Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-01-02

nave sold my corn: good day.
And then there was light step at the
door, and n person wearing a severe
cOuntenance and shawl came In and
took the vacant chair. a
81 am very sorry" he said, IN meas
ured tones, and with a fixed, critical
stare at the end of the editors nose, 81
am very sorry to notice that you are
giving in your columns SO little atten-
ton to the cause of Prohibition-the no
BILE cause of Prohibition. You must
rouse Yourself upon this great question.
and give your readers . page Of il
weekly. am not subscriber of your
paper, but / borrow il every week Of
my neighbOr. and loan him the Bdnn,r
Of Ligat in exchange; so YOU will OBJ
serve that L have been one of your
faithful readers, and L know Just where
you fall short Of q good newspaper.
will leave you few tracts from which
you should make liberal extracts from
time TO time. You will notice that this
one, entitled Dash the Cup AWAY is
written by myself You are at liberty
to print it in full. And when I come
across anything particularly good in
the columns OF the Banner OF LiQh, I'll
cut it out and send it round to you.
You have grand opportunity to make
your paper grow in circulation and in
huence, and l hope you will come
boldly to the front on the right course,
and no onger continue to devote your
valuable space to trivial matters By
the way; have you = few exchanges
that you are done with? All, that will
do; good day"
In the door the man In the shawl
passed person with q merry twinkle
In his eyes.
al like your paper-it II is first rate"
he said. as he dropped into the vacant
chair. &c >cept that 1t does not contain
humor emo igh. Why don't you fill her
fun Of Jokes and bright things BY the
funny fellows. aud make your readers
laugh? Nobody cares 4 cent for those
political editorials and those scientific
articles, and that stuff about the taria
you print. That puts me to sleep.
Give us plenty of Jokes to shake a
mans liver up and let the tariff take
care Of itselt. That's all. Be in to see
you again when I've more time: Ia, ta."
Tne next person who took the vacant
chair had q countenaLce as solemn as q
secondhand hearse lie didn't look as
II he had smiled more than once in
forty years, and the village editor took
him for an undertaken who wanted to
advertise a patent embalm;ng process
and pay in trade.
''Sir," SAID the solemn man, after q
silence that became very painful to the
village editor, II am grieved to notice
the tone of levity that has recently per-
vaded the columns Of your paper, and
| am compelled 10 ask you on that ac-
count to take my name of your book
You seem to forget that this is a world
o. calamity and woe. and that q spirit
OF levity in the press is unseemly. and
tends TO draw attention from the solemn
realities Of life and the near pro \imity
Of death Last week you declined to
print my article entitled 'Refections
on the grave, alleging that you did not
have room for it, and then gave up
nearly column of your paper to friv0-
lous Jokes lido not intend TO read any,
thing light this year. That is all have
10 say; good afternoon"
The door closed behind the solemn
man and softly opened again to admit
dreamy-eyed man with poetic brow
and general expression that seemed
To Indicate that he wanted something
he had never had and never expected
to have.
al merely came to remark" he be-
gan, as he took the vacant chair, ''fhat
you are sadly neglecting the literary
departmcnt OF your paper. not only
have noticed it myself. but several of
my friends have called my attention to
it You should by all means run con-
tinued story and have two or three gool
sort stories in. each issue. Good sto-
ries is the thing that is wanted to make
village paper pppular. Everybody
you ask will tell YOU that. A little
news and some local matter and the
marriages and deaths should be printed
of course; but you shouldn't let any
thing crowd out the stories. 1 don't
take your paper. but nv brother in law
does. and borrow il of him. 1 have
intended for some time 10 mention this
matter To YOU, but could never think of
it before when was in town. If voa
think these suggestions are-of any value
Tn you, yOu may send me your paper
gratuitous for year. Allow me to bid
you good day. sir.
The dreamv-eved man went out a.
softly as sixty days note falls dua.
and moment later another style of
person dropped into the vacant chair,
and spoke thusly, in tones that were
sharp and quick.
al don't think I want this paper an
other year. You are not maSing a.
good paper as YOU should with your
opportunities. You are IT giving your
readers enough local matter. Local
matter should be the chief feature of
village paper. Everything else shOuit.
he made TO give way to local matter.
A story now aud then when you have
plenty of room. and bit of poetry to
please the youps folks who are in love,
and ftt!e news, are all well enough,
but IL yon want 10 make n village paper
q success. you We got % let yourself out
on local matter. Give the news of YOUR
own community. AMI let the big dailies
take care OF the rest Of the world. And,
by the way; il YOU are a little short on
local matter this week. You might saN
that have Invented aad patented the
most tcommon-sense churn that has ever
been introduced to the people of this
State. ii be in again in the course o.
q few weeks. and / will then pay you
my subscription for last year good day"
The village editor was Just sliding
under the table. acrushed and mentally
demoralikcd man, to hide his head in
despair or the waste-basket. or both,
when a loud knock at the outer door
bro. ght him from his dreams to his
waking senses.
"How are yon. old fellow?" cried a
CHEEKY voice, and the Old Subscriber
from up the creek took the village edi-
tor by the hand with q hearty grasp,
and shook pain in the editors shoul-
der-blade. And then the Old Spb-
scriber from up the creek seated hIm-
self in The vacant chair and merr;ly
spoSe thus
"Well, old boy, you're giving us the
very best paper we ever had. A good
story each week. some poetry to please
QEoo 0.f