The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-10-27
THE MADDENED QUILL
DRIVER.

Night brooded over the scene "A
habit that night has between the hours
of sunset and sunrise During those
hours the sun rarely shines in our lati-
tude, and night has everything its own
way, with clear field to it elf.
Godfrey Stiehlpen sat at his table in
the sanctum of the Morning TGmboree,
his idle p neil in his listless fingers,
and his aching head resting upon one
weary hand. The solitary bell in dis
tant steeple had just tolled l a. n.
There was q famine of copy on the
hook, and the echoes of the clamors of
inappeasable compositors came MIN
bling in ghostly cadences down the
speaking-tube, and once the sarcastic
tones of the foremans voice penetrated
the dismal sanctum, conveying to Mr..
Stiehlpen the neutrality-suspicious. in
formation that this was not an after
noon paper" and furthermore that he
would like to go to press before the
men went to dinner" Mr.. Stiehlpen
sighed heavily, and in an distracted
manner turned over the closely-writtCn
pages of his notebook.
For twenty-five years he had sat at
that table and praised everything that
ever came within fifty miles of Shawnee
town. Horses, bird-dogs, new houses,
minstrel trOupeS, new goods, lectures,
eminent citizens, big radishes, tall corn,
long jumps, speeches, brass bands. i'm
ported COWS, fine walters, new road
wagons, fancy gates, concerts, fairs,
hops and debating societies. He had
noted the uprising of the eminent citi-
zen, and observed his lying down; he
watched his coming and going, and to-
night he was weary. He had written
UP two speeches, social hop, 5000
horse, an imported pig, new fence,
big egg, a seventeen-pound tumor, a
lecture, and here was concert TO be
written up. He knew what delicate
matter this was. He knew that woe
waited upon his footsteps if he failed TO
notice each performer at length and in
perfect detail. Wrath and denunciations
lowered above his head, ready to fall in
one destroying deluge If he said any.
body sang or played better than any
body else. How could he meet the
father of the young lady who wore
the most expensive dress on the
stage, and yet got a notice four
lines shorter than the shoemaker's
daughter, who had nothing in the world
but her voice to commend her at all to
public notice? How could he look Miss
Uppercea in the face when III his de-
scription of her exquisite rendition of
monastery Bells" he forgot, or perhaps
with malice aforethought Intentionally
omitted To mention the cost of the dia-
monds? He sighed as he remembered
how often he had been through all this,
and here it was / o'clock in the morn
ing, his hand was tired and his head
.ached. and the notes OF his III tn con-
cert were still echoing in his brain, and
were waiting on the pages of his own
notebook for his own transcription.
He rose, and dragged from it's dusty
shelf an old bound volume OF the Tam
boree," looked over some of his old re-
ports, with view Of changing the dates
and names. and using them over, to save
time and trouble, as I've had often done
before. But his head was heavy, and
the concert OF the previous evening diff
fered In so many respects from all its
predecessors that he was forced TO
abandon his labor-saving scheme, so
dear TO the heart Of the ambitious and
painst king reporter.
have praised people for twenty
two years. he muttered, again seating
himself at his table, and | am tired Of
it. ] am not in the pr using humor to-
night, / sigh for something new. My
longing soul aspires to originality. L
had r,ther abuse u man column than
puff him ten lines. | will write up
these notes in a style that will have, at
least, the merit of originality, and will
please everybody who doesn't find his
name in the paper tomorrow"
His pencil flew over the sheets of pa
per like walking match the sarcastic
utterance of the foreman ceased, the
distant clamor of the intel igent com
.positors was hushed, and only now and
then the muffied groans that came
sadly down the speaking-tube told that
some printer was cndeavoring to decide
whether blot, long waving line, two
dots and dash was commencement"
Communion, "incineration,' or "eman-
.cipation." Mr.. Stiehlpen laughed