Or borrow one. You can disagree with him/her all you want! Feel free to disagree with all your characters. They will like you the better for it, and serve you well. I think this editor is wrong about where such esteem comes from. He has it almost exactly backwards.
"We're all set t'go down at Farmington Press." Nutting looked at Chrischana across the counter then. "This place is filthy," He said.
She smiled. Nathan, standing behind her and smoothing her long brown braid with his fingers, said, "We haven't seen anything like it since the dry cleaners in Phoenix!"
"Nathan!" exclaimed Chrischana. She looked at the editor, flushing. "Are you offering me a job?" She could not keep the hopefulness out of her voice.
But the editor said, "I'm offering one to Daniel."
Daniel glanced at Mr. Nutting and saw that he was looking intently back. "Young man, I need someone to clean up around here, run errands. Maybe even learn to set type. Would you be interested?"
"Sure," he said. It was something he did not need to consider. He wanted the job. But--me? he wondered. They had not met till now.
The editor must have noted that quizzical something in his eyes, for he said, "There something you want to ask me?"
Daniel nodded, returning the brown gaze with one of his own. "Why me?"
A slow smile worked its way through Nutting's gaunt green features. Then it was gone. "The English teacher, Mrs. Melville, recommended you." He might have added some of her praise, but James Nutting didn't believe in such attempts to instill self-esteem. He thought self-esteem came subtly, slowly, through working well. Curmudgeonly Nutting refused to pat young people on the head.
Picture of William Dean Howells at his Office Desk
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