Show r My Journalistic Career I THINK that every girl sometime in her life desires either to follow tollow a dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic c or a literary career and I was no exception to the general rule In fact I Iwas was barely in m my teens when I was attacked by the stage fever but my parents parents parents par par- discouraged the project in terms so vigorous that I have never since relapsed into a desire to tread the thespian boards However when I was seized by the craze for scribbling I was away from I home and had no one to treat trea t me for foe this mental malad malady I was thoroughly possessed by the illusion that I could i II II write available copy Accordingly I posted down to the largest largest largest larg larg- est paper in the city th the Tribune an and sought the man managing ging editor Althou Although h he acknowledged that he wanted a a woman r z for the II Home Department he was nc t so firmly convinced as I 1 of my ability and used strategy to get rid of me telling telling telling tell tell- t ing me to go and see ee the sporting editor I failed to see that he was making sport of me and went But the latter was wass a kindly eyed voiced gentle-voiced young fellow who received me pleasantly and asked me if I was afraid to make a three days trip alone through the country He informed me just how he wished the article written and said he would like it as soon as possible Next morning I started I was tomake to make about fifty miles a day stopping in Joliet the first night taking dinner at Kankakee next day and remaining over overnight overnight overnight night at Momence The third day I was to lunch at Pullman and pedal into the city the same evening turning in my copy twenty four hours later for the Sunday edition I shall never forget the heat of that first June day nor how my courage oozed away as T I found myself alone in a strange locality with my road map as my only friend how I got lost that day and the next lost the bag containing most of my money and my notes how it rained that evening nor the wretched little hotel in the wretched wretched little hamlet where I stopped over night two thirty-two miles away from the place I had thought to reach I started out next day and by walking s some me and riding some got se seen se-en en miles farther when it again poured so that I sought shelter at a farmers His wife gave me my dinner which was worth about fifteen cents and cost me fifty but she refu refused ed to keep me longer It is clearing up now she he said I think you had better go It is only fifteen miles to Kankakee she might as aswell aswell aswell well have said fifty and the last three over stone roads So as there was no help for it I went The soil was black sticky clay and not only was I obliged to walk but every fe few rods I had to stop and scrape the mud o off as s it balled up so badly that r my wheel would not turn I was sobbing long before I r I reached the next house a amile amile mile nile and a half distant There I found shelter but in a few minutes I almost regretted having stop stop- ped In the room adjoining the sitting- sitting room a powerfully built man of thirty or thirty-five thirty laughed and talked and shrieked he was evidently insane He Heis is always noisy when strangers are around they seem to excite him was said When I retired I noticed in terror that not a door was locked between my my room and that of the maniac and that my own had no bolt I could not sleep for all the horrible stories of deeds of lunatics 1 had ever heard surged through my brain At last I heard footsteps on the stair they stopped at my door then the knob was turned and someone crossed the room toward my bed I was too faint with fear to move or speak I 1 heard stealthy hands slip backward and forward across the dresser at the head of my bed I felt that hour had come that the maniac was going to strangle me Suddenly a light flashed up and I saw the daughter of the house I forgot to tell you that I would have to sleep with you she said I staid there two days and it rained continuously I was dirty and dusty from my trip but I had had no baggage except my camera case in which I had slipped a comb and the little bag I had lost therefore I found a bath only an aggravation for it was so unpleasant to get ba back k again into my soiled clothes Finally the rain ceased and the farmer drove me to the stone road In Kankakee I was fortunate enough to have friends of whom I determined to borrow money as I had but sixty cents remaining But I was so dirty and sunburned sunburned sunburned sun sun- burned and rough looking that I had to give them my name before they recognized recognized recognized me A few miles o out t of to town n my wheel broke brokes s and I had to go in to Momence on on one one i 5 i iA 1 A if i. i s pedal through the deep sand of the river road My cousin met me there and got my wheel mended I think if he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not been along I would never have had courage to make the fifty miles to Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago next day for rougher roads I never saw and I was worn out long before I reached the boulevards of the cit city four days behind schedule time My story was printed next week It looked rather well in type for it covered a front page and six of my prettiest prettiest prettiest pret pret- kodak views were tastefully grouped in the center I had written of the beauties