Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-06-06

Una II who had serve
EST N through the war,
III II sRN besides receiving
EwIkSg&N several wounds, had
,RN{AEN contracted a habit
more dangerous
than all his wounds. He was undergoing
the modification of flesh and pride; had
''sworn off, for the time with a sore
head from his last periodical. The
only sound heard in the composing
room that afternoon after Tom uttered
these words, "Pull out, boys, " in surly
tone, was the regular, dull clicking of
type and "sticks" as the boys shot sharp
chances at each other, screwed up their
faces, or winked, until Tote Potter's
voice broke the silence.
''Are you Mr.. Duncan9"
Tom, who was shipping out pile of
nonpareil copy rapidly glanced over
the letter and numbers a second time,
reached out hand for the wire. thrust
the fresh ''takes" down on it angrily,
tossed the wire stand back in the box,
lifted three entire sheets of loosely writ
ten, but very familiar copy, stuck them
OH the BREWER wire, checked off the let.
te-s running, and, in answer to whis-
tie al his back, swore under his braath,
i-clined an cal to the tube, and, without
looking AZ the boy, said:
my names Duncan. What do you
WANT"
"Pve come--they told me 1 might
"'Yes, yes, yes, said Tom impatient
ly, chow many times do you want to re-
peat it Go to the devil!" He turned
from the tube and looked dire city ut the
boy, whose face grew red as scarlet. He
was walking away, when Tom called
after him:
''Come back, here. l wasn't talking
to you | was talking to the sap-heads
down stairs. Now, what is It'll Speak
out" But speech failed Tote at that
moment He looked around him ner-
yously, dropped his eyes and scratched
the floor with his toe. He was shoeless
and the hair twisted up through the
tow crown Of his hat The fore
man scrutinized him closely. There
was something in the boys face--a
bright, ciean-cut fac it was-that he
liked. "What is it, Who sent you
here \"
''Ihey said you was foreman.
-'Who's they z"
1.-The boys l so with"
"WellW
al came to SEQ if could get job"
A pair Of clear blue eyes were lifted
to the foreman's.
Want job? What have you been
doingl"
"Shined and sold papers"
''Neyer worked any p
Il never had chance"
"That's pity Why, you must be
ID years old, at least p
''I'm past IA. "
''What's your name :"
'"The boys call me Tote, but"
'rThat Just suits you. What's your
other name"
"Potter, III come again when"
But the foreman's ear was at the tube
again, while his right hand waived the
boy to a broken chair. When he turned
nom the tube he looked at Tote keenly,
wrote rapidly on slip Of paper, dropped
it into the elevator, and shut the box
down with a bang. Then he addressed
Tote grimly:
I've just fired the third boy they've |
sent up TO me in two weeks" He reach |
ed up toa pigeon hole, puled out a slip
of yellow paper, wrote rapidly ON it. I
Composing room, boy. Tote Potter |
April l4th. 1881. and handing it to Tote, |
said: eff you'll risk being the fourth, be 4
on hand tomorrow at o'clock, sharp. /
You give that 70 Mr.. Peters. remember, I
Peters.
Thus was Tote taken on the Vindi-
Gator
xrrl.,. n. Ipa4o,.. ,,,, ., -, -..:,.. 49,,
hours later, and expostulated with the |
foreman for employing that little raga-
muffin" Tom Duncan, who was feeling /
worse, if possible, than he felt at 2, re-
tolted dryly: 81 don't know an Office in (
town, Peters, that needs a devil more (
than the indicator We've tried three 4
of your angels, and they were all dead
failures" Peters shot down stairs.
1t was against the rules to take boy
into the composing room fresh from the |
outside world but Tom Duncan had a 4
Wholesome contempt for Peters, whom |
he did not hesitate to designate as a 1
round peg IN a square hole, and in this,
as in other instances, he violated the 4
rule with impunity, saying Peters might /
sweep all the hoys he pleased into the /
business end of the paper, he wanted a
boy that could be Taught the difference I
between galley" and dump" in
side of six weeks.
Totes wages for the first three months /
was necessarily small. It was the only /
way Peters could work out his revenge. !
Peters idea of the mission of the Amer
Jean press was to reduce the amount en-
closed in the envelopes on pay day to /
the lowest point. He practiced steadily /
ut it until 10 cents seemed large enough 4
in his ewes to serve as a pivot for the |
universe to revolve upon.
So Totes wages, instead Of equaling
the three angels he succeeded, was Just |
IS cents less The angels en1 elope 4
contained SO. Totes days labor was I
carefully marked on Mr.. Peters roll as
81 - cents.
The difference was not discovered by /
the foreman until July was approach