The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-07-11
"TOTEs" LAST "TAKE,n

besides receiving several wounds ha
contracted habit more dangerous tina
all his wounds. He was undergoing th
modification of flesh and pride; ha
"swore off" for a time with sore hea
from his last periodical" The onl
sound heard in the composing room tina
afternoon after Tom uttored thes
words, Pull out, boys" in a surly tone
was the regular dull clicking of typ
and "sticks" as the boys shot shar
glances at each other. screwed up thei
faces ar winked until Tote Potter's voic
broke the silence.
"Are you Mr.. Duncan ?"
Tom, who was shipping out a pile o
nonpareil copy rapidly glanced over tn
letter and numbers second time
reached out a hand for the wire, thrus
the fresh takes" down on it angrily
tossed the wire stand back in the box
lifted three entire sheets of loosely
written but very familiar copy, stucl
them on the BREWER wire, checked of
the letters running, and, IN answer to
whistle at his back, swore under hi
breath, inclined an ear to the tube, and
without looking at the boy, said
my names Duncan. What do yol
want?'
"rve come; they told me might
eyes, yes, yes said Tom, impatient
ly, "how many times do you want to re
peat it ? Go TO the devil |"
He turned from the tube and looked
directly at the boy, whose face grew rec
as scarlet. He was walking away, wher
Tom called after him.
"COme back here. wasn't talking t
you. l was taking to the sap-headt
down stairs. Now, what is it :? SPEAK
out" But speech failed Tote at that
moment. He looked around him ner-
vousIy, dropped his eyes and scratched
the floor with his toe. He was shOelesl
and the hair twisted up through the torn
crown Of his hat. The foreman scruti.
nized him closely. There was ssome. hine
in the boys fLce-a bright, clean-cu
face it was-that he liked. "What is ii
Who sent you here p
"They said you was foreman"
"Who's they 2"
1.-The boys 20 with"
| swell 2"
81 came to see if l could get iIb."
A pair of clean blue eyes were lifted
to the toreman5.
Want a job, What have you beer
doing p
"Shinned and sold papers"
"Never worked any p
II never had chance"
"That's pity Why, you must bt
thirteen years old, at least ?"
I'm past fourteen"
whats your name y
"The boys call me Tote, butt
That just suits you. What's youl
other name ?"
Potter. I'll come again when"-
But the foreman's ear was at the tube
again, while his right hand waived the
boy to broken chair. When he turned
from the tube he looked at Tote keenly
wrote rapidly on slip of paper dropped
II into the elevator and shut the boz
down with bang. Then he addressed
Tote grimly
I've just fired the third boy they'v,
sent up to me in two weeks" II,
reached up TO the pigeon hole, pulled
out a slip of yellow paper, wrote rapid!
on it. Composing room, boy, Tote Pot
ter, April IA, 1884," handing it to Tote
said :
If you'll risk being the fourth be OF
hand tomorrow at two o'clock, sharp
You give that to Mr.. Peters-remembe
Peters,"
Thus was Tote taken on" the Vindi
Gator.
When Mr.. Peters came up stairs, tw,
hours laters, and expostulated with tn
foreman for employing that little raga
muffin" Tom Duncan, who was feelin
worse, if possible, than he felt at two
retorted, dryly Il don't know an offic
in town, Peters, that needs devil NOR
than the VindicdtOr. We've tried thre
of your angels, and they were all dea
failures" Peters shot down stairs.
1t was against the rules to take bo
into the composing room fresh from th
outside world, but Tom Duncan had
wholesome contempt for Peters, whou
he did not hesitate to designate as
round peg in square hole, and in this
as in other instances, he violated tn
rule with impunity, saying Peters Nigh
sweep all the boys he pleased into tn
business end of the paper, he wanted
boy that could be taught the differenc
between galley" and a a"dump" insid
of six weeks.
Totes wages for the fist three month
were necessarily small. 1t was the onl
way Peters could work out his revenge
Peters idea of the mission Of the Amer
can press was to reduce the amount Ell
closed in the envelopes on pa
day to the lowest poin
He practiced steadily at it, until te
cents seemed large enough in his eye
serve as pivot for the universe to rt
volve upon.
So Totes wages, instead of equalin
the three angels he succeeded, was jus
seventy-five cents less. The angels er
velopes contained So. Totes days labo
was carefully marked on Mr.. Peters ro
as thirty-seven and one-half cents.
The difference was not discovered b
the foreman until July was approaching
Then, by the merest accident, he over
heard Tote indulging in anticipation q
the glorious time he would have if b
could be sure of "day off," Tote ha
"picked up" more in week than an
predecessors had learned in a month
He had very little time to waste. Whe
the hand of the big round clock pointe
to two every man In the VindicdtO
composing room knew that they wer
expected to perform a given amount @
work, with the precision and regularit
of 80 many wheels, until certain poin
was reached. Then, when nature wa
tired, and craved cessation and the cop
flooded the foreman's desk, he griml
gave the screw another turn, general
accompany it with the word 4: Pull ou
now lively, boys" and the huma
wheels turned faster.
l r.1 Nl,nN Al.
human wheels in the composing room
were whirling with sll their might an,
men could scarce find time TO wipe tn
perspiration from their faces, the un
complaining, ever bright-faced Tot
seemed to grow cheerier. The smales
of all the wheels there, his feet move,
faster in obedience to the slightest com
mand. He accepted rebuke quite as
matter of course, 1t was never once de
served. Tom Duncan, looking at hi
earnest face one morning as he resolute
ly rolled out proof after proof, felt
sharp twinge of conscience, and neve
swore at him again. When the las
"form" was sent down, and Tote wa
busy assorted the "dupes" for the print
ers, the foreman startled him by sayin
suddenly
What are you going to do on tn
Fourth, Tote ?"
IF you won't miss me much
"Hello, boys Totes asking me If W
can get the paper out without him."
The laughter made Totes cheek
burn.
Never mind, Tote. was boy ono
myself. How much have you got I
spend p
81 can spend two days wages if Pv
a mind too"
"a dollar. A whole dollar y
: 81 wish it was-but iuaint."
0 whats that r The foreman tune
: 10 hin, abruntlv