The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-05-08
A Frontier Printing Office.


Years ago we struck little frontier town
and, of course, Immediately headed for al
establishment down street which bore
large sign of "Printing Office spelled witt
one ''F. y The painter, as we learned after
wards, had gone the way of all tramps thu
day he delivered the job-got drunk and lief
town, and there had since been no chance
to have it corrected. Upon entering, WI
found man 81 ting near the stove,
breeches in boots-which were heeled will
gigantic spurs, no coat, -, two tanc,
wooden shirts taking place of those generally
used articles (blue and gray, the outer one
open to the waist, and belt containing a
pair of six shooters and short, heavy knife
Ono toys, you may rest assured). On oul
inquiry for 'the proprietor, he turned
quickly, took steady look for moment
and seeing nothing which appeared like We
had come for any sort of a settlement,
SAID:
''Im the man-sit down" and kicked a
cracker box towards us for aseat. you're
printer i knew it the moment l saw you
You want work, | reckon. and IN glad OF
it. My man has been gone month, and
as don't know a blanketty blanked thing
about setting type, I've been stuck. Will
you go to work"
To which we replied affirmatvely "Your
office appears to be in bad condition" said
we, as a pile of "pi' on the stone and
several wrecked jobs on the floor caught
our eye.
"Well, yes; the boys ometimes come in
here aud play poker across the forms, and
believe they have sort O mixed things
lately. Whenql you go to work p
"1o morrow"
"Good enough! Now, about pay; can t
always give you money-fact is, you haven t
any use for that here. can get you any
thing you want, down at the post, at San
Antoine, or in town. If you play with the
boys, and they beat you, you can stand
'em Off you beat them they'll never pay,
so that's even I'm running rancho near
here, aud will have plenty of money as
soon as sell some cattle. All right"
''That is satisfactory.
''rhen sail in when you get ready"
And that Office Oh, Lordy! 1t was a
perfect curiosity shop to man who had
served his time on a first class daily. About
one hundred pounds of small plea, three
fonts mixed, and looked like it Lad been
shot at squirrels and afterwards picked up
in the woods-a press that dated back to
1900 double.pull improved" Ramage)-
a handful of split-up cigar boxes (reglets)
about fifty quoins, most Of them! hand>
made-wooden furniture aroAnd the forms
-chases so crooked they wouldn't lie still
on the wooden "stone''- an empty ink key,
half dozen wooden galleys and about four
pounds of leads and slugs completed the
layout And the job Office We found
few cases of display type, with no particular
fnr at or
several styles of wood letter there was no
visible place.
"What about this wood type-where is it
kept?" We asked, while engaged in
cleaning up"
'There it is, hanging in the corner"
Sure enough-there hung a bag of "wood
lines," such as ''strayed, " ''stolen," ''re-
ward" ''for SALE" etc. And that was the
prospect for posterl After diligent
search, we found a roller or, rather, a
roller frame, holding stock covered with
that must have been furnished
by Mr.. Palmer when he first displaced the
old ''balls." No work could be done with
out roller-the patient in hand couldn't
have been galvinized into ''suction" by
some glue and molasses 1t didn't take long
could be found in town
''Send to the post" said the boss, sits
only forty miles, and I'll find man who
will go down there and back in two days"
So, a cowboy was enlisted who, for
was willing to make ride to |
the nearest trader and get two gallons of |
nolesses and eight pounds of glue. He |
was character, for fact-but we haven't |
70 4 rih a G,fn . 20
hat, after much talk about what he and his
boss could do, he set out, equipped with
written instructions, a two-gallon jug, and
he usual armament of Winchester rife,
1uife and six>shooters He was gone a
week. One evening he hove in sight, sway
ng like a man nodding in a chair, pulled
Up in front of the Office, and without word
christening the jug and small
indie from his saddle.
''Well, Jim, you've got the stuff-but il
ook you a devil of time to make the trip
aid the "editor~in- chief"
"Hold on, pard tell yerall about it
Du see met lotozee boys downetpos and
We had heluvatime -twOsree fghts-Dick
wilson killed dedernel-and got kinder
cratched myself-then l started back
vizzat formal jug-and drank bout half of
! ofidhhfs
':Drank it-drank the mOlasses Pr
90 Lasses, thunder No! zerwisky
,eresersugur
"What the blazes do l want with whisky
nd sugar? Didn't send you for glue and
lolasses? Where's the note gave your"
Muffin bout no note. If you don't
Ianter sugar-why takersrait, zatsall-
ikersrait
And he rode away Keeling as though he
'ould tumble of at every step Of the horse.
Dur courier had lost his ''orders," got
runk, been shot, and rode eighty miles to
ring us whisky and sugar to make a roller
The boss and liis new journeyman
lade the best Of the situation by drinking
he liquor to each others health, and sepa-
tied the best Of friends-the printer going !
San Antonio, and the "editOrT TO his
niche. Further publication of that paper ,
as then and there indefinitely postponed. :