, 1880-01-22
Tom Grjggs.

III ION IrlGgS loOheu loF any hSAO
nlng Of the cloud when out OF the at
mosphere of his home and in that OF the
office, lie was not gratitied. 1t is more
than likely he had no such expectation,
1t is O. remarkable fact in connection
with the conduct of a country printing
Office, that, on the day when an extraor
binary financial fort is to be- put forth,
some mechanical or other trouble arises.
A form pies, or an important roller
melts, or some one Of the meaGer force is
unexpectedly taken i'll or drunk. A
short bank account, and one, il not all,
of these contingencies invariably con-
junct on the day preceding publication.
People of q superStitous turn are conf
dent there is something supernatural
about this. In the case OF Tom Griggs
it was the last named misfortune. Haz
elton being Of frail and sickly cast,
and not expected to live any great
length of time, had gone off on broad
and uncomprehensive drunk. This fact
was communicated to Tom, the moment
he entered the room, by Mr.. Phillips, in
that helpless tone, peculiar to the fore
man of an Office when he is confronted
by an emel gency. "A mighty poor look
for the paper he cheerfully added.
MIR. Phillips spirit communicated it
self to Joe Goodwin and 'Lippy,' and oc-
easioned the former to- audibly observe
for the beneht of his employer, well
be late day, or I'll be damned T
Whereupon Master Vanderlip was led
to remark, for the behoof, also, of the
detected editor that if the paper got
out at all that week it would he mighty
lucky.
The editor sat down to his desk and
groaned inwardly, while he involuntarily
Clasped his head in his hands Then he
went at his books to make out bills for
collection. There was an array of nm
cancelled figures in the columns that
were most grateful to the casual glance,
but apples of ashes in the teeth Of him
who gave them closer inspection. This
party was out of town; or that one was
to pay next month; or there was coun-
ter account from so-and-so; or what
name wouldn't pay any; and so on down
one column after another, until Tom
Griggs began to doubt if he could get
bills enough for the required amount,
saying nothing at all OF what he nigh
collect on them.
And while he was at his labor his
muddled brain was tossed and con
vulsed by the cry of copy aud the de
mands of visitors, and the queries of
Mr.. Phillips, who never before so it
seemed Co his half distracted chief--was
SO density helpless and ignorant as to
day. That nothing went right became
apparent before the day had far gone.
Correspondents disappointed, sorts run
out, one galley was pied, and marvellous
stupidity seemed to settls on the com
positors. It seemed to the unhappy
man as ii visitors were never half so nu-
merous. There was man who had
farm to sell aud wanted 80 auction bills.
He dida's have copy for the bill, not De-
ing used to such things, but he knew
the printer could write it out in q iiffy.
Tom complied. Next were three
women-a committee appointed by a
church society to get posters for a
strawberry festival and also to get
notice in the paper.
They had copy for the poster-but
enough for small pamphet-and
seemed to show detsrrRin ,tion TO get
it all on the bill in the biggest type in
the cfiice After prolonged struggle
with them he succerd-d in getting tIIeir
consent to reduce the amount of the
matter. A full half-hour was used up
with this party. They were succe d Il
by a lauk individual Of a dim religious
aspect, and the escorter of portman.
teau. He dealt in the line of litho
graphs. Tom hastily but firmly assured
him that he did not want to buy, at th4
same time eying him with an Intense
dislike, The man said he did not want
him to buy anything, he only wanted to
show him some gems OF art. Tom told
HIM he didn't have time to look at
them. The proprietor of the gems as
sured him it would not take minute to