The sun., 1890-07-20

An Ex-Compoaitor's story or n Rat Story
Ehmt nrnxs Him Ont of tho Crnft.


Pennsylvania and sent an occasional news
item to the city papers On ono occasion rat,
which made its home whore / boarded fur
niShed mo with tho material for Il short but
very curious story OF animal Intelligence and
cunning. | wrote IL rs a local item for the vile
laGe papcr md sent 1t to n Now York paper
that had printed u number OF my items. 1t did
not print tho rat story. however, aud sent
the story to another paper in tho Same city,
That rapor printed it. Soon aferward
tho rural editor | was working for was con-
strained, owing TO almost universal non inter-
florence on tho part OF the business and reading
public In the affairs OF his office. to discontinue
the publication OF his newspaper. and was
thrown out OF a job The office owed mo SIS,
and all tho money chat was due tho office was
Just that amount. 1t was owed by marble
cutter, who was perfectly good for II. asked
the editor to give me an order on the marble
cutter for the amount and he said he would II
l wanted the order. but that tho debt was pay-
able in goods, and ho had been saving It to get
II tombstone for his poor old father, who. he
said, was then on his last legs.
But YOU cnn have tho ordor II you want IT,"
said ho. mournfullY.
couldn't 500 whore could use any grave
stones 10 advantage Just then, and hadn't the
heart. any way. to rob tho editor Of the poor
his father with suitable memorial. and 30
didn't take the ordcr. Tho fact that the edi.
tors father as found out atterward, instead
OF being on his last legs was n hale and hearty
canal boatman, and that the editor collected
SIS In cash from tho marble cutter, has noth-
ing TO do with my story, and I'll say nothing
about 1t. did what all compositors do In SIM
ilar situations. l combined pedostranism with
my art and started on tour Of tho country.
The first place of importance 1 struck was
Buffalo. Mark Twain was then demonstrating
on tho Butdi0 Express that he couldn't edit
newspaper. got a chance TO sub n little in
that oLce. and tho very first take Of copy got
was my rnt story. clipped from the Now York
paper. l set it up and said nothing. hit
Cleveland noxt, and got work in the PLAIN
Doa'cr Office. Somehow they stuck me on re-
print copy. and ii my first take wasn't the rat
story again, clipped from the Buffalo paper.
hope no ono will ever believe me From
Cleveland to Columbus nnd from
GSmG"S codG to Gn1cq9stl not found the
onlccs worked in en- route set up my ins
evitdbIe and irrcpressiblo rat story. | worked
my my way to Chicago; where had the rat story
Peoria paper. At st. Louis found work in the
nemo,7dt office, and also found my rat story
paper paper In tho JomnGt Office at Louis
ing printed It originally. At Nashville. Atlanta,
New Orleans. Mobile Charleston. and at many
1h9r p6neG E@gGSs on my way south ut o and
into my hand, credited to az many different
Eaners., eucounlcred It when got back into
PHILADELPHIA 1t had now been chasing me
about the country for two years and was mak-
ing mo old boioro my time.
Yet it had suffered not a little itself. Some
fearful and wonderful changes had been made
lOllEp rnk
sissipri levee rat, Lake Michigan wharf rat.
rat. North Carolina pine rat, n pet albinp rat.
acc according to tho locality and tho skill OF
Of the rat became it was tho same old
story OF the genius Of my common brown rat,
9G tha tEs It's so bnTen 2f 1s
becoming unbearable In q PHILADELPHIA
newspaper office my story was given to mo
II pet albino. Tint was a little moro than
could stand and jumped to New York.
| can escape that rat story here II any,
When / reached New York intuitively
sought tho office Of the paper which formerly
which had drawn the line on mo ut inc rat
stnry Gth9pGh it oT Vas %s tpTG as gSsps
i isn't at qll Likely that any one viii Be-:
sas eyo my E S0f sn she1o tEo waS Sea- ThsGs s6s
laHntinG rat story! There in the office
he story two years and more before, and after
[ had been printed originally i'll contempor-
Try, whose oilice was not thirty feet distant
tlbino disguise ana credited to Tho PhiIadel piS
'hia paper where | had set 1t up last. My
he memorable rat story's career but pulled
myself 1I 1t0Eethor and t seJ up T the story once
work in that oIico, and loft it. ''O' - D''
Just abou. that time an establishment had
'een started in Centre street for printing
n fI
ound that an up-country newspaper editor,
gho was an old friend OF mine, was Interested
10 got me n stoady rit in the composing room.
The chances arc TINT would be there sticking
,ivSn me me- as my my irst take anything else
2 the world R4t ,nor thHt oil rat story
Queer Stories About Animals" tho editor OF
hat concern had collected number Of shoru
nd got L. But it did not dopress me. this
ime. for il was not only In it, original dress.
eon clipped from the very PENNSYLVANIA paper
Or which had wrtton it tas local in the first
lace, and credit 10 that paper was marked on
had exchanged the paper lie was
unning with the paper was working for, and
ever brought 1t into reluisitlon until the oc-
aston roicr 70, and OF course got it Ans
} sot up In tho patent outside Office was that
10 slip / set it from had set up originally
SO years ana u hHll before; ana NOT only that,
le first paper tho patent outside with the rat
tory in was mad 10 up and printed for was the
cry papor, had worked on in Ponnsylyania.
hIch Ind printed the etor5 originally as
local, tho paper having bOen revived as "a
ltcnt out-ide I set tho story up this last
mo and then put down my stick.
This is Il warning OF some kind, sure !" snid
to myself "This confounded story isn't
l}a7inG NJ! me all over this country for nothing.
/ throw up my Job there and thon, md gave
p typesotting forever. For some time after
ard got IN occasional sight OF tho rat story
the papers. but II finally disappeared, and
okel upou the ghost as laid. forgot all
bout it In time. Last week was In ltichmond,
ID, on n business trip. Naturally, dropped
nj tho newspaper oicos In course OF com
'rsution at OnH OF them | mentioned the
ct that ] was formerly compostor
II that I hadn't picked up n tyne in many
,HT4. he editor OF the paper had not set lype
about tao same length of tiuo. apd he ohal-
nged mo t. set a sticklul rs quickly as he
uld, llo nshed out couple, OF slips OF copy
ON mass on his table, and We went TO the
room. He handod me one OF tho
eces Of COY, and | pichel up Il composing
!ck looked ,at tho COPY and dropped the
lex ,Gs if it had boon red bot. Why because
held in my hand u slip on which was
iutpd my ancient rat story That was all.