The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-04-05
The Aged Typo.

It is remarkable how the habits OF life
cling to a person even during his last mo-
ments The boys in the Inter-Ocean Office
hardly expected to find the old man at his
case when they came to work in the morn
ing, for when he had gone home the night
before they had noticed his steps were very
feeble. Fer over forty years he had held a
case; first on a metropolitan daily,
then on little country weekly, and then on
a religious monthly. His hand was steady
as yet despite his sixiy-odd years, and very
few of his ''a's'' got into his ''r'' box. This
bright, sunshiny morning he came in and
greeted his fellow-typos with a pleasant
Good morning" The boys noticed his
hand trembled somewhat, and that his voice
was husky and uncertain. but they paid no
particular attention to these things; the old
man had been acting rather strangely
for the last few days, and they
attributed these failings to a gradually
weakening constitution. He stood at his
case for almost an hour throwing in. and
had distributed nearly all his matter. when
of a sudden, and without any previous
warning, his composing stick fell from his
hand to the floor, and he himself tottered
and would have fallen had not the
boys sprung to his side and sup
ported him to a chair in front of the
fire. His head dropped forward on
his breast, and his breathing became
more and more rapid. The pressman ran for
glass of water, and returning held il to
his lips. As the water touched his parched
tongue spasm of pain shot across his face,
and his frame was convulsed with agony.
With an effort that seemed almost super
human he dashed the glass upon the floor,
and it was splintered into thousand pieces
This effort seemed TO arouse him somewhat
and he gazed about him with a bewildered
stare.
Boys" he said; "boys are the cases all
full?" His mind wanders," whispered the
foreman, in a low voice, and then said
aloud, as he bent over the Old man: "Yes,
Dick, old fellow, everything is thrown in"
That's right, that's right" exclaimed the
feeble old man, ''there is nothing like hav-
ing the galleys and stones all cleared off,
and he seemed to brighten up considerably,
and made an effort to stir the fire with a
warped sidestick, which the boys used as a
poker.
1--WE run short on EN- quads, boys, and
haven't enough to space out this poetry"
he said, and his faltering fingers went
through the motion of travelling over the
case in search of the requisite metal.
That's all right, Dick. we'll throw in
some quoins, and that will bring il all
right" said one of the boys in a sympathetic
voice.
"Ah, Charley" said the old man, that
davs, when we used to drop out a dead 'ad'
and lock up the planer in the forms to fill
out with. Fat times, those" he continued:
"tbey will never come back to the old man."
and he leaned his head on both hand and
swayed to and fro. The boys gathered
around him more closely to prevent his fall
ing.
One of the boys, in coming to the old
mans side, stumbled over chase which
was leaning against the composing stand,
and it fell TO the floor with loud crash.
The old man sprang to hiss feet, and it was all
the boys could do to restrain him. you've
pied the form" he shouted, and it is time
to go to press. What shall we do? what
shall we do?'
"Sit down, Dick, old fellow; it's nothing
but an empty chase" said the foreman, and
he gently placed the old gentleman in the
chair.
You can't deceive me, Mac" and the
tears stood in the veterans eyes THE form
is pied, and we ought to have been to press
an hour ago. The folios are all wrong Mac.
See, here is page 102, backing up page 81"
and the old man snatched proof from the
revise-hook, and began folding it in a help
less manner.
Its all wrong, but it is too late" he
gasped. 1.-THE press waits" Here bis head
sank again upon his breast. and his breath
ing was thick and fast. Yes, boys, lock up
the forms and look outlook out for loose
spaces"
The boys stood silently around the old
composition, and the scene was an impressive
one in the extreme.
1.-THE pages are all proved, everything all
right" he murmured in broken accents.
"Now, then, careful, boys; lift off the FORMS
and clean off the stones, and before, before
you start up the press, let us-let us---jefi
for the drinks
He fell with heavy thud to the floor, and
the foreman, with the aid of the pressrnan
lifted him up and laid him tenderly on q
pile of mail bags under the cutter, and one
b. one the boys returned to their cases and
left him to--sober up.