Show NEWSPAPER GIRL By Barbara Webb I I SYNOPSIS I At the age of 18 Ann Caldwell Caidwell orphaned at 12 12 goes to work for forthe the Bridgeton Times She is hired b bj by Doc Doe Cannon city editor who immediately imme mime puts puLi her hh to work on an ari investigation investigation in of Bridgeton's police de do Ann meets Jane Bryant a young oung widow who is style 5 expert exper for tor fora a big store and they take an ar apartment together Ann learns that tha Jane and Dan Heath political wrIter for tor the Times are in love lovec In hex her work Ann meets Patrolman Brent Bren Randolph handsome handsome- young officer who is far tar above the average in breeding breed ing intelligence and ambition anc and they grow fond of ot each other until ursU Ann who has been arrested as part pan of ot her investigation comes to believe Brent to be the recipient of ot a a bribe whIch she pays te court although Brent ha has pot not been the arresting of fleer fi r. r Ann has invited Brent to call but now wonders at the wisdom ol oJ her act Lou Milton star crime re reporter porter for the Times is working with Ann and together they go to a speakeasy speakeasy speak easy which Lou knows is to be bc shaken shaken shak en down by the thc vice vicc squad Lou cautions Ann Aust not to mention this t to Doc Doe but fails to explain this unusual request Ann is temporarily taken takes off oU the thc investigation to go to Carlton Cantos and Dan in covering the State Democratic convention She Is thrilled by the assignment and rushes home to tell Jane the news CHAPTER 10 The excitement on Anns Ann's face as she entered her apartment was so sc apparent that Jane noticed it Darling Jane said do tell me What's happened happen d Get a Rise Why you yott look so ro excited and happy that I know something Just swell must have happened It has Ann answered Im goIng go go- goIng Ing ag to Carlton Canton and help Dan cover the he state Democratic convention Ann Caldwelll Caldwell You be sure that you ou help Dan Dail work not play Jane Bryant Ill I'll do no such a thing hing The very reason Im I'm so happy about bout it is that I intend stealing Dan away iway from you ou Dan Heath Ill I'll have you know Jane rane said is is a woman one Ont woman man md and Im I'm the thc one woman But really Ann nn I think that's just swell I 1 do too I pinch myself every lew ew minutes to see if Im I'm Im I'm awake When are you going up Tomorrow When's Dan going Hes gone darling Isn't that too sad bad If you'd got here just a few min min- ates sooner you could have gone up with ith him Hes He's driving Gee that is too bad I 1 dont don't U think he has any idea hat that youre you're going to be there He didn't mention it to me I Wont he be surprised when I walk walkIn walka In a on him Better knock twice before enter enter- ing I 1 will What about this lovely din din- ner weve we've planned Just you wait walt Its It's nearly all aU read ready eady I got you two lamb chops Can Cany y pou u ii manage two 1 Say I could eat ten ten- At A WO cents a pound Well W ll m maybe two tw will be enough uJ Just st wait walt until you see our dinIng din din- Ing ag table when its it's all set I got the nicest candle holders and candles Well IVell eat by candle light All AU right Perfect Jane darling perfect And this winter winter what what fun it will be with a nice cozy fire in Ira our fire pla place e. e throwing a light and lots lot and lots of heat Their first dinner dinnerS together was quite a success It t took ok nearly two hours the majority of time being devoted devoted de de- voted to and and hurt jurt sitting w watching the candies candles candies flicker SIMILAR SIl SCENES Ann took an early e train out of f Bridgeton and alter after a two hour ride arrived In Carlton Canton She taxied to the Hotel Shelton As she entered the hotel lobby her thoughts flashed back rapidly to similar scenes the lobby decorations brought to mind With h her r father in Chicago when he ho had covered a national convention Lets see Ann said aid to herself I NI 1 must have been all of 7 years old then On a minor scale the lobby did resemble that lobby scene Ann had recalled from the years Banners swayed from every pillar In th the huge circular lobby Nominate this man We want that man they cried ri in huge red letters letter People rushed back and forth as i if the fate of a nation hung in balance Little t knots of men stood talking seriously h here re I and there Bellboys kept calling names without resting Paging Mr Wilson Calling Mr Smith Paging Mr Whitman Calling Mr White The rho various noises resolved themselves into a low growl with a high rugh squeak coming in now and again Ann walked up to the information desk Can you tell me which room Mr Dan Heath has The clerk busied himself for a amo mo me ment meat Mr Heath is in On a house howe telephone Ann request request- requested ed the room The operator rang and rang After