The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-06-15
The Editors Wager.
By z. p. TOBET.

The editor sat in his chair alone
A buster person their never was Known
When in cana farmer, jolly old soul,
Whose name for long years had been borne on
OF paying subscribers He had come into town
To lring his good wife and some farm produce
down.
And having a moment or two he could spare
Had run in usual, to bring in q share
OF his own inward sunshine, to eniighren the
OF the man of the press and his dull cheerless
room.
The editors smile as he lifted his eyes
And he greeted his friend with deal of glad
Zest,
For good chat with him wa. ike taking rest
When at length, the old farmer got ready to
leave,
he said, with sly little laugh in his sleeve,
MY dear friend, there is one thing just want
Now. please don't gre. vexed, for you know It's
my way
But Whist makes you put in each paper you
So much that is worthless-do you take the
hutf
And lots of small matter that nobody reads"
The editor looked at him square in the face,
At first with frowr, then smile took its
'My dear friend" he replied, I'm surprised
you don't know
Every line in the paper il read but it's so;
And now, if you wish, will make my words
good,
And prove what say, as every man should.
I'll put in the very next paper line
Or two about you in coarse print or line
Whichever yctI choose, and Just where you
may say,
And if you don't find on the very next day
That your neighbors all read it promise to
give
Free subscriptions to you as long as you i've"
agreed" said the farmer, you shall sing
new song:
Put it right in the middle of one of those long
Fine-type advertisements-I never yet knew
Any person of sense TO read one of those
through;
If hear of it twice, will bring down to you
The best load of garden sauce ! ever grew"
Then the good days'' were passed and the
And the editor laughed to himself without
doubt,
As he Thought of his wager and how it would
end.
And the nice little joke he would have on his
friend;
Then he wrote Just two lines and he ordered
In the smallest of type-thinking, "Tll win
tha bet"
And he placed them himself, to be sure and
In the midst of q close agate real estate sale.
For, TO better succeed in his little designs,
He'd So .sctad place where To puU these lines
And have them connected with what followed
and make
A sentence complete in itself without break.
These the lines that he wrote: 'Our old friend,
good james True,
Who i one Of the best men the world ever
knew,
OF the wen known Hope Farm"-that was all
that he ssid
About James. but the line next below these
two read
''win be sold very cheap'-then went on to
unfold
The beauties and bounds of the estate TO be
cold.
The paper was printed. The next day but one,
The farmer came in, with bis eyes fun of fun;
You have won." he began, lust as sure as
you're born;
Why, before I'd sot breakfast ate yesterday
morn,
Two or three naighbors called, purpose to see
what that meant il the paper they saw about
me-.
Il hadn't seen it yeti. Then, during the day,
Every neighbor that met me Lad something to
say
And you did it well, too; II was too good 10
So I've sold the whole story, and came with all
speed
To bring you that garden sauce, as eereed."
Tho editor ioos ID from hfs window eud saw
His friend had brought III al his horses could
draw
All fol him: be declined to accept it, but found
That his friend would not listen, and was Off
with d bound,
Saying. cheeriiy, as he went out-"In your next
Just say jim True's preaching, and this III lis
text:
There Is naught in the paper-fruit, flowers or
weeds
Not line in the paper tha: nobody reads
providence Journal