Wichita eagle., 1890-01-29
MIDST BATTERED FACES.

Somehow it was my boyish ambition to be
numbered with the newspaper makers; thus
l learned the printers trade. / might, per
haps, have done better in the tinsrnith line;
but what poetry was there in curving joints
of stove pipef What inspiration in nending
greasy milk cans and grimy tea potsl Yet
the prosaic boy went to work with the solder
ing iron when l went to sticking types, mar
ried the belle of the village and owns the best
house in town, while I-ah, well! | am
pointed out as the distinguished author Of
''An Ode to Pin" with no house at all and
chattel mortgage ON ell my bachelor effects!
blossomed out in journalism, after serv-
ing a due apprenticeship, as the sole editor
and proprietor of The Cad Hollow Spectator,
printed in sleepy little town in Western
New York. The village had some prospects
of future greatness when | launched The
Spectator, but the great Duradogo railroad
that was to give the place boom adopted
another route, and the proud hopes of Cad
Hollow were forever crushed.
One night late in October / turned the key
in my Office door and started down the de-
serted street for my lodgings. | had passed
the livery barns and was making good head
way up the dilapidated sidewalk, when |
heard a voice calling me. Turning, | saw
for the moon was at its zenith-a led APP
preaching me from the opposite side of the
street on what is vulgarly called dog trot.
You're the ink singer of The Spectator,
amt yer!" said the boy, evidently in some
upleasiDess OF mind.
l recognized my interrogation as strange
lad who had drifted into town in the early
summer, who "chored it" here ard there and
made his home In the cast off box OF an old
stage coach long since removed from its
trucks and laid to rest among the tail weeds
by the roadside This temporary abode Of
the youthful tramp Was variously dubbed as
1.-The Arlington, "The ARK" ''The Friendly
Inn." and some ironically disposed persons,
hinging away all reverence, even went so far
as TO call it "The Saints Rest for the hos
pitable tenant, Master Jap, gave lodgings to
pilgrinrs-mostly bibulous characters, who ia
their cups feared to go home and face
fruwning world or rather a frowning
spouse.
l assured the lad that 1 was the veritable
ink singer, and he continued:
We'll, sir, there's a strange man a-shiver-
in Overnn the ark-shiverin' as though his
bones would rattle out of his hide and come
peltin' down ON the floor like hail stones. Aud
do you mind, sir, how cold it isf The boy
himself shivering, and the dead grass,
stiff and gray with frost, cracked under bis
feet as be twisted b1ck and forth upon his
heel
at is rather bracing,"I replied, sinking
my hands still deeper INTO my pockets.
Now | were thinl>in'," continued the lad,
'as how we might give tho poor fellow better
accommodations for the night by dumping
him inter your office by the fire. OF course,
I've given him the best in The Arlington
Senator Turntables own private parior-an'
covered hum up the best | could with an Old
cart wheel bat there's spoke or two broken
out of the wheel an must let in a heap of cold. j"
l could net help smiling at the boys dron-
cry, nor from feeling somewhat solicitous
about the stranger under the cart wheel, in
which wheel there Were sundry spokes miss
ing; SO Jap and l started for the Arlington.
On arriving at the inn, so called, beheld
Il very thin man slugSled in corner, hug
ging himself tightly, as if to concentrate
what little heat there was left in the various
and remote parts OF his long, lank body. !
had never before seen 50 thin and wasted
form. The face, closely shnven, appeared all
eyes and foreEead-and such eyeSi so dark
and So luminous. / had no sooner beheld the
stranger than l resolved to give him better
accommodations in The Spectator office. He
could at least sit by the fire. If the thin
gentleman should even run off with the ed
irorial shears and the paper come out day
Late on account of the theft, I'd let bin in
Ii nd abide the consequences.
Come" said l, addressing the stranger,
1--WE have more comfortable place for you"
The man did not answer, but arose and
stepped feebiy forth from the box. jap
and L led the way and soon had him
inside the Office. l sat before him
bottle OF stomach bitters taken on an
advertising contract and some broken
victuGls, the residue OF V MONDAY lunch |
also made bed on The floor of old |
newspapers and replenished the fire with |
CHUNKS of wood. When Jap and | left the
Office the man sat by the stove looking won |
deringly about upon the types and printing |
u sensJs. l asked Jap to share the comforts |
OF the office, but he declined, saying he pre- |
ferred his old nest at the inn
i arose earlier than usual the next morning |
and FASTENED to the Office to turn out nv |
ledger. To my surprise the place was al |
ready vacated-my guest had absconded |
lad the thin man ventured too near the open |
fires Had he gone up the tiue in vapors As
| was not quite sure that he was at all NOR /
tai, ] did not long harrow nay feelings with |
The thought II he were indeed ghost. he |
doubtless made his exit through the kew hole; |
if mortal, ne could easily have cIambered out |
at the window. Nothing appeared 10 be dis |
tirhed, and | went about cleaning up the |
sl.op congratulating myself that no one, save |
Jap, would know of my nocturnal visitor
1t was publication day, and all was hustle |
about the Office till The Spectator was printed /
and sent forth to gladden. TIE hearts of it's /
numerous readers. Then the printers, nv /
St II with them, mounted their stools, and /
with sigh Of relief commenced filing their |
cases.
wv hat Internal nonsense is thisi" exclaimed !
Bob, the foreman, rising TO perpendicular !
on the rounds of his high chair and gazing at |
tie partition wall just above his case. Its /
tie most lncoherent conglomeration Of jingle |
ana prose that | ever beheli. Blast it! !
There's something uncauny about ii. One !
would think corpse had been proving |
round the office
Following Bob's eye, beheld a scrap of ,
paper pasted 70 the wall, on which were writ
tea III bold characters the following mysteri- .
Gus words:
TATER VINE.
Hated. hunted and be-ranted-
Dead IS LAY" but never planted,
Wander /
Entolpbed midst battered faces.
Broken leads and Dent m sflacps-