The Opelousas courier., 1891-09-12
THE STAFF OF THE BRIGGS
VILE "BUGLE.a
By WILLIAM EARLE BALDWIN,

BLrs bernard Bergeols was startled. He
jumped visibly, and nearly dropped a
handful of type he was taking from a
galley to the form on the imposing
stone. L was incompatible with the dig
nifty of the foreman OF the mechanical
department of the Briggsville Bugle to
lose his self control in this wav, and he
looked around uneasily as d fluffy haired
girl at q case near by sniggered and made
a whispered remark to another compost
tori then they looked at him and
laughed.
What made the foreman jump was a
whistle from the speaking tube notJar
from his ear. He did not immediately
obey the summons, and another whistle
more pronounced and longer than the
first made him glue his mouth to the tube
and bawl back. aHelloln
Come into my room at n Don't
you understand
Mr.. Bernard Bergeois thought he I'M
derstood, and taking off his apron, went
into the hallway. From an adjoining
Q he heard the clicking of d type
writer, at intervals with q steady
"plunkF' and then with brief intermis-
sions of silence. He hesitated before
knocking at the closed door; for when
the told man. used his machine that way
it was Al Office maxim that he was in a
bad temper.
And the told man was in a bal tenn
per when Mr.. Bernard Bergeois mustered
up enough courage to face him. His
eyes CLEANED through a pair Of gold
bowed spectacles, and his hair, which
was turning gray, was rutnpled over his
forehead. He gave the tardy foreman a
reprimand for his slowness, and then made
. remark that quite upset mr.. Bernard
Bergeois. '.send everybody home he
s1id.
u don't think ] quite understand,
sir, ! faltered the foreman. lit is but a
little after 4 O'clock
sThat makes no difference. Can't you
heara Send every one away from here
except my Office boy. That's plain
enough, isn't itan
Every now and then the Told man.
would absently strike d key with his
finger, aud then look up and jerk out a
few words.
but there are five columns to set
began the bewildering forman.
Come earlier in the morning, then.
i don't want anybody around now.
How can a man write with those presses
out there making such an everlasting
noise, and you people in the composing
o giggling and making such d
racket Why don't you have better dis-
cipline out theresn
Mr.. Bernard Bergeois had no answer
ready. He was quite nonplussed.
Never before ID the course Of his profess
sional career had be received such an Or
der as this. ssSend everybody homelf
Was the tsold man. going insane2 Did
he not know that tomorrow was pnbli-
casion day2
There are five colums-' be began
again.
ssSend your five columns to tile deuceln
interrupted the other, furiously. III
don't care whether there are 1--WE columns
or fifty, SO long as every one of you gets
out Of here. Send me my of~ice-boylu
Now the ofhce-boy, who, by-the-way.
was named Cox, but who was known to
his intimate friends as ssSwipesey, was
much more pleased with the orders be
had received than the worthy foreman.
He went down into the lower Office and
IN I'D easy-chair, with his feet on the
desk in front Of him, aud watched the
other employees file out with i lordly
air.
Hope you have d pleasant time, y he
said, politely, TO the auffy-haired o d
i've can run this Office alone
afternoon, ne an. / write the
eddytorials and SETS them up. The old
man he's writing important letters, and
be disturbed. Good afternoon. z
Cox made himself comfortable IN the
easiest chair BE could find, and amused
BIZ locking over d pile Of 4
changes on i desk az hand. Presently
his began to bore him, and he began
-ummaging about the room. II was
that be was Id lie lower Office
lone, and he amused himself By climb
up d ahigh stool, and taking 4 pen
lnd ink and scribbling ~ some Of the
,fiice paper.
can do this, when [ nm d OF the
lddgtors, tie chuekled to himself
Just then be heard some one coming !
the stairs slowly and turn iii at the
lo0F of the Office HI raised his head
nd locked over The desk. aud saW j