Orangeburg news and times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1875-1877, 1877-03-24
That Tramp "A Printing Office
Tragedy.
DY EDGAR L4SDLEY WARREN,

il was the day before going to press
in tic Ga=ettc Office, and the glum-
looking foreman, measuring rule i'll
hnnd, gazcd altcrna tcly at the we'll
filed copy-hox and at the busy com
pos itors, whilst anxious torebodings
fitted through his brain. Two OF the
boys had been absent OH spree Ill
that week, and as Il natural result the
remaing printers were rather crowded
with copy. Whilst he WA; pon'lering
upon the situation the door of the
composing room crcake,l sphy rp,n
its hinges aud Il Li-nrrc looking figure
entered. His clothing consisted Of Il
straw hat, an Ulster ovorcoat which
had seen letter days, il ycry dirty
shirt, aud a pair Of liprcr<-"o only
this and nothing more" The cx-'
pcricnccd eye Of Tic foreman at once
discovered in him al impecnnious.
pcripatctic member ofthc craft.
G'ancing co mposchly ahou. the
room, the tramp saun!crc,l up to that
functionary, and, handing him q
greSsy-looking card from some Union,
said he would accept "Sit." for a
few days. He prof,sscd to be 'li;htn
ing on the sit;' had worked in The
New York 2riJunc office. and reckon
ell he could read any manuscript
thae ever was wri'tsn.
at once assigned Il case. he went to
work in n mannc i. Which proved lie
undcrstond lis business, and was
really a superior workman.
The devil Of The office ut once
struc!: up acquaintance with him, and
managed to elicit from his iii .hc
course Of !hc forenoon the vi luablc
i"ii'rnrH;i0n riiat lie wsls on his way
frcm the Black Hills to England,
where u ii h relative Of his, lately
deceased, i.al h,pncu.!c,l In IN
enormous fortune. At iiunr: time
the bays invi:ctl him to .. restaurant,
where he WAS supplied witha s;lu re
meal; and ia the a!iarno3n he r.ium-
cd wor;.
About Two o'c'oc! johnson, The
senior editor, sent out his leader.
Now, johnson's writing is fearful and
wonderful to contemplate iclorc its
intricate raacs the chirography Of
such croglypAical pro,iiyics rs Gree
ley or Bloss would look clear. l. re-
scmblcs nothing in heaven or on earth
but itscl:%. l[ou may read tin any
manner YOU choose upside Town,
sideways or backwards, whichever
way YOU select, youarc boand to be
ut sea.
The only man the Gu.e,'c corps
WHO could set This manuscript with
any degree o!accnracy was Mngrin<,
he was Oh Il p2rio'licui drunk. When
the tramp made Il drive for that copy
Il sardonic smile PLAYED over the fen
lures o.! the other compnsilors, and
they waited future developments.
lie put the head up in iiIly, and
thcn made y dive FORA capital '.k"
and set The word ''I.xo<yky." Now.
everybody know, hat lhc,e is no such
u word rs "Rcxcsyky E" Til, fact
having forced itsclfupon the tramp 5
mind, lie threw the word back into
the case. Then he held Tie copy up
10 the light and slowly and deliberate
" reached for ~" but changed hi
mind, and took NY" instead. This,
however, upon reflection, he decided
was not Tie thing. s. rejecting it he
made plunge tora e. But. 10 he
could find nothing to convert into
figures to follow it, and, as no word
could begin with such Il sign, the dis
gu>ted tramp i'll despair laid down his
stick and snt on stool to collect hi.
scattered wits. After gazing for halt
an hour at the piece ot'copy, which
might be put forward, without cxcit
ing suspicion, as q representation OF
either Japanese puzzle, Il Scrvian
war map, or several dozen lengt OF
Virginia rail fence, he hcavcd deer