After- a long wait walt a voice answered testily Well what do you ou want Ann was taken aback Id like to speak to Mr Heath He th she managed to sa say She heard the voice call across to someone else in the room Say is this Dan Heaths Heath's room What It Is Know where he is The voice then said raid to Ann He isn't here and the receiver clicked But Ann was not to be stopped thus easily She got the room right back ack Do you know where Mr Heath is No I dont don't know I dont don't care core You might night try the Morton or the Winston headquarters Again the receiver r clicked From the desk clerk Ann learned that Morton had his headquarters on cn the second floor and Winston on the third Ann went up She looked around No one paid much attention to her and she resented this She felt that as a reporter on the Bridgeton Times she was a more important person per son than most of the people who rushed madly around She didn't see Dan nor did questions help her any She had Iud no better luck at s WInston'S ns headquarters Back to the lobby Ann went and had Dan paged She felt that there must be something she should be doing doing do do- ing inc but what to do and where to start had her completely baffled At regu regular tar lar intervals she heard the bellboy calling for The me back to her Mr Heath doesn't answer the page he said Keep trying until he does She tried Dans Dan's room once more and then decided that shed she'd quit qua doIng doIng do do- Ing that for this time before she even had time to put her question the voice had said No no no Ann moved her position Just in front of the elevator and watched it disgorge its passengers Her move was rewarded for just before lunch she saw Dan emerge j Dant Dan Dant she called He stopped I looked around and then spied herSay herSay her Say What are you ou doing here Doc Doe tell you he was send sending ing me meZ Not a word about it Had lunch yet Z Not a bite Ive I've been looking for you Come on then Lets Let's get into the dining room before It fills ilu up and we can talk it over They found a t table ble ordered then Dan said What That does Doc Doe want He told me that you would tell me rae all that Im I'm to do some interviews and write some color stuff Swell Dan answered I was won I dering how Id I'd be able to file all the copy want on ca this affair Believe Behove Believe Be Be- lieve hove me young lady tady you'll be busy When did you ou get In Couple of hours ago Ive I've been trying to find you yo all morning Called your room and someone with a very very nasty voice seemed peeved Dan laughed Dont mind that Some of the boys are having a poker game and that particular party you talked bIked to must have been losing They've been at It all night Well where did you sleep go to bed until late and nothing Interferes with Dan Heath when hes he's c catching up on his sleep I also looked into Mortons Morton's and Winston's headquarters but you were not there and nobody seemed to care much INTERVIEWS r Oh OhI I never go there Dan smiled Those are arc just fronts They hand lund handout handout out pamphlets and md all that sort of rot The real doings go on In the candidates candidates' candidates candi I dates' dates private rooms Ive I've been up upI with Morton all morning Say theres there's theresa I a story story- for you ou Mortons Morton's slated for tor fora tora a sleigh ride by the machine this year Hes He's getting too powerful for his own good so the machine thinks Hes He's secretary of state tate and should receive the nomination for governor Hes He's worked up and it but the party bosses are afraid of him Now here's heres what I want you to do Ill I'll arrange an interview with him for you thIs his afternoon It'll have to be short for lor hes he's pretty busy He hasn't the slightest lightest idea that the party p is going to 0 desert him and for tor goodness sake dont don't by any munS means let his know it Just get a straight Interview with him about his chances for victory Im I'm going to break brcak the story of his buggy ride in tomorrows tomorrow's paper Well We'll run I Iride your interview right along with it Sob stuff you know Something like this Without the slightest suspicion that his hi party had deserted him Andrew An drew Morton said this morning in an an- sewn to a question as to his hopes for tor victory blah blab blah blah Get it Ann nodded Then Them tomorrow go see him rum again Get another story and then the following following fol fol- fol lowing day after the skids skids' have hav been applied you'll get a 11 whale whal of a third mad that hell he'll story Hell He'll b be so probably spill something good Great Dan But how do you ou know all this f I My dear Miss Caldwell Caidwell Never ask askIa aska Ia a political reporter how he ho happens to know w anything He ITo just does that's alL 1 If he didn't he wouldn't he-wouldn't be a political political po po- po- po reporter I beg your pardon