The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-01

hini all he could do in his specially, and
that ne could then make up for the time
in which he was able to do but little.
He went to work the next evening and
gave good satisfaction. The assign
ments, however, that I was able to give
him were unimportant and the wages
he made the first couple of weeks were
barely sufficient to pay his board; so
small, indeed, were they that / hardly
expected him to stay with us. But that
shrewd face of his, as we afterwards eX-
planned to ourselves in recounting the
affair which am about to relate. indi-
Gated unlimited resources in his fertile
brain and ''smartness" of a dangerous
type. We did not think of this then, of
course, but saw it plainly in the light of
later developments.
One day, when his stay was length
ening into its third week, he failed to
make his appearance at the Office at
the usual hour in the afternoon, and 1
supposed that he had gone to pastures
new. l was mistaken, though, for
when the last mail was brought from
the Office at night it contained the fol-
lowing. written in shorthand, which
several of us who had smattering of
the art, after infinite trouble, finally
deciphered:
'DEAR P: I've struck paw dirt, sure! 1
was passing that aristocratic old mansion of
Welby's on Stanley avenue this morning
when servant ran out and yelled to the
stable boy to go TO the doctor, chile. quick:
ole mans blcedin to def! D! that Mis- Jule!
The boy addressed evidently did not hear. for
he did not make his appearance. You know.
s-t<, hrrCf
took course in surgery in London. and, in
the servants scared look and OH that Mis-
Julen my reportorial instinct scented news:
so turned back and went into the house.
telling them I was a physician who had just
arrived in the city with the intention of
establishing myself here: that in passing the
house, heard the servant instruct the boy to
go for doctor in haste, and, thinking the
case might be an urgent one, had come in and
would be glad to serve them, il l could do so,
until their regular physician arrived. They
the old gent rs easy as could be expected.
Then they told me all: only daughter Julia
had been left at the seashore for a few days
in charge of friends-dashing gambler makes
mash-an elopement with bridal
tour TO Canada-old folks Frustrated with
grief the excitement and shock causing the
old man to have u ACKNOWLEDGEMENT won t
you just stay and care for my husband until
want this to get into the horrid newspapers.
and il youll stay not another soul needsknow
it. We II make her leave that rretch and send
her to Europe, and. If possible, try to remain
respectable yet. Now, won't you stayY |
promised to remain for a few days, anyway.
It's a big sensation and I'll work il right from
write it up and drop the copy On the lawn
under the east front window: send some one
there at eleven tonight to get it. will stay
here inccg. and put copy every night at same
tage in that way. The Wclbys have just ar
rived home and probably haven't ordered any
OF the papers sent to the house yet, so they
won't get onto our scoop and set about inveS-
tigating how it got out-at least until get out
o. this. We will give no names, and thus pre-
vent the other papers from doing anything
more than rehearsing cur account from day
to day. write this in short hand. which will
prevent any one from reading it If it miscar-
rieS. and, ready to mall throw it on the side
walk from the window, hoping it will be
il does, don't, fail to send for copy to place
named tonight. "MCCARLEY.
ats ten-strike for Macr' exclaimed
Jim. the society reporter, land if he
works it right the old Mercury will
have to whack up handsomely on it.
It'll make no less than three columns if
he makes the most of it.
/ sent Watson, the Police Court re-
porter, to the place and at the time in
dicated in the letter, and he returned
about midnight with The copy. 1t filed
nearly four columns, and we head-lined
it in style that would have made the
proprietor of mining camp journal
forever hide his face in shame, almost
exhausting the resources of the job Of
flee we were running in connection
with the paper. The following will
give the reader as good an idea as to
what feature we made of the scoop
as can be conveyed in ordinary body
type:
"a SENSATION INDEED.
AN EVENT THAT WILL SHAKE POLITE So
CIETr FROM CIICUHFERESCE TO CFNrER. The
ROMANTIC, THOUGH LAMENTABLE EiOPEMENT
OLA WELL-KNowN BELLE! A GAMBLER WHO
HELD A FULL HAND OF HEARTS, AND, Play
ING FOR HIGH STAKES. Won! The COuPIEIN
CANADA AWAITING A RECONCILIATION, WHICH
SEEMS FiR FROM BEING CoNsUMMATED! Full.
PARTICULARS OF MosT INTERESTING Az
FAIRl zrHE MERCURY, AS USUAL, AHEAD OF
ALL It's CONTEMPORARIES.
We got out large extra edition on
the strength of the affair and the way it
sold made the managers face radiant.
The evening papers only mentioned the
matter, and that, too, sarcastically,
plainly showing their interest in it as
well as how p'qued they were at their
inability to find out even who the par
ties referred to were. We knew. though,
and greatly enjoyed their discomfort
All names had been left out and the
other papers, as well as ind viduals.
who had opinions concerning who the
lady was, found themselves totally in
the dark when they came to make in
quirieS and thus the mystery surround
bn
The next night Watson again went to
the Welby residence and got another
mass of manuscript giyinga detailed ac-
count of the familv's negotiations with
the runaway couple. There was also
a letter from McCarley saving he was
living like lord; the old gentlemen
required but little attention and he was
spending most of his time in the library
reading and writing. The old folks
had taken fancy to him and said he
should not leave the house until Welby,
whom he had treated so successfully"
his wife said, had entirely recovered.
1t ended: I'll stay here as long as there
is any news to be had. The old people
are so broken up over Julia's escapade
that they hadn't thought of sending for
a newspaper yet, and l don't think
they viii for few days-when they do
I'm out of herem
The second days installment of the
"great sensation" as the newsboys
yelled it, created almost as great an in
terest as the first, and the Mercury's
circulation amounted to astonishing
figures. The thing continued thus for
four days. Mac made the most of every
point, and after the fourth days batch
of news had been printed there was