Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-07-04

10 before he was given
:: !: !: ! ! 81
~ w n "case." Tom.
A9Al II who had serve 4
VI las M through the war,
~, <lsSNl besides receiving
WHlERN several wounds, had
TNNl%." contracted habit
~. more dangerous
than oil his wounds. He was undergoing
the modification of flesh and pride: Ind
'sworn off, for the time with a sora
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
glances 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 ont pile of
nonparell copy rapidly glanced over
the letter and numbers second time.
reached out hand for the wire, thrust
the fresh "takes' down on it angrilv
tossed the wire stand back in the box.
lifted three entire sheets of loosely writ
ten, but very familiar copy, stuck them
on the BREWER wire, checked off the let.
ters running, and, in answer to q whis
tile at his back, swore under his braath.
inclined an ear to the tube, and, without
looking at the boy, said:
want.' ~"
I've come-they told me might
eyes, yes, yes" said Tom impatient
~, ''how many times do you want to re-
peat its Go to the devil" He turned
from the tube and looked directly at the
boy, whose face grew red as scarlet. He
was walking away, when Tom called
after him:
''Come back, here. / wasn't talking
to you. was talking to the sap heads
down stairs. Now, what is its 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
torn crown of his hat. The FORE
man scrutinized him closely. There
was something in the boys face-a
bright, clean-cut face it was-tbat he
liked. "What is it, Who sent you
here9"
"They said You was foreman"
"Who's they2"
''The boys go with"
"Well?"
II came to see if I could get Job" ;
A pair of clear blue eyes were lifted
to the foremans.
Want jobs What have you been
doingl"
..Shined and sold papers"
'Neyer worked any %
Il never had chance"
"That's pity! Why, you must be
ID years old, at lcast?"
.'I'm past H."
"Whats your name p
'sThe boys call me Tote, but"
''That just suits you. What's your
other name?"
'sPotter, I'll 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
from the tube he looked at Tote keenly.
wrote rapidly on slip Of paper, dropped
1t into the elevator, and shut the box
down with bang. Then he addressed
Tote grimlv:
I've just fired the third boy they've
sent up to me in two weeks lie reach
ed up to a pigeon hole, pulled out slip
Of yellow paper, wrote rapidly on it.
Composing room, boy. Tote Potter.
April 14th, 1881. " and handing it to Tote.
said: "lf you'll risk being the fourth, be
On hand tomorrow at 2 o'clock, sharp.
You give that to Mr.. Peters remember.
Peters"
Thus was Tote 'taken on" the vindi-
,ator.
When Mr.. Peters came up stairs two
hours later, and expostulated with the
brennan for employing 'that little raga-
nuftin," Tom Duncan, who was feeling
worse, if possible, than he felt at 2, re-
,orted dryly: II don't know an office in
own, Peters, that needs a devil more
han the indicator. We've tried three
i your angels, and they were all dead
ailures. Peters shot down stairs.
1t was against the rules to take boy
nto the composing room fresh from the
'utside world, but Tom Duncan had
wholesome contempt for Peters, whom
10 did not hesitate to designate as
ound peg in square hole, and in this.
- - SS.A~- AhStesitNCo, iiC NlOl1b0u IIlc /
nile with impunity, saying Peters might
weep all the boys he pleased into the
usiness end of the paper, he wanted
oy that could be taught the difference
etween 'sgalley" and ssdump" in
de of six weeks.
Totes wages for the first three months ,
as necessarily small. 1t Was the only
ay Peters could work out his revenge.
eter's idea of the mission of the Amer I.
an press was to reduce the amount en-
osed in the envelopes on pay day to !
% lowest point. He practiced steadily /,
it until 10 cents seemed large enough i
his eyes to serve as pivot for the I
inverse to revolve upon.
So Totes wages, instead of equaling
Q three angels he succeeded, was Just !
cents less. The angels envelope :
ntained SO. Totes days labor was b
refully marked on Mr.. Peters roll as i
s1-2 cents. :
The difference was not d discovered by :
Q foreman until July was approach :,