The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-06-21
The Travelling Type-setter.


He walked silently in. We knew him
the moment we raised our eyes and saw
him standing there. l. fact we had been
expecting him; he always comes when
We are in just such strait and needing
him He always wears the same style of
clothes-coat If one kind and pants of
another, he hasn't any vest, his shoes
are worn and run down at the heels,
and his hat is battered and dusty. There
are spots of ink about his shirt which
hangs over his waist band, and his new
paper collar is the only fresh, white
thing about him, and it looks as though
he had just put it on with soiIed fingers.
He is pale, weak-eyed and prematurelv
gray-haired; he looks as though he had
never known regular hours, either tor
sleeping Or eating, and he must have
came thousands of miles and been COM
ing ever since he was boy. Ills start
ing point was so far away, and SO long
ago, that he hasalmost forgotten when
or where it was; but we have an idea
t alst, it t., must r't,> have have been
little blue shirt.band around his white.
boyish throat, put on his little straw hat
and sent him in the printing Office.
How proud he was when he went home
that first night and showed his new
brass rule, and tells mother he has
learned all the boxes and has a free
ticket to the circus next week, and the
editor had gave him big piece of we'd
ding cake, q part of which he had
brought home for the baby, and if he
can set up a column in one day next
week he can 70 fishing on Saturday. Yes,
somewhere about there was the COM
mencement of his Journey, and here he
is now, perhaps two-thirds on his way.
He asks us: 'Whats the show for sit7"
We give him case, and by and by he
says be feels faint, and asks us If we
can't lend him quarter-he hain't had
any break fast yet. We know his weak
ness, and as we need his work, we 20
down with him and order some break.
last for him at the nearest restaurant.
When he comes back he looks happier
and better able to work. In the even
ing when he goes to distributing his
case, he recounts the history of his late
places of Unemployment. He knows the cir
cuiatfon and amount of business of every
paper in the state, and Just why the Dis
patch suspended and why the Advance
sold out to the Courier. He is we'll &C.
quainted with the unknown editor of the
Thunderer, and has friends on the edi-
torial force of all the leading journals of
the country. By-and-by Re whistled low
an air from the Italian opera, and in re-
ply to question answers with a Latin
quotation. He stays with us a week.
and we grow to like him more and more
every day; he has read everything from
aud Ruskin to Mark Twain
and Bill Arp: he knows more shout our
laws, national and state, than the best
lawyer in the city: he is we'll acquainted
with the lives of every eminent person
Of the age, aud is perfect encyclopaedia
Of current events; but we cannot afford
to keep him any longer, 50 pay him off
and he again starts on his long road that
leads-not to home, for he has none;
not to the society of intelligent people
like himself, for outside of the printing
office he is unknown; may be back to
night work on some city daily, or if too
worn and old for that, q rapid descent
from one country office to another, with
whisky and laudannm for companions,
to an unmarked grave by some lonely
wayside.- (Texas) Advocate.