beauties beauties beau beau- ties of prairie and river road of ear early y dawn and glowing sunset of forest aisles and well-kept well bo boulevards and of the eyed bright-eyed squirrel and saucy blue jay with whom I had made friends as I lay layon on my back on the mossy carpet of the woods and I fancied it was not so badly done for a beginner That afternoon one of my friends came down chuckling What do you think This morning R. R the artist who boards with us made made the family sit down while he read every word of that article to us It does me good in this materialistic age to find some one who hasn't lost all sense of beauty he said Now there is a reporter reporter reporter re re- porter who has some imagination and appreciation of nature I didn't inform him that tha I k knew ew the writer how how- ever Yes I said it did take considerable considerable consider considerable able imagination and love of nature nature to to keep the heat and discomfort of the ride the bad hotels and the longing for clean clothes from sticking out all over that story A Afew few days la later ter I met a friend on the street who hailed me with II Oh Oh Miss Prep wont you go with us on a wheeling trip We Weare are going to take the one written up in last Sundays Sunday's I Tribune Such a tour must be a little piece out of j S Paradise I I am glad it seems seems that way on pac pa- pa c 4 per I. I I said sadly and before we parted we-parted parted she had decided not notto to go They paid me thirty-four thirty dollars for formy formy editor told my story and the managing me to go to see the city editor The city editor told me I had the right idea and asked me to come in two or three times a week to see if he had anything I could do So I began to spend my thirty thirty-f thirty four mr dollars on car carfares carfares carfares fares to and from the Tribune office Three weeks later I received my myr r first assignment A A. church was to celebrate celebrate celebrate cele cele- brate its silver jubilee and I was was' to to write up the celebration and the church history I went across town to the church five times before I found the priest and I spent two days in the public library looking up the church history for all of which I received seven dollars and fifty c cents Two weeks later I was given my second assignment The Montana Cattle Queen was i in town and I must find her that day and turn in a little story I went out to the stock yards I haunted haunt haunt- ed her brokers broker's office and the freight department of the road she had shipped over and I 1 lunched off of a cookie and a doughnut At last I found her and when she learned that was a reporter she rat tied off a two column history of herself and said 1 must print every word of it I Ij j went down to the office and the city a. a r- r editor said Make it about a quarter of ofa a column I arrived home at nine o'clock f with a raging headache and I was paid it only fifty cents for for my my days day's work a Two weeks later the managing editor r sent for meA me A A man has just been killed by the attendants at the Dunning Insane I lum Of course it will create a stir and abou about next week there will be an investIgatIon investigation investigation but I should like to scoop the theother theother g other papers 1 My y idea is this You Your r raise a c commotion in the hall and I will call in a policeman You act as if you were demented and I will get some of off L f f l 0 1 i the boys to go over and testify to to your yo r. r peculiar actions and we will wiH hav you sent out there before night Send your folks a note before you go so they wont won't worry When you get out there keep your eyes op open n. n If you do not see anything anything anything any any- thing raise a row and get some of the attendants to do something that will be material I will send one of the boys out day after tomorrow and you can send in anything you like for publication N Next ext week we will try to get you out and then you can write up your experiences experiences experiences exper exper- in full It isn isn't t particularly novel novel novel no no- vel N Nellie ellie B Ely Bly y and others have done it but this killing will create excitement and such an art article cle would be timely just now I told him I didn't think I should just care to do itOh itOh it Oh well of course do as you please but it is a great chance for you to show what you can do and if you throw throwaway away opportunities like that I dont don't see how you expect to succeed in journalism I went home and did some hard think think- ing I had been working at journalism three months I had been paying board and street car fare and buying clothes andI and I had received all told three forty-three dol dol- lars And the only encouragement I had was that the city editor had said I I might get a permanent position in a year or a year and a half if I held on and did good work Next morning I made my my- regular weekly tri-weekly visit to his sanctum You need not expect to see me in iTh again I said I I shall start to school next Monday Journalism is not as attractive as I had thought it He t took ok m me e by the handI hand I I am pleased to hear you say that Miss Prep I like you and am glad you have come to that decision Teach school or get married or or- ordo do any other unpleasant thing you like but remember that of all bad things local journalism work is the worst And AndI I 1 heartily agree with him Justa Prep v Li o |