Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-04-28
A YOUNG JOURNALISTS DIFFICULTIES.

OOm6 OF Inc newspaper 1ellOWS
were little disappointed when the
Opera Festival press tickets were
passed around. A young gentleman,
here and there, after having made ar
rangements to escort young lady to
one of the operas, would be more or
less panied to discover, for example,
that he was destined to be an end
man in the northeastern corner of the
gallery, while his lady love occupied
seat behind pillar two floors below.
It will readily be seen that much
of the pleasure of companionship
would thus be seriously interfered
with. The beaming smiles of ap-
proval, the soft spoken words that are
wont to be interchanged during a
performance, the animated converse
tions between acts, the recognition
and pointing out of mutual friends,
the young mans carefully studied ex-
PLANTATION of the plot, all of these de-
ightful little social amenities would
have to be foregone.
Apropos of this, the experience of
a young man connected with one of
the dailies. He had, in the full con-
fidence of being able to fulfill his en-
gagements, asked his sweetheart to
pick out three or four operas that she
was especially DESTROYS of hearing,
which she did with commendable
alacrity, naming four and adding, II
would dearly love to see-but no mat
ter"
OF course he insisted on knowing
what else she had set her heart upon
hearing, and she mentioned two
other operas, and he agreed to get
seats for all of them. She was en-
raptured with her prospective rich
entertainment and went Immediately
to tell the folks, and then they had a
delightful time in planning for the
week, and the old man didn't stick
his head into the parlor that night
to tell his daughter that it was ten
o'clock, and altogether the young fel
low spent the most enjoyable evening
of his existence.
When he got out into the air and
had chance to think he began to
have serious misgivings as to his
ability to carry out his plans and sub
sequent events developed the shrewd-
ness of this latter conviction, for
when the office tickets were divided
up, our young man found that he had
his choice between taking two seats
for one performance or staying away.
He took them with q sinking heart,
but he did take them, for there were
~ Fol DI,<z -
anxiously for chance to snap them
up, and indeed, the editor who offered
them to him, did so with considerable
hesitation.
It was a fearful ordeal that the
young man found it necessary to
face, but he did not finch from it.
He was a newspaper man. and the
bravery that seems to be inherent in
men of his profession never forsook
him.
He told his girl that the chief editor
of his paper had been waylaid the
night before IN going home from his
Office and robbed of $500 in money,
a solitaire diamond stud worth $500,
and worst of all, ninety-six Opera
Festival season tickets, with which
Col. Nicholas had with characteristic
generosity supplied the Office. That
thereupon he, the young man, had
secured the town for tickets, and had
finally procured two seats, he was
really ashamed to say how much he
had paid for them, but they were the
best that could be had at this late hour.
''You see," he added imprudently,
''the spectators have all the seats
that they could get hold Of"
"But wouldn't the spectators sell
them to your
"Certainly not"
ssBut what do the spectators do
with themT she persisted.
"Then you don't know" he said
mysteriously, and trying to think of
some way out of his dilemma. "Now,
if I tell you this you must promise
never to breathe word of it to liv-
ing soul. You see it is not generally
known, and was told me in the
strictest confidence, and inasmuch as
it is contrary to the ethics Of journal
ism to betray a trust, would never
consent to divulge the secret to any
one else, but with you it is different,
and I feel that can confide in you"
She was much affected by this evil
dence of his perfect faith in her and
promised never to reveal the secret,
and he told her that the spectators
held tho tickets until long after the
festival was over, when they were
sold at fabulous prices to the collect
ors of souvenirs.
"How singular! But Thoughtful
", wouldn't the tickets that have
been used answer as souvenirs?"
s'Oh, no." he exlaimed hastily. 1.-THE
tickets must be in perfect condition
to suit the curiosity collectors, and
you know they punch the tickets
taken at the door and that spoils
them," and he mentally calculated
that somebody ought to punch him
until he was spoiled for telling such
colossal lies. :.
"Why, these seats are not together"
she exclaimed, suddenly discovering
that one of them was parquette and
the other dress-circle ticket. This
was a source of fresh grief for the
Young man, who in the agitation con.
sequent upon his disappointment had
utterly failed to notice it.
But again his professional dignity
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