The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-04-12
"ME SIDE-PARTNER :"
y Story of a Sought-for Scoop.

Edward w. Townsend in the Argonaut.
Mr.. Dunnigan was smilingly receiving the
congratulations of the other newspaper men
who gathered around Morman's supper table.
He had given his paper sensational scoop
that morning, and every man who congratu-
lated him Immediately asked:
''But how did you get on, Dunni ?"
II got on to the story by accident, and that's
how nearly every scoop is brought in,'
answered Dunnigan, modestly.
''If story comes through the regular chan
nels, there's no chance for a scoop, and the
newspaper men who go about looking for
chance stories, exist only in novels written by
men who don't know a detail-book from
misunderstanding Tommy Paget, here.
But Tommy is not newspaper man-he's
Journalist"
''More power to him ~ exclaimed Mr. Lynn
ssdon't moind him, Tommy. Shure, Dunni is
jealous of ye. It's the young gintlemen loike
you who are elevating the profession, and the
old hacks loike Dunni and me must give way
before the new regime, of which you are at
once the ornament and pride. A glass of
beer wild you, Tommy
Tommy, who by this time was flushing
slightly, turned to Patterson, and said with
lofty scorn:
: ''It's your turn, Patsy, to score me; jump
inn
''I'd strike bottom too quick, responded
Patsy.
''Any one else want to contribute ?'' asked
Tommy, with severe politeness; ''if not, I'll
just remark that while | am humbly sensible
OF my sad deficiencies a Journalist, which,
by the way, did not prevent my earning more
on space last week than Mr.. Dunnigan ever
got as a salary, | am still unwilling to admit
that because keep broke by retaining mem
bership in a decent club instead of by playing
poker, like Dunni, or because still hold on to
some decent social connections, instead of
totally outcasting myself as all of you have, l
am unwilling, / say, to admit that l may not
aspire to the dizzy professional heights capped
by that group of graces-Lynn, Dunnigan, and
Patsy
Tommy grew redder still at the roar of
laughter which greeted his fine speech, and
glared haughtily at Lynn, who exclaimed:
sect out of tn ring you Dunni, and you
Patsy David has come again, and Pm his
prophet, backer, and bottle-holder. Bring on
your heayy-weghts Otto, a schooner for
Mr.. Paget p
Tommy continued to glare at his grinning
friends for time, but soon joined the grin,
for, though bristling with pugnacity, there
was no one in the party more alive than Mr..
Paget to the futility of solitary grandeur in a
company of average mortals
II was about to remark, he said, with re-
covering good nature, "before you all brayed at
me, that Dunni may be right in saying that
most scoops are accidental, but sometimes they
are looked for. You remember my scoop in
the Melbourne Rest robberY?'
There was no immediate response. 1t is
probable that every one at the table did recall
but then most of us are sluggish in remember
ing other mems scoops.
SWELL did get that scoop, and did get ii
because looked for it. 1t was about year
ago. had been doing the Introduction to a
Patti irst-night, and was in evening dress; sc
when / turned in my copy, as it was raining
rang for coop. When l told the driver tC
take me up here he told me there was to be
quiet chicken-fght in the Melbourne Rest"
"Oh, Tommy break away" interrupted
Dunni; .'you got that scoop through the acci
s'Faust Beer'' is guaranteed to be straight