The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 3372, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 16, 1912 Page: 3 of 4
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NOT WHOLLY VANITY
| Why Joe Purchased $10 Worth
of Agony.
BY MARTHA M’CULLOCH-WIL-
LIAMS.
“Buy a story, please, sir—a teeny,
iweeny story,” Josephine Mabin call-
ed to Latimer half in, half out of his
■door. “You don’t want to be con-
structively guilty of cruel and unusual
punishment—that I know,” she ran
ion, coming inside and moving ,a lit-
jile uncertainly toward his desk,
j Latimer sprang up, set a chair for
her, and made to seat her, but she
Shook her head. “Dassent—I’d never,
never have the courage to rise again,”
®he said, then holding out a small
loot in a shoe still smaller, “Johnny-
do believe this/ isn’t wholly vanity-—
the girl who iold them was a hypno-
tist.”
“Where were ^-you going to need
suoh fine foot-feathers ?” Latimer in-
terrupted almost savagely. |
The offending foot-feathers were
fine, indeed—the latest cry of the
mode as to shape and stuff. At rest,
Joe’s foot did look pretty in them-—
when she walked or tried to, her elas-
tic instep became wooden, her pinched
toes were alternately dead or full of
savage prickings.
“Sit down!” Latimer ordered, “and
tell me the whole story. s You surely
have not been out with that Parish
gang again?”
“The shoes contradict you—that’s
just why I suffer from them,” Joe
-said with something betwixt a frown
and a pout "Teh dollars’ worth of
Agony j Isn’t* that tough?”
“Not as tough as the Parish gang,”
Latimer exploded. “See here, Joe,
You know I’m your big brother by
Appointment—cut them out! I say
it! And I mean it—down to the
ground.”
7 "I wish I could,” Joe said halt un-
-der breath, then more articulate:
“Johnny—I must make you under-
stand. I promised I wouldn’t—but
You are my other self——”
“What’s to understand?”'Latimer
interrupted.
Joe reached for his hand. ‘‘The
truth,” she said. “I don’t like tough
ways, nor people—but I have to make
a pretense of it—because you see, if
I get the story—all my hard times
are over; Beckwith himself has
promised it.”
“But what is the story?” Latimer
demanded.
Joe put her lips almost upon his
ear, as she answered, “What’s be-
hind the Norowill divorce? Parish
hnows, you see—he’s the only one
who does know, except the principals,
fie—he thinks a lot of me, in his way.
If I keep letting him think so—and
more—he’ll surely tell me—when he
knows what it will mean.”
“You infant!” Latimer interrupted.
“Surely you oan’t think Parish will
give away his patron’s secrets, even
for your beautiful eyes? Why if he
did--”
“Sorry we can’t do business—must
hop along to some other office.”
“We can do business—we have got
to,” Latimer said doggedly, pulling
some bills from his pocket and trying
to thrust them upon her. “Take it—
just an advance, you know—you can
bring stuff when you get ’round to it,”
he said, looking carefully over her
head.
She smiled at him, blit shook her
head, saying as she pushed away the
money: “Johnny, don’t you know
charity is demoralizing? Besides you
can’t afford it—any more than I can
afford to take it. Don’t worry—my
rent is paid to the week-end—and I’m
going to dine with Parish—and a
ehaperono. Think I’ll let him propose
to me, then tell him I can’t say ‘Yes,’
unless he gives me the story and so
makes me independent?” '
“If I thought you meant that—I’d
shoot him,” Latimer growled.
From the door Joe called to him
saucily, “III let you kzow how I speed
in the morning—I don’t have to pay
cash for my ’phone calls.”
When she was out of hearing he
dropped his head on his desk a min-
ute, swearing great silent oaths. Look'
ing down he saw that she had dropped
her story—a pitiful wispy scrawl of
cheap paper, less bulky than common.
He knew it would not do—that was
the trouble. Her stories never would
do, even for the cheap and uncritical
magazine which claimed his services.
Their very virtues fought against
them—-Joe kfiew good literature, no
less good breeding. The bread
splashy effects that thrilled his pub-
lic were not for her. If her people
lacked life they were at the least de-
cently tailored. Yet she was set as
the hills on making her way, here in
the boiling tbwn, rather than go back
to, the nagging of a step-mother—nag-
gings whose root was the prosperous
Billy Mason.
Latimer had known her from her
cradle. Indeed, he, had carried her
pig-a-back several miles at least. He
had never thought of her as a sweet-
heart. Sweethearting for him, indeed,
had always meant Agnes Ware. II
she had not thrown him. over for his
rich uncle he should never have seen
New York. His coming had a cogent
reason—why under heaven had that
willful Joe come likewise?—why, find-
ing herself so unfit, did she foolishly
stay?
