The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-12-07
THE LOST MANUSCRIPT.
An Editorial Romance.

An Editorial Romance.
Mr.. Parker was hurried; his face was
disturbed. almost distorted, by an I'M
usual expression of annoyance and dis
gust: and when his eyeglasses dropped
from his nose, as they had a way of do
ing. he replaced them with Il kind of vic
ious energy. His desk was in state
of chaos to which he had reduced it in
a half-hour's search of increasing vigor:
usually it was model of neatness and
order, every pigeon-hole was distinctly
marked and dedicated to specific pur-
pose, and every paper lodged in any
one OF these carefully Disseminated
apertureS was numbered, dated and
deity folded. 1t was part of John
Parker : character to be orderly. and it
was also the necessity of his occupation.
As the managing editor of a popular
magazine, which furnished large cir
Gle of readers with monthly INSTALL
ment of the best current literature. he
found himself in the vortex of a whirl-
pool of correspondence and manu-
scripts that came in every morning with
the buoyant energy of tiood-tide. and
subsidized every afternoon with the
languid, reluctant movement of an ebb
that always left 4 diScouraging debris
behind There were DAYS when Mr..
Parker actually hated the mail. and
mentally wished that the Government
might come TO some temporary ruin in
order that the mails might be suspend
ed for week. But the wiShed-for dis
turbance never came, and the Govern
ment continued to perform its functions
as letter-carrier with deliberate regular
ity.
The work of conducting a large cor
respondence was onerous enough, but it
was the reading OF manuscripts which
dcyoured Mr.. Parker's time, consumed
his mental vigor. exhausted his patience
and kept him continually on the verge
of resigning his position. They came
from al quarters of our own capacious
country and from beyond the seas; thev
treated every possible theme in every
conceivable manner. and they exhibit
ed every variety OF penmanShip from
the formal precision of apparent copper
plate TO the free. bold hand which
Scorned all the traditions of chiror-
raphv.
WheDMr. Parker reached his office
in the morning ne exchanged the Prince
Albert froch coat viii he uniformly
wore for less pretentious garment.
carefully adjusted his eyeglasses. and
seated himself at his desk with an eX-
preston in which Roman fortitude and
Christian resignation We're happily
mingled. He proceeded TO separate the
heap of manuscripts which an assistant
had placed before him into three smaller
piles; in one he collected all the verse.
in a second all the stories. and in a
third all the miscellaneous contribu-
tons Then he read, conScientiously.
verse, tale AMI essay, marked the larger
number of each kind with an unhesitat-
ing and unmistakable r, noted the fact
of acceptance on one or two. and re-
served 4 few for further consideration.
As rule, this work brought him to
midday, and - the second chapter of
his daily task.
At thirty, Mr.. Parker had ALREADY ac-
quired an Orderliness which had become
q second nature; and. therefore, he was
uncommonly Hurried and disturbed on
this particular morning by his inability
TO lind Il certain manuscript which he
had read, folded and Endorsed with his
approval one week before. In his eL-
deavur TO find ii he had thoroughly eX-
amined every part of his desk, searched
every pigeon-hole, and ROW. flushed and
4 little dusty. he was celebrating as to
what he should do next At length he
touched an elec ric bell 1T the side of
his desk. and was Immediately con-
fronted by a small bow
Ask Mr.. Perkins 10 come here 2 mo-
ment"
The boy disappeared. and was re-
placed moment later BY Mr.. Perkins, /
who also wore eyeglasses. and was one |
of the assistant editors.
Good morning. Mr.. Perkins. | am
a good deal troubled becausa | have
mislaid 4 manuscript. 1t came about a 1
week ago. and was Very uncommon 4
story. The title was John Dolline's |
Quest. Do you recollect seeing it?''
MIR Parker looked at the assistant !
editor with the evident hope of an an
swer that would end his perplexitv, but
he was doomed to disappointment: Mr.. |
Perkins had not read the manuscript. |
and knew nothing about it. Mr. Par |
ker thereupOn, and very deliberately. I
examined his desk second time with |
out any result, then walked I'D and 4
down his Office few minutes in evident !
vexation, and finally recovered himself /
with an effort, rang for stenographer,
and addressed himself to his CORE
spondence.
At haf-past four Mr.. Parker was
ready to leave his Office; he had cleared
his desk. resumed his Prince Albert
froek: and was on the point of putting
on his light overcoat, when the boy 1
brought him card. He put on his
eyeglasses and looked at it suspicious
y; ne evidently expected new con-
MISS Elinor Ferguson he NUT
tered, soto Uoee; who in the world is
sheF Wen, " speaking to the boy, who
STOOD waiting. ''show her in"