The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-07-10
Value Received.
Burlington HAwkeye,

value Rece1Ne0.
Burlington Hawkeye,
Anybody could tell what he had.
Every man in the sanctum knew in a
minute. The timid knock at the door
gave him clear away at the very start.
No man or woman ever knocks at a
sanctum door unless he comes on that
fatal errand. Then he came inside and
took off his hat and bowed all round
the room, when every man on the staff
rosred ont, in terrible chorus, "Come
in J" Then he asked for the editor,
and when the underlings, with q fine
mingling of truth and grammar, pointed
to the youngest and the newest man in
the Office and yelled, That's him |" he
walked up to the young gentleman des.
ignated, and before he could unroll hi
manuscript we knew the subject of it
and deep groan echoed around the
room. sf .g si.-.I .s- ehfW
"Poetry, young man ?" asked the
editor. Yes, sir" said the poet, Ga
couple of triolets and a sonnet on the
marriage of my sister with an old college
friend" sI ='
cold college friend, male or female,
young man p sEked the editor, severely
"Any more asked the principal inter
locutor, anything more, young man 7"
Yes, sir" was the hopeful response, "a
threnody in memory of my departed
brother"
Brother dead, young man, or only
gone to Ssgetown p Dead, SIR
Your own brother ?" "No, sir
never had real brother; it's only i'm.
aginary."
Male, sir" said the young man.
He said ''sir," every time, and every
time he said it, all the young gentlemen
who personSted the governor, snickered.
He looked severe.
Anything more, young mani" he
asked. Yes, sir" replied the infant
Tennyson, "a kind of idyl, an ode ina
scribed tie My Lost Love-"
"Love been lost very long, young
man ?'iiasked the journalist, very critis
cally. Well, it's imnaterial, that is"
stsmmered the young man, otis indie
fnite-it's-"
Ever advertise for it." asked the
reporter who was writing puff for Slabs
tombstones, but he was instantly frowned
down. t.
r " Can't take this. then, young man."
was the chilling reply. Poetry, to
end acceptance with the Hawkeye, must
be true. Have to reject this threnody,
not because it is not very beautiful, but
because it is not true. Now, how much
do you want for these others ?" And he
fingered them over like man buying
mink skins.
The poet really didn't know.I EHe
had never published before; he had
barely dared hope to have his verses
published at all. A few copies of TIE
paper containing them would, he was
sure
Oh, no." the editor broke in; son,
no, no sir, can't do that we don't do
business that way; if a poem or sketch
is worth publishing, it is worth paying
for. Would fifteen dollars satisfy you for
theseT
The roet blushed to the floor with
gratitude, and the young Journalist
grsndly wrote out an order and handed
it to the poet.
Take that to the courthouse" he
said, "snd the auditors clerk will give
you the money"
The poet bowed and withdrew, and
with great merriment the journalists
burned his poems and resumed their
work. -. .-..aa.. - .-
That wasn't the funny part of it,
however. The next day the simple
minded poet Eresenued his order to the
clerk designated. And 1t was 80 that
the clerk owed the paper eighteen dol
lars for subscription and advertising,
and he promptly csshed the order and
turned it in when bis bill was presented,
and the manager just charged it to the
salary account OF thersrart young jour.
nslist who signed the order, and the
happiest man and the msddest man in |
Americ are living in Burlington. One
of them is happy, gree1, unscphistics>
ted young machine poet, the other ia a
wide-swake, up to snuff, know-the-world,
get-up>and>dust young Journalist, who
is already a rival Of Horace Greedy in
some OF the verbal departments of jour-
nalism. - Ill IA o. .i-aT