The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-03-14
Cast-rron Pillars.

The @boysr were sitting around in
the station as usual. The clock had
lust sounded midnight; news was
dry and the grist OF arrests. burglar
les and assaults took but few NIL
nutes for the grinding and division
thereof. :,
Conversation Jagged, when old
Bill. the dean emeritus OF the fac
ulty Of night prowlers came in. A
news gatherer for eighteenyears, Bill
had retired on a 'soft snap"in the
shape of a government Office months
before. But the force Of old habit
was still strong, and once or twice 4
week at least he would grayitate to-
wards the headquarters of the night
providers. He was always welcome,
and doubly cordial was his greeting
this time.
Dull business, boys" said Bill.
at didn't used to be dull when L
was round. Somehow or other
there was more going on of an even
ing then, and when matters were
light the boss always gave a man
something special to do Sometimes
he put up jobs on a fellow, too"
"Ever get caught yourself on any
fy assignment" quriedth youngest
of the providers.
aJust once. bv lingo. You know
| amt much of a liking for these
cast iron, cut and dried meetings.
| never could abide 'em. Give me
a slugging match and I'll warrant
I'll lick the whole tea party of you
young chaps. l could do it once,
and I haven't lost my grip. But a
church meeting or a corporation
hoodoo-how / hated to be assigned
to that sort of thing.
Well, the city editor-a blamed
easy-going cuss, who was rather fond
of a Joke when it was at somebody
else's expense-put up a nice little
game on me one night; and, more
than that, he was aided and abetted
in the scheme by the managing edi-
tor himself.
1t was a cold night coming on,
BOYS, and / wanted an evening oft,
lust to 90 with some of the girls to a
prayer meeting, you know. There
on the assignment book was this
cheerful Law out for me:
.s7:30. Institute Of Technology.
Prof. Bunko on The strength of
Cast Iron Pillars Make from one
half column to one column.)"
| went for the city editor, boys. l
was Just saying to him, "Send me to
a fire in Met.apan, give me six MUIR
ders to wrestle with in n night,
appoint me referee in a hurting
match, but don't ask me to tackle
that thing"
When in came the managing edi-
tor. "Bill," said he, with a solemn
air, "here is a chance for you to
show the stuff you r made of.
This is a nice, intellectual assign
ment. 1t is important, too. In
fact, I don't mind if you make a col
umn and a half"
THAT must have been a croaker,"
remarked the oldest of the active
gang.
Il had'nta word to say, but waltz
ed down 20 the institute. The
strength of cast iron pillars it was,
true enough, and the old gentleman
exhausted both his subject and Bill.
"Ill be bowed if the lecture was
anything but, an Internally long
string of figures. | caught on to a
few of EN-; teverishly gobbled up
his words during the rare lucid in
tervals when he talked about some
thing else than minerals, and a wilt
ed up old sporting man | was when
it wa over. Up to the Office | went"
"Well, said the city editor, get
cut your column, quick"
Make it two" added the chief,
and be :.sure you carefully analyze
and compare the figures"
"You might have knocked me
down with a feather, Partridge"
But | went to work. never dream
ing it was a put up job to bother
me on a dull night, till the proof
reader came in and gave the snap
away. Then / cut out some blamed
figures from an old treasury report,
pasted them on some paper, handed
the mess in to the news editor. and
then skipped the ranch, having got
even as well as / could.-Boston
Globe.