The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-08-12

severely. ----
'That's Virginia."
looked again at the girl. She was as
charming specimen Of young woman
hood as is often met with even in the cul-
sured parts of Kentucky. The infantile
,heeks and dimpled chin toned down the
severity of her eyeglasses, and from the
brown plume In her hat to the narrow toe
If her shoe she was what is popularity
known as stylish" Du Maurier might
have copied her pose for that of one Of
his high-bred women,
eyes, sir, that's Virginia, You have
laughed at my verses to her for three
years, and IL we drop all the passengers
will take you inside and present you,
She knows you by name already,
have talked with her about you hun
bred times. She likes that little story of
yours, The Cruise of the Mermaid i'm
mensely, and always looks up your col
umn the first thing in The Clarion"
Then he seemed to drift into another
line of thought.
eyes, sir, it is rough" he said; "eight-
teen hours day, seven days in the week,
Is too many hours for man to work;
but, thank God, am donel This is my
last trip. I have something here''-he
tapped the left side of his oilskin coat
again-'which has put me on my feet.
Virginia and had several blocks, alone,
together, this morning, and She knows.
That's what we are so gay about. You
remember that Diamond Dollar?"
Did remember it? 1t was that "Dia-
mond Dollar" that cost Ferguson his desk
on The Gazette. Not more than two
months ago he was as dapper, well
dressed and apparently as successful a
man as there was in the Cincinnati repor-
torial fraternity. His duty was the cover
ing of the news along the river fronts of
the Kentucky towns facing and above
Cincinnati, and, being graceful writer,
he managed to get in a column or two of
breezy special matter on miscellaneous
subjects each week, every column of such
matter being o clean addition Of So to his
not princely salary.
1t was 8 o'clock one Thursday night
when word came over the telephone wires
from the fire chieftain's office that the
towboat Greyhound was burning at her
landing, three miles above Newport. In
fifteen minutes came the supplementary
report that her entire tow of seven barges
was doomed, and that John Stacey and
'tStumpy," the cook, were missing-pre-
,umably burned with the wreck.
ferguson can have two columns for
that" complacently remarked the city
editor. "Here, Newport, get a rig; jump
out there; find Ferguson and help him.
Get in as much as possible before IL,
and, if it promises good matter after that,
wire the facts. We will dress them up"
At 1890 o'clock was again at the
office with the skeleton article. The fire
had taken place early in the afternoon.
Three lives and sos, 600 worth Of property
were lost. had seen nothing of Fergu-
son.
But while was making hasty oral
report to this effect Ferguson strolled into
the office. He was at peace with himself
and the world, and his stiff, white collar
lifted itself Immediately above his black
tie and unruf1led shirt front.
"Nothing moving" he said, airily, as
he placed the days report on the EDITORS
desk. Everything dead along the river
to-day"
s.No fights nor flress'' asked the city
editor in his blandest tones:
Nothing; but here is little special
| that will look well in the Sunday supple
ment have been up at the library look
| ing up points for it all afternoon. With
n scare head--first line, The Diamond
Dollari'-it viii prove as good matter as
actual news, and"
"Therc Is no actual news, thenF
"Nothing'of Importance.
| BY this time the telegraph man, the
managing editor, half of the local force,
and even one or two of the BREWER writers,
had drifted into the city room, where they
aoated about aimlessly, waiting for the
explosion that was to lift the unfortunate
Ferguson. But suspecting nothing. he
continued his panegyric on the diamcnd
| dollar.
"Unless you call this piece OF special
/ matter news, there is none. But 1t vii
be news to most of the readers. 1t deals
with the subject Of rare coins, giving thu
date ana the value OF al United States