Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08

Young Gordon had been reporter Just three
years He had left Yale when his last living
relative died and taken the morning train for
New York. where they had promised him
pOrtorial work on one Of the innumerable
greatest New York dailies He arrived at the
Office at noon and was sent back over the same
road on which he had Just come to Spuyten
piyVh. where a train had been wrecked and
about everybody Of consequence to suburban
New York killed One of the old reporters
hurried him to the Office again with copy"
aud after he had delivered that he was sent 10
the Toombs TO talk French TO a man in muir
derers row. who could not talk anything else,
but who had shown some international skill in
the use OF jimmy. And at : o'clock he
covered a flower show in Madison Square Gar
den, and at IL o ak was sent over the Brook
iyn bridge IN a cab TO watch a fire and mS&e
guessss at the insurance.
He went TO bed at o'clock that night and
dresmt o, shattered locomotives. human beings
lying still with blankets over them, rows Of
cells and banks of beautiful flowers nodding
their heads TO the tunes of the brass band in the
gallery He decided when he awoke the ne xt
morning that he had entered upon picturesque
and exciting career. and one day followed
another he became more and more convinced
OF IL and more and more devoted to IT. He
Was eighteen then and he was now twenty-one
and IN that time had become q great reporter
and had been to presidential conventions in
'hicaso, revolutions IN HsytL Indian out
breaks on the plains, and midnight meetings
oi moonIlghters in Tennessee, and had seen
What work earthquakes flood. fire and fever
could do IN great cities. and had cOntradic;ed
the President and borrowed matches from
bursAr- And now he thought he would like
10 rect and breathe a bit AMI not to work again
unless as war correspondent or as a novelist
He had always had enough money OF his own 10
Keep him alive and 30 he was in CONSEQUENCE in
dependent of what the paper gave him The
only obstacle to his becoming a great war cor
respondent lay in the fact that there was no
war, and a war correspondent without a var is
about as absurd individual as a general
without an army He read the papers every
morning on the elevated for war clouds but
though there we're many war clouds they al
ways drifted apart and peace smiled again
This was very discouraging to young Gordon.
and he was more and more keenly disap-
pointed
And then, as war work was out Of the oues-
ZION. he decided To write his novel 1t was to
De novel Of New York life. and he wanted a
quiet place IN which TO work on it. He was
already making inquiries among the suburban
residents OF his acquaintance for Just such a
Ihet spot when he received an offer TO SO to
the Island OF Opeki in the South Pacific ocean
as secretary TO the American consul TO tina,
place The gentleman who had been ap-
pointed BY the President TO act as con-
sui at Opeki was Capt Leonard T. Ira
Wis. a veteran Of the civil war. who had
contracted severe attack of rheumatism
while camping at night in the dew. and who
ON account of this souvenir of his efforts to
zaSe the Union had allowed the Union he had
saved TO support him in one Office or another
ever since He hal met young Gordon at a
tllb and had had the presumption to ask him
Ia serve ~ his secretary, and Gordon, much TO