He bought the poor - little story—
paying for it from his own spare pock-
et, but through the mask of the mag-
azine. After the check had been sent
by messenger, he felt a bit easier,
though still he could not settle stead-
ily to his work., Joe’s face, wearing
that gallant smile above the pjain*_
marks; came between him and the
page he read. She5 stayed with him
so persistently; indeed, he shut his
desk half an hour early, and went
scowling to the tiny chambers he had
managed to find in a quiet eddy of the
town.
They looked desolate enough, yet he
had thought them cosy. Joe was the
matter—even there she haunted him.
He went out quickly, made his way
to the park and walked there with
swinging strides, until almost mid-
night. Then suddenly he felt himself
faint with hunger, found an eating
place and fed himself decently. Aft-
erward, there was another stroll. The
moon had come up transforming mag-
ically even the sordid town. It was
late—after midnight—when j he came
again to his own door and sat down
upon the steps for a last bask in the
moonshine, a last cigar.
At first he barely ?noted a huddled
limp figure upon the farther end of
the topmost step. It gave him a turn
to have it suddenly slip down beside
him. Next minute Joe was saying in
breaks:
“Johnny—I—you'll have to send me
home—after all. I’ve found out—I
won’t do—I’m- too big a coward."
“How did you make the discovery?”
Latimer asked teasingly, laying his
hand on her arm.
She drew away from him ever so
gently. “Why you see—this way. I
got the story—all right—and Parish
said I could use it. But—but I found
I couldn’t do that. Why! Johnny the
whole secret is—Mrs. Norrowill loved
her husband so. she wouldn’t stand
in the way of his happiness after she
found out he loved somebody else.
And she—she made' believe to flirt
with the other man—so her husband
would have a clear conscience.. Could
you—could anybody, crucify a Woman
who would do that?”
“I know you couldn’t,” Latimer re-
turned, his heart beating fast. He had
heard more than the words—a subtly
vibrant sympathy. Joe must know
what that other woman felt—was it
possible she had loved him, Latimer.,
all along? She was standing unstead-
ily upon her poor pinched feet.
“It was so kind of you—sending the
check,” she murmured. "I had to come
and tell you—when they said you
were out, I waited. Please fix it so
I can go home Saturday—but under-
stands! won’t marry Billy.”
“No—because you are going to mar-
ry me instead,” Latimer answered,
tucking hgr hand over his arm. “I
am coming for you early in the fall-
think you can be ready?”
“I’m ready now—unless you want
to send me away,” Joe said, so low,
so sweetly, Latimer had to kiss her
then and there, regardless of time
and place.
(Copyright, 1912, by Associated Literary1
Press.)
No Good Thing Is Ever Lost.
‘ Remember that truth, the most im-
portant and encouraging pf all truths.
Your life may not seem worth while,
the sacrifices that you make for oth-
ers may not seem worth while. But
no good thing is ever lost. And he
who does his duty contributes for-
ever to the sum total of that which
is good in the universe.
In Boston.
Talkative Shopper—“Don’t you find
that haying to^wait on so many fussy,
disagreeable people has at least one
compensation—that of making you
forget your other troubles?” Cultured
Saleslady—“Oh, yes—it acts as a
counter irritant Judge.
NEW CROP OF BALL PLAYERS IS GOOD ONE
ROWDY PLAYERS GONE
Morris Rath, Second Baseman of White Sox.
The new crop of ball players in the
major leagues, including those who
broke in this year or the latter part
of last year, is making a pretty re-
spectable showing in fast company,
and there is a goodly crop of those
who are likely to be fixtures, if not
already that. Scouts and managers
deplore the great lack of timber in
the bushes, and with some of these
newcomers it may be a case of taking
them or nothing. Yet the proportion
of those who are sticking and making
their presence felt is fairly large.
Among this number a prominent
one is Dubic, the Detroit pitcher, al-
though he had been in the big leagues
before and is no tender bud in base-
ball society. Another comeback who
drifted back to the minors between
sojourns in fast company is George
McConnell. Likewise Heps. .Among
the newer crop of pitchers dug up
this year or late last year are Bas-
kette, Steen, Benz, Hamilton, Allison,
CHALMERS A BIG SURPRISE
Philadelphia Pitcher Returns to Win-
ning Form After Long Retire-
ment Account of Injuries.
The surprise of the Giant-Philadel-
phia series was that the one pitcher
of the home team who was counted
upon to do the least got away with a
victory. This was George Chalmers.
Pitcher Chalmers of Philadelphia.
The latter came out of a long retire-
ment, due to various injuries, and by
a grand exhibition of twirling thrash-
ed the New Yorkers. Mysore, Alexan-
der, Rixey and Seaton all fell down
on the job and Dooin was forced to
use several_young twirlers as rescu-
ers. Seaton, however, made good by
pitching a shut-out victory.
two or three Browns, O’Brien, Bedi-
ent, Houck and Baumgartner in the
American league, and Lavender, Tes-
reau, Cheney, Rixey, Seaton, Benton,
Allen, Robinson, Willis and Tingling
in the National.
