Mary Townsend (Towney) Character Analysis

Miranda’s friend from work. She is the newspaper’s Society Editor and writes a column called “Ye Towne Gossyp.” Towney and Miranda have a lot in common. Miranda reveals that she and Towney used to be “real reporters” but were demoted to more frivolous, “feminine” positions when they failed to exploit the female subject of a scandalous, failed elopement. It is implied that the “recaptured” bride-not-to-be had been beaten and was suffering, and Towney and Miranda chose sympathetically not to include “the worst” details in their story. A rival paper included these sordid details, and Towney and Miranda were “degraded publicly to routine female jobs.” The (likely majority-male) staff at the paper considers them to be “nice girls, but fools.” Like Miranda, Towney is critical of the showy patriotism so prevalent throughout Denver, though she doesn’t let her distaste be known.