Morning journal and courier., 1889-02-21
ARTEMUs WARDS FORESIGHT.
He Couldn't Afford to Work on
 Newspaper that was Unreliable.

ARTEMUs WARDS FORESIGHT. I He Couldn't Afford to Work on a Newspaper that was Unreliable. l From the Cincinnati Times-Star.I There is an unlimited amount of humor I on tap in the average newspaper office, and l the other day some historian unearthed an ence as reporter on Cleveland newspaper. That was before he became known as hu- morist, and he was pressed into the harness as the Jenkins of the establishment. One evening he was sent out to write up "swell' entertainment to be given by the leading | club of the city. On his way to the hall Ward met friend. i ''Which way, Charless" "Going to write up sort of fly shindig.' J "Let's go in and take bowl. I'm going I down that way pretty soon." They went into a beer hall. 'fl must go," ! said Ward, after he had spent half an hour in the place.
 'Oh, no; ait down. Let's have another | bowl. Say, you can write up that affair I just as well from the programme as you can ! by seeing the performance. Got a pro- "Yes." < r
 "WelI, write it up and let's make little round"
 Ward surrendered. He wrote up the per- formsnce, took the article to the office, and, after having received the praise of the city editor for the gracefalness of his work, went out with his friend. The next morn ing he read his report and was much pleased with his own ingenuity, but his complacency was of short life, for, taking up another paper, he read the following an- nouncement:
 ESTba rarforpooooo of {ba o1uh in consequence of the sudden illnessl of a lead ing feature' did not take place last night.''
 Ward had not the courage to go to the office, but boarded the first outgoing train. Three month later he returned to Cleveland and was walking lazily along a street when he met the managing editor of the paper for which he had worked.
 "Why, hello, Browne" the editor ex- claimed
 'Good- morning."
 "'Where have you been2' "'Sequestered.'
 "Why didn't you come back to the office after making your bad break" :" Conscience stricken
 "fOh, that was all right
 "'It might have been all right for you." Ward replied, ''but not for me. You see, I suddenly discovered that I could not afford to work on so unreliable 8 paper. The pa- per that makes use of my services must be above reproach. Your sheet does not pay enough attention to telling the truth. I have decideded to go to work on an after noon contemporary-a paper that never tells anything: Farewell" :"
 THE TIME LOCK.
 Points in the Life of People Where
 There Ks a Change.
 From Belford's Magazinel
 There is theory, you know, that we inher- it traits and coalitions from our remote an- cesters as we'll as from our immediats ones. I sometimes fancy that they descend to some people with a time-look attachment. A child is born; he is like his mother, we will say; gentle, sweet, kind, truthful for years let us say seven. Suddenly the time-loek turns, and the traits of his father (modifed of course, by the acquired habit of seven) years show themselves strongly-take DOS. session, in fact. Another seven years and the piggishness of great uncle, the stingi- ness of an aunt, or the dullness, in books, of rural grandfather. Then, in keeping with the next two turns of the lock, he falls in love with every new face he sees, marries early and indulges himself recklessly in large family. He is an exemplary husband and father, as men go, an ideal business m an, and @ general fsvorite in society. Everybody remarks upon the favorable change since his stupid, priggish college days. All this time, through every change, he has been honorable and upright in his dealing with his fellows Suddenly the time-lock of theiving ances- tor is turned on; he finds tempation too strong for even that greatly underestimated power-the force of habit of hfetime-and the trust funds in his keeping disappear with him to Canada. Everybody is surprised, shocked, pained-and he, no doubt, more so than anyone else. Emotional insanity is off, fered as possible explanation by the charit- able, long-headed, calculating, international rascality by the severe or self-righteous. And he? We'll he is wholly unable to ae- count for it all. He knows that he had not lived all these years as cosncious, self-con- trolled thief. He knows that the tempta- tion of his past life had never before taken that particular form. He knows that the inn pulse was sudden, binding, overwhelming, but he does not know why and how. It was like an awful dream. He seemed to be pow erless to overcome it. The time lock had turned without his knowledge, and in spite of himself. The unknown, unheard of thiev ish ancestor took possession, as it were, through force of superior strength and abili- ty-and then it was his hour. The heredit- ary shadow of the dial had come around him. The great uncle's hour was passed. He, no doubt, was turned into some other dazed aut- omation-in Maine or Texes-who had fal- len heir to 8 drop too much of his blood, and she, poor thing, if it happened to be girl this time, forthwith proceeded to fall in love with her friends husband-seeing he was the only man at hand at the time; while the thievish ancestor left-in shame and con- trition-a small but light-fngered boy in Georgia, to keep his engagement with our re- spectacle, highly honered and heretofore highly honorable man of affairs in Wall street. The time lock of heredity had been set for this hour, and the machinery of cir- cumstances oiled the wheels and silently moved the dial.