She yawned loudly as she entered the small apartment she shared with her
brother only to be startled by the rough sound of male laughter. "Katie,
is that you?" she heard her brother call from the kitchen."
Hastily removing her coat, she sighed as she walked into the kitchen, hoping she still appeared presentable to whatever guest Kevin had over that night. "Yes, I'm home Kevin. I'm sorry I entered so noisily; I didn't realize you would be entertaining." She nodded in deference to the smiling man seated across from her brother at the table.
"Well, you couldn't have known. Katie, this is an old friend of mine from school. He's a reporter for the Sun and we were discussing the possibility of him finding me work there after all the lay-offs at the mill."
"God grant he can help," she responded, but startled herself with her own bluntness. "I apologize for my abrupt response, sir, but my brother seems to feel out of sorts with only me to earn the money for our little family."
Kevin scowled. He took his role as her provider very seriously, and he had always cared for her well, but since they had both lost their jobs at the knitting mill he had been ashamed that the only work his sister could find was parading on a stage in front of drunken louts. He had been even more shamed that there seemed to be no employment available at all for an able-bodied man in his late twenties. Reluctant to let his sister spill their entire sad story to his old friend and appear too desperate, he spoke to her sharply. "Katie, please refill Mr. Denton's glass from the bottle in the icebox."
She nodded, appropriately silenced, and reached for the glass. The man at the table chuckled a little. "Kevin, please, she's your sister. There's no reason for her to be so formal with me. Call me Brian for heaven's sake. And please, join us at the table."
"Well if you're not discussing anything too important," she answered as she replaced the newly filled glass in front of him at the table.
"I think we've talked over all the business we can for one night, isn't that right Kevin?" Her brother nodded, although Katie could see he wasn't too pleased with the idea of her sharing in their men's conversation.
She resolutely ignored her brother's disapproving looks. "So, how is work for the Sun Brian?"
"Ah," he sighed as he ruffled his hands through his light brown hair, disarranging the carefully combed strands. "The work of a reporter is often hectic and demanding, but I get by because I honestly love the work." She smiled at his heartfelt sentiment.
Kevin chuckled. "My sister once upon a time fancied herself a writer, isn't that right Kate?"
Katie blushed. "Well it wasn't anything as serious as all that. Just a diversion for an idle mind."
"And you don't write anymore? What a shame."
Trying to shift the conversation away from her foolish dreams, she asked, "So tell us about you're most interesting assignments lately Mr. Denton.Brian."
He smiled and pushed himself gently back from the table. She took his plate to the sink as he began to speak. "Well, I suppose this may interest you since you look to be about the same age as the young men I worked with. Last spring I covered the newsboys' strike against the New York World. I only got to publish one of my stories, but it was one of those real pleasures to cover something that was so emotionally charged. I've been after my boss to let me do a follow-up on Pulitzer's reforms concerning this contingent of his workforce, but he seems to think there are more newsworthy subjects out there."
Katie nodded, intent on his story, as she wiped her wet hands on a dishrag. "And was most of your reporting for that story done through interviews or just recounting the facts as you saw them?"
"Well, I'm a firm believer in attacking a story from all angles, so I did do my fair share of interviews with the boys. If I weren't among friends, I would be ashamed to say that I think I came out somewhat biased in my opinion, thinking that the boys were right to struggle for their rights."
"It's never shameful to show human compassion, Brian."
He looked at her quizzically. "You know, it's a shame that you don't write anymore. You show some genuine interest in these things."
She blushed again. "I don't know if I have the head to be a newsman."
"You'd be surprised the strength you can find in yourself once you look for it. You should go talk to some of these boys, see if their stories inspire you. You know, I would be happy to look at whatever you write."
"Really?" she said, flustered. "I.I would love to-"
"Brian I think my sister has had enough idle thoughts introduced into her empty head tonight. Thank you for offering to help me find a job, but I think it's time for us to go to sleep." Kevin obviously disapproved of Brian reintroducing these foolish notions to his sister.
"Oh, of course Kevin. I know you must have had a hard day at work," he said to her. "But I meant what I said about your work," and he handed her his card, neatly printed with his name and his office number at the Sun. She smiled and ran to get his coat from the coat closet as he rose to leave.
Before she went to bed her brother warned her not to take any of Brian's ridiculous notions to heart and not to waste her time trying to write when she had to make money for the family, but he had forgotten that she only worked in the evenings and so had the entire morning to do with as she would.
