The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-05-02

ing to our readers as the Count Joannes. Dur
ing several months the doctor was nearly
blind and he performed his work through an
assistant, who read to him the manuscripts OF
reporters and made the change he suggested
His assistant used to read in that monotone
which proof-readers fall into, and the doctors
corrections were called out in tone to
match. One evening the reader came upon a
sentence of which the writing was anything
but plain, and, hating in his perplexity, he
exclaimed with only slight change of voice,
nation ''Strike out nation,
said the doctor promptly and in precisely the
tone in which his other instructions had been
given.
There came to work as reporter young
man just out of college, where he had gained
something of a reputation as graceful
writer. One of his first assignments resulted
in paragraph of ten lines or so on proof
slip which came down to the doctors desk,
and it happened that its writer saw the doc
tor in the act of striking out two or three
words and substituting one word. " was
afraid, !" said the young graduate apologetlcal-
ly, 'tthat the last sentence wasn't very neatly
turned" The doctor held up the proof slip
proudly and explained, pointing to word
which stood alone on the last line of the para
graph: "Dont you see I've saved a line ?"
On the day following the doctors death the
q cd t0
him, that his fate So was the main topic of con-
versation among journalists and politicians.
With his high appreciation of the value of
space the doctor could not have refrained
ways did when he found those words thus sit
uated.
Several years ago the doctor wrote novel.
1t has not been published, but the fact of its
existence is more widely known than are the
titles of many works of fiction which have
passed through several editions. The work
depicted the scenes which he had come across
in his newspaper experience in New York,
and which were characteristic of the metrop-
oils. These pictures were held together by
thread of romance. The manuscript was
written on slips of paper uniform in size and
hardly larger than visiting card. 1t was in
his precise, diminutive and characteristic
hand. The novel was put in type piecemeal,
and proofs were taken on slips about the size
of the manuscript pages so that he could
carry them in his pocket in neat package
and revise them as he found opportunity, in
street-cars and elsewhere There are many
differing stories as to the number of times the
novel was rewritten, edited, condensed and re-
vised The scenes depicted in the novel are
reproduced with great fidelity, but the story
is told with the cold conciseness of night
editor economical of space. The doctor de-
voted much time to close criticism of his
English, SO that his purity should not be
questioned, whatever else might be said of
the book.
The doctor used to take his breakfast at
home and his dinner in the Office. He was
so much taken up with the work he loved
that he had no time for bordering as to what
his evening meal should be; but he would
never acknowledge that it was not chosen
with nice consideration of the inner mans
needs. Thus, when he had ordered porter
/ house steak every evening for, may be, nearly
a year and half, and had suddenly changed
his order to a dozen hard-boil eggs, he
spoke as enthusiastically of the valuable food
properties of eggs as previously he had of the
nutritious properties of beefsteak-' only, !"
he said. "you should eat only the yolks. >"
A year later, when his running order had been
changed SO that he called for pie for dinner
he used, as often as his attention was called
to what he was eating to declare pie-made
of wholesome ingredients, of course-was just
what man required at that time of the day.
providing" the doctor would add, pointing
to the remains of the feast, "he doesn't eat
the heel"
STYLES OF ADDRESS.