Evening star., 1927-09-26
THE EVENING
STORY
The Day of Triumph.
IIx NORTON awoke to a drum
n ming noise overhead; to the
~ water-spout's drip, drip outside

\ her window. -
Another rainy day. she
thought in disgust, as she craWied OUT
of he'd in the dark chill or the tIalil'
driven commuters early rising hou, :
Tbcn as she hurrledly dressed, sud
denly she remembered.
To-day was the day
The electric bulb by her bureau
seed pearl size--Gave only glow
worm light: her mirror dingy, yet as
she stood hriskly brushing her auburn
hair into glints gold elossiness a
nositively radiant being beamed out at
her from the looking glass.
So confident was she of the triumph
the DIV held in store for her.
IT'S more than hunch. she eN'
u!ted. ITS a conviction
Resignedly instead of rebelllousiI
she nut on her rainy day SUIT ahc
the turban with the dragged oap Oh
feathers once smart looking, but now
succestiye only of wet hen, and OUT
on the rainy street pattered ana
smashed as cleefully as child DAD
hing in puddles the three blocks to
the cafeteria, where she got her
hreal,fast. because it was both cheap
and convenient TO the lnterurhan.
She hated the Cafeteria-the bare
tables. the paper napkins. the com
mon china; most Of all carrying her
own travs But that morning she re-
sented nothing and ate with a rellsh.
Perhaps because everything had daE
dream flavor.
For with every mouthful AllN spent
another SIS or $50.
First of ALL being a woman, she
bought clothcs-everything her Soul
had lonecd for, from a Paris hat to
patent leather pumps. Then she
started to entertain, having first this
friend. then that 10 lunch at one OF
the swagger city restaurants niue
party for an evening concert. the
theater, the opera. And as she TOOK
her last swallow of coffee she gave up
her attic ro0m-renounced cafeterlas
forever - and moved to pleasant
family boarding house.
How wonderful it would be TO I'VE
like human being,
She had to run for her train. ana
as she got her breath and the last
vacant seat she began to make up the
telegram that she would send nome
telling her glorious news.
And suddenly she was ashamed
Selfish little beast. to spend all that
money for her own pleasure. She
would do without the fur-trlmmed
coat that headed her shopping lst
end buy something for Minty, the
family saint -on.earth. who on their
mothers death had given up all her
own girlish plans to big sister the rest
of them. Instead of theater and opera
parties. her little sister Julie should
have music lessons. And she would
20 on living as she was while longer
and fit up a laboratory for her bud
ding Edison brother.
No sooner had the train rumbled into
The station than Alix dashed to the
waiting room newsstand.
This weeks Sunrise Magazine,
please"
She actually held it in her hand!
The number she had been waiting for
Huring hectic weeks. The number that
kas to announce the prize winners in
the short story contest.
As AliX turned the magazines pages
with eager fingers she recalled the
day when on her way home on the
train from the office she had first
read of the contest. A day of discour
hgement and defeat, when she had
decided she was "a born failure" But
the incentive of the contest, the lure
pf the big prizes. had goaded her to
new effort. And not only did she
feel that the story she sent in was
b real masterpiece, but. stimulated by
, new hope of success. a new self
confidence, during the waiting weeks
that followed had come new Zest
Tor even her routine work on the
weekly magazine, where her position,
measured by her ambition, was in
consequential.
She found it at last-the page of
fate. What had the moving finger
written upon it for her? First, second,
third prize?
~ oI-sx s,I1z 1.o a. ztt
6own before reading the prize win
hers names.
Her name was not there.
She had not won even one of the
10 small s25 prizes.
All the light. all the life, went from
her, and again surging, submerging
tidal wave of despair swept over her
soul.
She had been a fool even to have
hoped, Like a silly child expecting the
Impossible because wisehd for on a
htar!
Traffic held up by small motor
truck, she had to walk to the Office in
The pouring rain.
She reached it, drenched and Is
minutes late.
I'D concluded you'd missed your
train" the business manager snapped
At her. 'The chief wishes to see you.
He's sent in after you twice"
Alix's face whitened to the lips. She
had thought that nothing worse could
happen to her. but her chiefs sum-
mons threw her into a panic. If she
should lose her position on the Mer-
bury what would she do?
Like wooden image she sat in the
thief's inner sanctum listening to his
IDEAS of what the Mercury Weekly
bught TO be and his disappointment in
the last numbers general makeup.
$50 AS much az l dislike giving any
body the sack" he said in his dry
Eay, Il feel it a necessity to make
bne or two changes on the staff the
FIRST Of the month. 1t was in this con.
hection that ] sent for YOU"
Yes" faltered Alix bracing her
telf for the blow of dismissal.
The pen in the chiefs hand poked
lnky jabs into the edges Of his desk
blotter. a Characteristic gesture when
be had an important announcements
10 make.
During the last few weeks, Miss
Norton, your work has shown such
Improvement" he continued, "been so
much the real stuff with punch. that
I've decided it will be for the maya.
tines best interest to let my present
assistant editor go and offer the no
tition to you"
THE END
(CopvriEht 1927
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