Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-04-19

writer of crisp paragraphs, had his place.
whats the news, Douglas" called a
voice from one of the cubby holes.
Douglas, long-limbed, bright faced
young fellow, threw down the exchange
he was perusing with lightning glance
and replied, cheerily: News as is
news. We're to have funny depart
rnent exclusively for women. Nothing
to be admitted in it but the queer
thoughts, sayings and doings Of the I'M
fair SEX"
This announcement was followed by
questions and EXPLANATIONS in voices
from all the cubby-ho!es.
"Great heavens! it will take up the
whole paper"
ooh! come; ar'n't you foollng"
"Whose idea is it?"
"How do you know"
''Who is to have charge of it,"
"Give me time and I'll tell you" said
Douglas. 'Its the old mans idea. I
heard HIM talking to the senior about it.
In fact, l deliberately listened when
should have been minding my own bust
ness" (Cries of 'shamcl shame :" from
all the cubby -holes.) 1.-The old man, /"
Douglas goes on, thinks it will take.
So do l."
"That settles it..
Glow much space is it to occupyw
care we to be enlarged"
"Doubled, you mean; no, less will
do"
''No, indeed, for rum creeters is
women as the dirty faced man in Pick
wick observed"
eco on, Douglas, Douglas, tender and
true
'T'll go on if you stop your racket"
says the "tender and true" 1.-TWO
columns is the limit, and it is to be
edited by woman, and she is to have
seat at mystable.
'My dear boy, cut your throat at once
with youu scissors"
"Our funniest artist looks like Hamlet
wonder what she'll look like
''Sharp as to bones as we'll as to wit"
"Of uncertain age"
"One of those clever, ugly faces"
"Why don't the old man put her over
in the corner with the fashion editor?"
"Bec"use, 1 suppose" answered
Douglas, cit is intended that I should
aid her by handing over all the queer,
funny, purely feminine articles [ come
across to her. And she'll be here to-
morrow"
$50 soon, puir, bonny Scot.
'Won't it be funny, though, to see
the old man bending gravely over her,
looking as though he were about to de-
liver funeral Grafton, and bidding her
in slow measured tones to be
funny?"
"Ten chances to one he'll frighten all
the fun out of her. We're used to him
and don't exactly tremble with fear at
his frown, Ben Bolt" said Douglas
"But to a stranger and a woman it
strikes me he'll seem-well, rather ice
berry,"
The next morning at o'clock precise
ly, the editor o-be of ''The Woman's
Funny Department" arrived. She was
not sharp as to bones. Tn the contrary,
she was plump enough to make you for
get she had bones. She was not of an
uncertain age. On the contrary, she
was not more than two and twenty. She
had not a clever, ugly face. She had a
clever, pretty one, with the sauciest of
tip tilted noses, the most mischievous Of
sparkling gray eyes, the wickedest of
tiny white teeth, and the darkest of dark
auburn hair, arranged in puffs and f1uffs,
and curls and whirls in the most bewil
dering and bewitching fashion.
A profound silence reigned behind
the doors, or rather the half open doors
of the cubby holes when she made her
AS for the puir bonny Scot, he arose
hastily, upsettlng the mucilage bottle as
he did so, and lifting pile of papers
and magazines from the chair she was to
occupy deity deposited them on the
crown of his brand new hat which lay
on the table before him. In a few mo-
ments the old man came il, bowed to
the funny woman in a cold and formal
way, introduced her to Douglas as Miss
Margery Burr, gave her a few direc-
tions in his time-isn' t-worth- anything
voice and disappeared in his sanctum.
Miss Margery Burr proved a great
acquisition to the paper on which she
was engaged. Her witty articles were
quoted far and wide, and she edited the
witty articles of others in such a skillful
manner that they were twice as good
when they left her hands as when they
came into them.
THE Woman's Funny Department"
was success-a grand success. Miss
made it one. No one appreciated her
more than she appreciated herself. Her
own Jokes amused her Immensely, and
she had way, when she had written
something that struck her as irresistibly
droll, of bursting into the jolliest Of
musical laughs, and then reading it in a
clear, musical voice to McGregor Dou-
glas. And the moment that laugh was
heard, that was nothing heard in that
semicircle of cubby holes until the point
= VI