Hastily removing her coat, she sighed as she walked into the kitchen, hoping she still appeared presentable to whatever guest Kevin had over that night. "Yes, I'm home Kevin. I'm sorry I entered so noisily; I didn't realize you would be entertaining." She nodded in deference to the smiling man seated across from her brother at the table.
"Well, you couldn't have known. Katie, this is an old friend of mine from school. He's a reporter for the Sun and we were discussing the possibility of him finding me work there after all the lay-offs at the mill."
"God grant he can help," she responded, but startled herself with her own bluntness. "I apologize for my abrupt response, sir, but my brother seems to feel out of sorts with only me to earn the money for our little family."
Kevin scowled. He took his role as her provider very seriously, and he had always cared for her well, but since they had both lost their jobs at the knitting mill he had been ashamed that the only work his sister could find was parading on a stage in front of drunken louts. He had been even more shamed that there seemed to be no employment available at all for an able-bodied man in his late twenties. Reluctant to let his sister spill their entire sad story to his old friend and appear too desperate, he spoke to her sharply. "Katie, please refill Mr. Denton's glass from the bottle in the icebox."
She nodded, appropriately silenced, and reached for the glass. The man at the table chuckled a little. "Kevin, please, she's your sister. There's no reason for her to be so formal with me. Call me Brian for heaven's sake. And please, join us at the table."
"Well if you're not discussing anything too important," she answered as she replaced the newly filled glass in front of him at the table.
"I think we've talked over all the business we can for one night, isn't that right Kevin?" Her brother nodded, although Katie could see he wasn't too pleased with the idea of her sharing in their men's conversation.
She resolutely ignored her brother's disapproving looks. "So, how is work for the Sun Brian?"
"Ah," he sighed as he ruffled his hands through his light brown hair, disarranging the carefully combed strands. "The work of a reporter is often hectic and demanding, but I get by because I honestly love the work." She smiled at his heartfelt sentiment.
Kevin chuckled. "My sister once upon a time fancied herself a writer, isn't that right Kate?"
Katie blushed. "Well it wasn't anything as serious as all that. Just a diversion for an idle mind."
"And you don't write anymore? What a shame."
Trying to shift the conversation away from her foolish dreams, she asked, "So tell us about you're most interesting assignments lately Mr. Denton.Brian."
He smiled and pushed himself gently back from the table. She took his plate to the sink as he began to speak. "Well, I suppose this may interest you since you look to be about the same age as the young men I worked with. Last spring I covered the newsboys' strike against the New York World. I only got to publish one of my stories, but it was one of those real pleasures to cover something that was so emotionally charged. I've been after my boss to let me do a follow-up on Pulitzer's reforms concerning this contingent of his workforce, but he seems to think there are more newsworthy subjects out there."
Katie nodded, intent on his story, as she wiped her wet hands on a dishrag. "And was most of your reporting for that story done through interviews or just recounting the facts as you saw them?"
"Well, I'm a firm believer in attacking a story from all angles, so I did do my fair share of interviews with the boys. If I weren't among friends, I would be ashamed to say that I think I came out somewhat biased in my opinion, thinking that the boys were right to struggle for their rights."
"It's never shameful to show human compassion, Brian."
He looked at her quizzically. "You know, it's a shame that you don't write anymore. You show some genuine interest in these things."
She blushed again. "I don't know if I have the head to be a newsman."
"You'd be surprised the strength you can find in yourself once you look for it. You should go talk to some of these boys, see if their stories inspire you. You know, I would be happy to look at whatever you write."
"Really?" she said, flustered. "I.I would love to-"
"Brian I think my sister has had enough idle thoughts introduced into her empty head tonight. Thank you for offering to help me find a job, but I think it's time for us to go to sleep." Kevin obviously disapproved of Brian reintroducing these foolish notions to his sister.
"Oh, of course Kevin. I know you must have had a hard day at work," he said to her. "But I meant what I said about your work," and he handed her his card, neatly printed with his name and his office number at the Sun. She smiled and ran to get his coat from the coat closet as he rose to leave.
Before she went to bed her brother warned her not to take any of Brian's ridiculous notions to heart and not to waste her time trying to write when she had to make money for the family, but he had forgotten that she only worked in the evenings and so had the entire morning to do with as she would.