Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-06-06

hundred dollars on account of hllrr,
about our work, but we will make sur
$ of one of the ffties."
Fifty dollars" said Mary, "woulc
buy the chamber set and cheap, pretty
' ingram, and we could put Off the pictures
until your salary is raised" eve were
always postponing things to that golden
Utopia. We had in imagination spen
and respent dozen ''raises." 1t cost
little aud was better than running il
debtJ
| kissed her good bye and started to the
office. When | reached the street she
raised the window to call after me "Be
sure and decide upon your subject, Jack,
as we must commence it tomorrow.
My usual hour of reaching home was
3 a. IN. This time it was after 4. A Sec
ond edition had kept me up. | walked the
three miles too tired in body and mind to
think of my story or anything else. l
was Just then more interested i'll the char
acter of powder-mill explosions, as re-
lated to newspaper reports, than in Gtera-
ture, and the fact that an expected pro
motion Of the city editor to the ''intel-
lectual department of the NcptiUlc,
with bestowal of his long an l honora-
bly, worn shoes on some one else, might
lead to the bettering of my position, kept
me closely to the practical side of life.
| went to sleep almost before was I'M
dressed, and forgot to give even dream
to the subject that had grown very close
to the dear little heart at my side.
All day and evening sessions of the Ma
tional Society for the Organization of
South African and Last Indian Missions,
held me close for the next week, and the
mere mechanical labor of following long
drawn speeches and copying voluminous
reports and resolutions with many
"whereases" SO used up my mental and
vital energy that had heart and thought
for nothing else. l lost some of the best
points in my projected story, and was
compelled to explain the plot in full view
to my wife, lest L should lose it altogether
before the long-deferred time of placing
it upon paper should dawn upon us.
"Perhaps we can get few hours Of
rest on Saturday." l said, "and then we
will take off our coats and go at it, OF
course | can't expect to strike the $50
class with the time at my disposal, ,tbut
we will be satisfied to go in at $40, eh,
little one?
"Of course we will, my dear, she said
brightly. "One can get a fair chamber
set--but guess we will have to let that
go until your salary is little more, and
we will put the $40 into the bookcase you
have wanted so long. Is it a bargain ?"
1t was signed, sealed and delivered with
n kiss.
Sunday came and with it scattering Of
the reverend gentlemen who had partici-
pated In the mission deliberations and de-
bates to the various pulrits of the city
and suburban churches. "Follow them
around" said the city ,editor on Saturday
night, land get something of the services
held by a dozen Of the hest of them.
When that is out of the way, DROP over
and get old General Snodgers opinion on
this confounded tariff debate. He has
bern in Washington and ought to have
something fresh. And, 81, tho way. am
going out of town and / wish you would
come around about o'clock and run the
local work for the rest of the night"
When Mary called me on Sunday morn
ing dressed slowly and put off a square
look into her face as long as / possibly
could. / knew she had been out on Sat
urday looking at bookcases and had set
her heart on seeing that story dashed into
with vlgor and energy before p. IN. and
When ! drew up to the table she moved
the sugar bowl and milk pitcher to one
side. gave PIE a half-hopeful and half
pleading Iooh and simtly snid "Well'"
] temporized.
"Mary, we ought to have new set of
curtains for our sitting ROOM"
"Yes, but they can wait"
"Twenty-fve dollars would buy them
and hang them.
81 know it, but the $25?"
con. tnut - > "ll right. / tell you the
plot is too deep to work up in the time W.
have. Suppose we lay aside the story we
have on hand and reel off a little sketch
that will strike the S25 grade You
know that / can do that at any time.
Shall we do it
"Whatever you think best of course.
We do need the bookcase, but the cur
tains would add greatly to the appearance
Of the room. When win your stretch get
itsell commemorate"
"Thats easy enough. I'll give it n
send off tonight, after my other work is
out OF the way. and will show it to YOU
in the morning. 1t will hinge on an old
farmer who thought he had seen a ghost
in the ravine into which the Ashtabula
railroad bridge went tumbling on that
awful winters night"
81 don't like ghost stories, said Mary /;
"but then l am not on the committee of
award. Suppose you run into STEMS to-
morrow and price their curtains"
That night the Great Arcade block burn
ed to the ground. The city editor was
away, one reporter was sick, and several
others busy on matters that could not be
neglected. | cut the missionary gentle
man off with as few words as possible,
, and allowed General Snodgers and the
tariff question to rest in the dim region
OF uninterviewed security. All our ener-
gles We're bent on making a report of the
fire that would do the paper credit. But
nothing seemed to go right. In the first
t place old Anthracite, the chief editor
had Just come home from trip to the
| South, and being afraid that his efficient
t managing editor was getting too much
( credit ior the prosperity of the paper
l decided to show the reporters that he was
. still master of the situasion. An houl
: after the fire was under way, and wher
the reporters were beginning to drop il
g with their fragments Of news to doyetai
into graphic account, the old gentle
| man hustled into the room.
( "Wheres s Jones ?"
. ''He is off for the night"
+ what How dare he, the city editor
. go off when the biggest block in the cit,
is on fire T.
1t was suggested that the city edito
e hardly knew that the fire was comm,
r when he made his plans
/. Then old Anthracite turned on anotbe
S tack; who's filling his place."
"Mr. Smith"
l "Oh Well, Smith, do you know tha
e there is a big fire up street?o
o eyes, sir. We are covering it."
o ''Do it we'll Don't let the .I,ojtc
@ scoop us. If the Jupitey has two col
S umns, | want four. Ii the ./uDitcy ha
# four columns, ] want eight. Now. sir, o.