The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-07-20

a obdiSt Sodu1u LII SIldDDf
ments, who, without word, with
simply wave OF his hand, as "a recog-
milton. followed me into my office.
Taking a seat before my table, ] in a
few words indicated what | wished
done.
"What kind of hand" he asked.
6 English legal, running hand, pot
hooks-what and he scrabbled on a
blank piece of paper the first few lines
of the copy, in a half dozen dissimilar
styles Of chiroGraphy, with lightning
like rapidity.
''Whichever suits you best, is the
most lesible, and which you can do
fastest
He grunted out something, as if in
acquiescence, and ut it we went. am
rapid with my pen, aud l suppose [
was almost two hours before | got
through with my work, when his had
been finished fully IL half hour, and
there was not mistake or IN erasure
visible III his copy. My office boy, who
was in waiting, was instantly dispatch
ed with the copies to their destination.
My co worker had filed himself glass
of wine, and, with cigar in his mouth,
was reading some exchanges on the
table.
Thanks, l said ''you are quick
worker. But for goodness sake do
tell me what a correspondent is. Take
another glass of wine, and there is your
money"
All right; but what are you SO pre-
cious curious about? Correspondent?
it's a trade like anything else We amt
many in New York, may be three at
the furthest, -and | fancy l do the
bulk of the work
Well, but what do you do? Is it
literary work ~ l inquired
Yes, quite so, and OF the most re-
markable kind Tales of fiction,
romance, and all that kind of thing, all
well enough in their way. The affect
ing sorrows of the hero, or the misera-
bic fate of the heroine, may draw tears
from the eyes of the unsophisticated,
but that amt much. Give me man
whose pen can draw dollars from peo-
pies pockets-that talent.
81 assure you that | am still in the
dark ] said.
Here my friend paused for a while,
then buried his nose in the glass, until
the reflection of this organ gave the
vessel he was drinking of, a peculiar
radiant luStre, and swallowing big
draught, remarked I" A correspon-
dent You don't know what that is (?
Why, | am, | think, good, steady Job
binG one. L must be that, OF / would
not get any employment. The pay is
not SO bad, if only the work was CON
slant. Well, | am regularly in the bu
siness, and being known us such, l see
no reason to be ashamed Of nv calling.
The express company who carries out
the saw-dust packages, do they bother
themselves about the character of the
contents! 1t they are marked IS or
SO, or 500, &. . D., ana the parties
take item from the office, they do not
bother themselves any more about 1t.
L am correspondent, but not IN a
newspaper sense, as you may under
stand 1t. Was in them once-that's
years ago. L am very much afraid that
II you We're to send me as a correspon-
dent to the most brilliant capital in
Europe, with free entrance INTO the
bosom of the royal family, and expect
spughtly letters from ne about court
matters, they would be signal failures.
Once on a time | could have done it,
and pretty well, | suppose, but is long
ago, and now 1T amt in my line. Just
as likely, to keep my hand in, | would
lndIte begging letter to the reigning
sovereign, and SO bring my employers
into disrespect.
DO you then, " ! inquired, " write
meteorological letters-for people
who require your services ~
That's about the style, but [ do
not think, however, that you exactly
underestimate yet. | know all about
the professional writer's abroad, for in
my younger days | had three. In
italy half the correspondence used to
be carried on that way. There is a
little kind OF an excrescencc-like build
ing that seems, like a fungus, to have
grown out OF the decay Of some old
church, (dont be surprised at my Ian
guage, ] can do quite as we'll as that at
much Sh ,rter notice, where there is an
old man who can write letters for those
VINO can't 1t exists still III France
and III Spain, but here, most everybody
can read and write, 1t would not paw.
The little s,atIoners, who VIII retail
You a sheet of paper aud an envelope
Tor a penny, will for that price throw in
a letter for nothing. Perhaps before
the war 1n~ the sonth, in large town
like Richmond, there might have been
some opportunity for letter writer to
compose niger letters, bnt the war has
ended ali that, and by and by they will
be educated better than we a1e.'
But, | interrupted, "you are tell
ing me rather what you don't do than
what you really do.
Well, | don't mind giving you some
of the details kind sketch Of the
thing only the real names Of the par
ties must remain a secret. Let us take
a suppositious firm; we will call them
Blink II Scratch Their business is to
deal III the cupidity of mankind It's
profession, like anything else. They
are prepared to offer for one dollar or
for five, something which may be worth
untold thousands. Say John Smith is
dead, and has left handsome property.
Blink q Scratch pick up his name in a
single paragraph of not more than two
lines i'll the obituary column of some
country newspaper, They come to me,
and | write them fifty, one hundred let
tiers, to all the Smiths they have found
out to exist Ill that immediate locality
| possess Il hundred different STYLES of
writing, and as many us twenty odd
various kind of handwriting. They
are untold themes which my magma.
ton prompts me TO play on these
various Smiths One partic,1Iarly tel