The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-06-24
DoNALDsoNvn4LE LOUISIANA SATURDAY, "a 1852
TaE EDITORS WAGER.

TUE EDITORS WAGER.
The editor sat in his chair alone
| A buster person there never was known
| When in came farmer, a jolly old soul,
| Whose name for long years had been borne
on the roll
| Of paying subscribers. He had come into
town
To bring his good wife and some farm pro
duce down,
And having moment or two he could spare,
Had run in as usual, to bring in q share
OF his own inward sunshine to tighten the
gloom
OF the man Of the press and his dull, cheer.
less room.
The editors smile, as he lifted his eyes
And saw who was there, was Of Joyful sur
prise;
And he greeted his friend with deal of glad
For good chat with him was like taking a
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 to say
Now, please don't get vexed, for you know
it's my way
But what makes you put in each paper you
So much that is worthless-do you take the
Well-petty lnisfortunes-and little mis-
deeds
And lots of small matter that nobody reads.n
The editor looked at him square in the face,
At first with a frOwn, then smile took its
place.
:" My dear friend" he replied, "I'm sur
prised you don't know
Every line in the paper is read-but it's so
And now, if you wish, I will make my words
good,
And prove what say, as every man should.
III put in the very next paper a limo
Or twO about yOu-in coarse print or fine,
Whichever you 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
Free subscriptions to you as long as you
live"
" Agreed" said the farmer, +" you shall sing
new song;
long
Fine-type advertisements-In never yet knew
Any person Of sense to read one Of those
through;
If hear from it twice will bring down to
you
The hest load of garden sauce ever grew"
Then the good days were passed, and the
farmer went out,
And the editor laughed to himself without
doubt,
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 hc ordered
them set
IN the ,Sas sma1,s;t hs;a Of type-'hnhins I'll win
And he placed them himself, to bc sure and |
not fail,
n the midst ofa close agate rcal-estate sale. |
fOr, to better succeed in his little designs, /
led select place where to put these lines !
Ind have them connected with what fol- |
lowed and make
sentence complete in itself, without break. |
'hese the lines that he wrote: "Our old |
friend good James True,
Who is one of the best men the world ever |
knew,
Of the well known Hope Farm that was
About James, but the next line below these |
two read
Will be sold very cheap"-then went on to |
unfold
The beauties ana bounds of the estate to be
sold.
The paper was printed. Tho next day but
The farmer came in, with his eyes full Of |
fun;
: You have won," he began, "just as sure
as you're born;
Why, before I'd got breakfast ate yesterday
morn,
Two or three neighbors called, purpose to |
see
What that meant in the paper they saw
about me. |
Il hadn't seen it yet) Then, during the day, |
Every neighb0r that met me had something |
to say
About my being sold. was sold very cheap,
And you did it well, too; it was too good to
80 I've told the whole story, and came with
all speed
10 bring you the garden sauce, as agreed"
The editor looked from his window and saw
His friend had brought in all his horses
could draw
MI for him he declined to accept it, but
found
That his friend would not listen, and was
off with bound
saying, cheerily, as he went out: " In your
next
lust say Jim True's preaching, and this is
his text:
There is naught in the paper-fruit, flowers
Or weeds
Not line in the paper that nobody reads"
-Ps,0ride9ace (R. ~ Journal