St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-04
A REPORTERS ROMANCE.
A young man.
A desk, Uttered up with papers.

| oOSiupu VI d UllSub put luOuSHtlul lOOhihS
young woman standing ON the desk,
Are the outward, visible signs of a
romance in real life which came to my
knowledge not many years ago, while l
was travelling through the South.
1t is story of the experiences that some
times come in the life of reporter. 1t is
an unwritten story. Although one of the
chief actors in the little drama is daily en-
gagged in writing all the quaint incidents
and uncommon occurrences that he
sees, hears OF or can think up,
this bit of life's history has never
been drawn on. 1t is to MIN too sacred to
write about. 1t is of his home, and he
would not profane that sacred name and
the memories that are clustered about the
little roof that have sheltered him and his
by writing it up for public inspection.
There are some things too holy for news
paper man to write about. The true man
will not air his home life to friend, much
less to reading public.
just how | learned the story is not essen
tial and cuts no figure in the tale. l heard
1t and will give it as nearly as | heard it as
is possible after the interval that has
elapsed since it was told me. I violate no
confidence in reciting the incidents in re-
pOrter's life in large city and showing
how a noble woman can influence for good,
and for lifetime, too, careless, brilliant
but dissipated young man.
1t was Christmas day in Chicago.
The bell in the board of trade tower had
tolled off the hour of noon, as the reporters
of one of the dalies began scrambling up
the long and narrow stairways that led up
to the city department. They gather in the
old loft Of room and await the assign
ments for the Christian holiday. One by
one they get their instructions to write up
the features of the day until all have Sc
cured their assignments except tall, black
haired and black eyed young man. All but
he have left the room and are intent on the
best and least troublesome way of covering
their work.
Il want you to do the morgue," ex-
claimed the city editor as the dark and we'll
formed reporter came up to the city desk to
receive instructions for the day. write
up about column to-day. Let me have
it early"
The reporter left the room. He took a
chew of tobacco as he started down the
stairs. His brow knitted and it was evil
dent that the assignment did not tickle him
to death. Like soldier, however, re-
porter takes his assigned work, no matter
how difficult OF disagreeable. The first sa-
loon attracted him. Several other saloons
caught him as he walked straight for the
old morgue. He thought of his assign
ment to write up the scenes in the house of
the dead on the happy Christmas day.
Pleasantly eXhilarated was he as he
finally entered the morgue. He knew the
man in charge. for he has acted as night
police reporter and knew nearly every pub
lie place, den and policeman in the business
center of the city. He walked right in
and soon was in the dead reom. Around
MIN were the lifelesS remains of the I'M
known dead. He ioked with keeper of
the place and asked if there was anything
| unusual about any Of the bodies. The
keeper answered in the negative.
The patrol wagon numbered around the
corner. 1t was not empty From the bot
tom of the vehicle was hauled out the body
of man, The body was covered with
blood and appeared to be that of and old
man.
In answer to inquiries of the reporter, the
officer in charge of the patrol said that the
body was Swede who had killed himself
IN a neighbOring saloon while on a Spree
! The newcomer was placed on slab, the
proper entry made, and the patrol dashed
down the street.
| All WdS QuicG Ill tilo ulOISues
| The sobs of woman were distinctly
heard as two females came through the
Office. They no sooner spied the reporter
and the keeper than the companion of the
weeping woman made known the object of
their Grand which was to recover the re-
mains of the father of her friend.
PAPA IN A MoRGUE,"
| Sobbed the weeping woman. ooh, it's
awful! What shall L dO?"
Her voice was sweet. Her language choice
and her sentiment refined. The reporter
became interested. Seeing a story,
sketch. he moved toward the woman and
soon had them telling the story of their
visit. 1t was soon told. The father of the
young girl was dissipated, and while intoxi
Gated in a saloon had shot himself. His
daughter was at home. or rather in her
rooms awaiting him. She heard of his sud-
den death and of his body being at the
mOrgue and came to get the remains and
have them taken to her rooms. The story
was told by the friend, the daughter, the
would break. AS the story was completed,
the heart girl turned to the reporter
and asked him to help her.
She was not over IS, fair-haired and
blue-eyed. Her trim figure was clothed in
a neat-fttlng dress of some inexpensive ma
terial. She looked and acted the lady.
The reporter promised, His intercession
soon had the city undertaker's wagon at
the door, and the remains. with cloth over
them, on their way to the daughters rooms.
| The reporter followed. Over the lifeless
form of her parent the young girl told of
what good father she had. She spoke
of his virtues and ignored his faults. It's
way women have when speaking of their
dead. To have heard her no one would
| have imagined that she could have seen so
much to love and honor in the man who, in
| a drunken spree, had killed himself. Turn
| ing quickly from her own sorrow she asked
the reporter if he ever drank. Even then
the fumes of liquor were clearly upon his
| breath. He hesitated before answering. At
| last he answered in the affirmative
| On her knees
! fell this young and friendless orphan,
| And pleaded with him to quit drinking.
| She told of her own miSfortunes and those
| of her mother all brought on by the intem-
perance of loving father and kind husband
She spoke of what position they once had
in an Eastern city and how everything had
been sacrificed for drink. She said that
her mothers death followed after the dis
grace and she and her father had come
West, only to go down in poverty. She
no longer had home she said, only rooms.
and the last sad chapter in the drama of
drink had been played in a saloon and the
morgue, the latter being known to him.
| The reporter wavered and finally promised
that he would not take anything until he
saw her again.
The morning paper contained very
| clever sketch of Christmas at the morgue,
written by the reformed reporter. No men
| ton was made of the incident which he had
| witnessed.
| The funeral of the suicide took place the
next day. The reporter was in the single
| carriage with the young girl and her fe-
male companion of the day before. The
coroner's quest developed nothing sensa-
tional and was barely mentioned in the
| papers. Back from the funeral. the re-
porter and the orphan held a brief CONVEX