Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-12
The Story of Elizabeth
BY HER MOTHER. ANNE AUSTIN.

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V.-Elizabeth's First Triumph.
TN March, 1917. when / was in
Waco on a week end visit with
my mother, ! was introduced, by
Il newspaper friend of my former
husband. to the new editor-owner
of the Waco Morning News. He was
looking for woman who could com.
bine the work of society editor and
feature reporter, and. for some I'M
fathomable reason. as soon as he met
me he was convinced that ! could fill
the position
He made me an urgent offer, and
within a week ! ad'resigned my posi-
lion in Moody. after having found a
teacher to take my place for the unex-
pired term. and had gone to work on
he very paper on which my husband
had risen from proofreader TO city
"ditor.
! was frightened, for ! had had no
newspa per experience. My sense of
utter failure and unworthiness in los
ing my husband and giving up the
, struggle TO finish my college course,
on which my heart had been so stub
bornly set, had combined to give me
one Of those well known inferiority
compleXes. Fortunately for my ego,
was given an assignment my very
first day on the paper which per
mitted me to do bit of the kind OF
reporting which I later learned was
called feature stuff"
To my intense pride and delight my
story was put on the first page, and
that very night a nom de plume was
settled upon for me. The editor chose
the name Of Anne Austin because
Austin was the name Of the princl-
pal business street. and Anne com
pleted simple. allterative cOmbina'
ton.
Gains New Confidence.
Somehow the taking of a new name,
a new Job and a new importance-for
wasn't my stuff considered , good
enough TO make the first page?-con-
Spired to make new personality for
me. felt as if had been born again
that Willie Reamy Benson, with all
her fears and tragedies and struggles
had died, and that Anne Austin could
do anything in the world she wanted
to. win all the good things Of life for
herself and her child.
So | went into my new work with a
ioyousness and lightness Of heart that
almost matched Elizabeth's constant
ioyousness. My salary for the first
weeks was only Is dollars. but / had
learned 10 make one dollar do the
work of two. SO we lived decently.
evon from the. very first.
Soon I was raised to SIT week, then
shortly afterwards to 90. My name
and IA little half-column picture of my
self appeared in the paper over fea'
ture story almost every day; | was
editor of the society columns. and
soon began to write a serial novel
,;.,LN f,, fl,a Gov he
Elizabeth was then three. She. of
course, shared all my small triumphs
although since ] had to work most OF
the day and half of the night. she saw
less and less of me. The hours we
did manage to spend together. how
ever, We're sweeter. more Joyous, more
compa nonable then we had ever
known before. Her unfailing under
standing of heart and mind was very
precious to me. and | took care that
she should share all my clever new
friends with me.
New Friends Meet Elizabeth.
She listened round-eyed to the tales
of newspaper adventure and the new
erending shop talk, which is the in
evitable result when two or more
newspaper people get together. She
as ] could manage it: newspaper men
and women came to our little apart
ment. and Sundays We're days for eX-
changing visits, dawdling around the
newspaper offices-EliZabeth's perpet-
ual delight-or taking long automo-
bile drives with the editors family.
Every one understood that an in
VitatiOn for me must include Eliza
beth. She seemed to delight in the
newspaper game" as much as
did, and was soon taking her part in
the fast and furious conversation
with comical understanding and acute
ness. None of my new friends-al
people of intelligence and tact-treat
ed her as If she were a baby. 1 treat
ed her as if she were my most init
mate friend. real person. and my
friends took their cue from me.
Just year after I began my news
paper career / was sent out of town
on long assignment. For safe-keep
ing and companionship with children
Elizabeth was placed in the Sacred
Heart Academy at Waco, though We
we're not Catholics. She was not en-
rolled as a pupil. for she was too
Young. according to the head of the
institution, and I certainly had no de-
sire to push" her. against which
crime | had been repeatedly warned
by mothers Of less brilliant children.
| returned to Waco the last of May
lust rs the convent school was closing
for the Summer. And l was met with
he astounding news that Elizabeth
had passed all examinations for en-
trance into the second grade. I was