The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-02-13
0ast-Iron Pillars,

nc HpN9 were SlJtlnB around IN the
station rs usual, The clock had lust
sounded midnight; news was dry and
the grist of arrests, burglaries and
assaults took but few minutes for the
grinding and division thereof.
Conversation Jagged, when old Bill,
the dean emeritus Of the faculty Of
night providers came in. A news-gath-
erer for eighteen years, Bill had retired
on "soft snap in the shape of gov
eminent Office months before But the
force of old habit was still strong, and
once or twice week ut least he would
gravitate towards the headquarters OF
the night providers. He was always well
come, and doubly cordial was his greet
ing this time.
Dull business, heyP" said Bill. at
didn't used to be dull when I was
round. Somehow or other there was
more going on of an evening 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 fly
assignment queried the Youngest Of the
providers,
just once, by lingo. You know !
amt much of liking for these cast
iron, cut-and-dried meetings, | never
could abide EN- Give me a smuggling
match and III warrant I'll lick the
whole tea party Of you young chaps. !
could do il once, and l haven't lost my
grip. But a church meeting or a cor.
poration hoodoo--how l hated to be
assigned to that sort Of thing,
Well, the city editor-a blamed easy.
going cuss, who was rather fond Of
joke when it was at somebody else's OK.
pense-put up nice little game on me
one night; and, more than that, he was
aided and abetted in the scheme by the
managing editor himself,
II was a cold night coming on, boys,
and | wanted an evening off Just to go
with some Of the girls to prayer meet.
ing, you know. There on the assign
meut book was this cheerful layout for
me:
$50 Institute of Technology. Prof,
Bunko on The Strength Of Cast-Iron
to one column y
went for the city editor, boys. l was
just saying to him, Send me to fire in
Mettapan, give me six murders to
wrestIe with in one night, anpont mo
referee in hurting match but don't
ask me to tackle that thing
When in came the managing editor
Bill, " said he, with solemn air there
is chance for YOU to show the stuff YOU
are made Of This is nice, intellect
ual assignment. 1t is important, too. In
fact, don mind if you make a column
and q half
That must have been croaker,"
remarked the Oldest of the active gang.
Il hadn't word 70 say, but waltzed
down to the institute The strength OF
cast-iron pillars it was, true enough,
and the old gentleman exhausted both
his subject and Bill. "I'll be blowed II
the lecture was anything but an intern.
ally long strir q figures caught on
TO few Of en- iaverishly gobbled up
his words during the rare lucid inter.
walls when he talked about something
else than minerals, and wilted-up old
sporting man I was when it was over.
Up to the Office WENT We'll" said
the city editor, get out your column
quick make it two, y added the
chief, land be sure you carefully ana.
lyse and compare the figures"
"You might have knocked me down
with feather, Partridge
But went TO work, never dreaming
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, hay
ing got even as well as could. -DoSton
Globe
- Co