sir And another thing Dont Don't breathe a word about this Ive I've got it exclusive sive Therell There'll be other reporters nosIng nosing nos ing around you trying to find o out oit t what you know Instead of finding out something something something some some- thing for themselves Tell them you dont don't know a thing All AU right Dan Through 1 Ann nodded Lets go out into the lobby You'd better batter file one other story Just a general color story You know lobby signs slins hustle and bustle and funny incidents in you can pick up if I get any Ill I'll pass them on to you Try to get YOUr stories filed before 6 That'll please lease Doc se Doe Doc fi File e them by Western Union Come on Out in the lobby Dan hurried t to a telephone Ann heard him ask for fora a room but the noise prevented her from front hearing what he said He hung up in a moment and turned to her see aee you at 3 3 Try to get down clown every word he says it'll be good stuff when we break the other story stony with it Hes He's in room Now Ive I've got to run along Just stick Just stick slick around the lobby here and watch what goes on There wont won't be much The Th big stuff starts tomorrow Tonight's Tonight opening opening open open- ing session is just routine stuff Chairman Chairman Chairman Chair Chair- man named named- committees appointed and so on Ill I'll meet you right here at 4 4 and give you any help If you want It You can use a typewriter in the Western Union office All AU right All set set By th the way Have you got a room yet No I Ill fix that for you u. u Bye e. Ann bought herself a magazine forshe for forshe forshe she felt shed she'd look foolish just sitting sit sitting ting and found a seat that command commanded ed a full fuU view of the lobby Now and again she jotted a note down on the edge of her magazine Already she felt she had plenty for tor a color story Just before 3 she got up and entered the elevator She found Morton surrounded by men Sorry you'll ha have hav to wait a few minutes Just sit here one of these men told her Shortly all but one man went out Youre Miss Caldwell Caidwell of the Times arent aren't you Morton asked Yes Ann answered She noticed noticed noticed no no- that the man who remained had opened a stenographers stenographer's ers er's shorthand I book and was putting down what she and Morton said I for Just what can do you Well Ann said first of ot all give me a statement regarding your chances for getting the nomination THE STORY Morton smiled easy Ill I'll win in a walk I have already definitely deli counted enough votes to give the methe nomination on the first ballot I would not be at alt all surprised if U I Iam Iam Iam am nominated by acclamation My record talks for me I stand on it The people of this great state have sent me to many other offices I feel certain that they will want me rae for lor their governor Fine Ann said sald there be a slip up Not a chance My w workers tell memy me memy memy my my nomination is Is pardon th the expression slon sion in the bag We have come to Carlton Canton prepared for any emergency although not a thing appears upon the horizon that can in any way be betaken betaken betaken taken as a serious threat to my chances for victory What about Wi Winston ston Morton waved his hand Just an upstart A good man personally I like him well But he falls far short of being be being ing the man for governor of this state slate True he will carry his own county a sort of or favorite son and he may get a scattering vote from the upstate counties But we are not worried in inthe inthe the slightest T Tell Tel ll your Bridgeton readers that I am not only certain of th the nomination but certain o of election elec dec tion and that they can look to my record for proof that my administration tion will be for the betterment of every everyone one in this great state Thank you a lot lot Not at all nIL If you'd like I can have my ray secretary make a a copy of what has been said here and send it to you ou within 15 minutes I wish you would Ill I'll be In the lobby Just have me paged Ann noticed that it still lacked i nearly half halt an nn hour before 4 when she was to meet Dan She got out a ae pencil e cU and paper apet and started writing the lead of her color story Calling Miss CaldwelL CaldwelL- Calling Miss Caidwell she heard Ann got up and Intercepted the boy Mortons Morton's secretary was with h him Heres the copy you requested Just Just- then Dan came up Hello Pete Hows How's it feel to be secretary to the tha n next governor Just fine Mr Heath Just fine Dan took the statement and arid read it over overl This Thi Is great Ann Just J what we Want So h he thinks its it's in the bag Dan laughed Walt Wait until he sees tomorrows tomorrow's tomorrows tomorrow's to to- morrows morrow's Times If It he only knew it it he's hes the one who's in the bag I To be continued tomorrow Co Copyright Public P lic Lodger Ledger Lcd er |