in absorbing
gflnltesimal biscuits meagerly
q spread with Jam or jelly. drank
coffee from microscopic paper
Scups, watched for five minutes be-
sssides the booth where large
voiced young man demonstrated a
;spatent potato peeler, boughta jar
y Of marmalade, and collected a
pound or SO of pamphlets and sew
8eral pounds of sample packages.
sPurpose1y she put off till last visit
ing the section Of the hall devoted
to- portable cottages and bunga-
Flows. Some half dozen of these had
been erecte ed by as many rival con-
Gems selling portable structures
M sStIfsw as four when she at last reach
ed this section. She sped past an
Seager-voiced voting man v who
cleaned from the railing Of his
Sboot1r urging her to buy q lot IN
sF.aWthorne Park. a newly oncned
skottage settlement, and passed
skeveral bungalow tents on tol-the
sssix-room, " one-story cottage tEat
supied the central position IN
Sfhe exhibit. Artificial rosevlnes
ram il, led over the white lattice of
sthe8 front porch, white birdhouses
were perched on posts in the tiny
back yard, ruffled white muslin
#curtains could be seen throu gh
the open windows. So eager was
Alice to begin her inspection OF
4 this house that she pushed her
way through the crowd, leaving
and entering by the tiny front
porch.
sSssR she walked through the entire
III rooms with quick, appraising
sseye. It came up to her we'll
standard of convent
sence, IN arrangement. Then she
\ took each room in turn. Appar-
sently d othing was lacking. There
was the eating nook that she had
dreamed Of, with built-in cups
8 boards above the benches at
seithers sid e Of the table.
ss,SSs7fss.twes could eat breakfast here
and everyday dinners" she re-
heated. Then when there was
Company we cou Id eat IN the liv-
%inr room. So much more sensible
Ethan wasting space on regu lar
islintng room.
III Mn the Kitchen Helen ligered be-
side the sink and Imagined herself