Leading finds in otnlr positions are
Foster and Gandil of the Washing-
tons, both of whom were in big league
company once before and returned to
that company greatly improved. Oth-
er recent additions to the big league
family are Morris Rath of Comiskey’s
White Sox, Cady of the Red Sox, Mag-
gert of the Athletics, Sterrett of the
Highlanders, Shanks of Washington,
Peckinpaugh of Cleveland, Weaver of
the White Sox, Kuhn of the White
Sox, Egan of the Athletics, Mensor of
the Pirates, Groh of the Giants, Cut-
shaw of the Brooklyns, Smith of the
Brooklyns, Phelan of the Reds, Nor-
then of the Brooklyns, Moran of the
Brooklyns and Magee of the Cardi-
nals. Most of them are making good.
George Stovall is another baseball
player who has taken up golf—and
gone crazy about it.
Marsans, the Cuban, has developed
into a polished player with the Cin-
cinnati Reds this yeqr.
Rumor has it that Sam Crawford of
the Detroit Tigers is slated to manage
a minor league team next season.
President Jacob Smith of the Appa-
lachian league says there is a hundred
years of worry as a league president.
Hess of the/Boston Braves has been
doing excellent work in the box lately.
Johnny Klittg says he is the season’s
best find.
Hughie Jennings is going heavy on
the recruits right now. In a recent
game he had only three veterans in
the line-up.
Cincinnati has released Pitcher
Deake, one of the three players se-
cured from the Akron team of the Cen-
tral league.
Rube Peters, who came to the Sox
via the Minneapolis route, has been
sold to the Sacramento club of the Pa-
cific Coast league.
Eddie H^llinan, recalled by the St;
Louis Americans from Memphis, has
been offered to the San Francisco club
and may be sent there.
Pitcher Woodburn of the Cardinals
is said to be a ventriloquist, and they
say he had a lot of fun with his mates
before they got onto him.
Class of Men Better Than in
Former Years.
Catcher Joe Sugden Says Ball Tosser
~ Would Be Insane to Attempt to
Drink Steadily Under Modern
Conditions of Game.
“Leaving aside all considerations as
to whether the game of baseball has
progressed*—and personally I think it
has—there can be no argument over
the fact that the class of plryers is
better now than it was in the aid
days,” says Joe Sugden, the forme?
St. Paul catcher.
“A modern big league baseball club
is as well behaved a body of men as
you will find anywhere. There used
t6 be a time when the best' hotels
Jought shy of the ball tossers, but
now the landlords fight to get them.
A man would be insane if he tried to
drink steadily under modern condi-
tions. The game is too fast for any-
one but an athlete in splendid condi-
tion.
“Instead of reporting in the spring
saturated with a winter’s accumula-
tion of alcoholics as did some of the
old-timers, the men of today, or at
least most of them, are about ready to
get in and play ball when they arrive
at the training camps. There are
some of the fellows who naturally ac-
cumulate flesh ia the cold months
when they do not get much exercise,
but there are very few who put on
any fat through the medium of beer.
“No big league scout nowadays will
recommend a player who has the rep-
utation of being a steady drinker,
even though he doesn’t lap them up
to excess. There is no room in the
leagues for the saloon boys, and it
doesn’t take anyone long to learn that
baseball and booze are not good
friends.
“If a saloon keeper could be assured
the patronage of the entire American
and National leagues, he wouldn’t be
able to pay rent. I do not Mean that
every big leaguer is a teetotaler, but
there are a lot of abstainers and a
vast majority Will take only a couple
of glasses of beer a day.
“The rowdy is passing from base-
ball rapidly and the sooner he disap-
pears entirely the better it will be for
the game. Naturally the improvement
in the big leagues is having its effect
on the smaller circuits. The minor
players "realize that they have little
chance of going up if their reputa-
tions are bad, and, With scouts lurk-
ing around all the time, it pays to cut
out the rough stuff.
“Baseball ought to be a gentleman’s
business, and the players who deserve
the name of gentlemen are becoming
more numerous season after season.
If a fellow can’t act the part, he bet-
ter find some other occupation.”
TECHNICALITY WINS OLD JOB
“Tex” Covington Goes Back to Detroit
Through Mistake on Part of
Tiger Management.
A technical mistake on the part of
the Detroit club halted Tex Coving-
ton’s journey from Providence to Kan-
sas City and gave him a stop-over in
Detroit. Instead of being released
from Providence to Kansas City di-
“Tex” Covington.
rect, he was released to Detroit, and
thence to Kansas City. That move:
made it necessary for inter-league!
waivers to be secured on him and the I
transfer was held up. {
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Vernor, J. E. The Lampasas Daily Leader. (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 3372, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 16, 1912, newspaper, October 16, 1912; Lampasas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth890141/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lampasas Public Library.