The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-02-25
DIDN'T KNOW THE IDIOMS-

Alter an hour talk the editor SAID
that he would board me and give S
in cash for the week, and if | suited
and seemed to fill the place we would
make some arrangement for the fu
ture. The first thing / brought in and
wrote up was an article headed: "a
Close Call-Attempt to Shoot the
Postmaster" | handed the copy to
the editor, and he read about half
page and threw it into the waste
basket.
81 was afraid of that" he observed,
as he turned to me. "You see, a
stranger cannot know the idiomS OF
a town"
81 fail to see any idiom about that"
| replied. "It's clear case of at
tempted murder" "Great mistake,
my boy, great mistake. The man
who did the shooting is my brother
in-law, who owns half this Office.
Considerable idiom about that, |
should say. Besides, any citizen is
liable to shoot at the postmaster any
day. It's sort ofprivilege we enjoy
went out and skirmished around
again, and had the good luck to drop
into saloon just as row started.
One man was stabbed and two more
had their heads broken. made
about a quarter of column of this
affair and handed in my copy.
"Um! Row down at the Bald Eagle
saloon, eh?" muttered the editor.
Sam Andrews stabs a man?'
eyes, sir"
"And Tom Kemi and Joe Sharp
are badly hurt?'
eyes, sir"
Its no good" he said, as he tossed
the copy aside 81 owe Sam $500
borrowed money, and Tom and Joe
are regular subscribers. Besides that,
haven't we got a half-column ad Of
the Bald Eagle on the second page?
That's another idiom, my boy. | was
afraid you would make failure oft. J"
| was down at the heel, and | want
ed that place bad. | went out and
wandered around again, and was on
the hotel steps when the stage came
in bringing the dead body of a man
named Pete Burbank He had tried
to hold up the outfit and had been
shot by one of the passengers. | was
writing this up under three display
heads when the editor came in and
asked:
"Well, what have you got hold of
now?'
"Big thing. Road agent tries to
hold up the Rossville stage and is
shot dead. Body just brought in.''
Get his name?"
eyes; it's Pete Burbank"
Cant touch that item,' he said,
as he shook his head in a solemn
manner. "Pete's a brother of our
Mayor, and the Mayor has mort
gage on this office. He'd foreclose
on me qnicker'n scat. AS l
told you before, every town has its
own individual idioms, and a strang
er is quite apt to walk on somebody's
feelings. How are you on politics:2''
"Pretty fair"
"Well, you might write me some
thing on the Mexican question"
That evening l handed him in
half a column on "the situation -
There was just then a bitter feeling
along the border, owing to the raids
of Mexican cattle thieves, and | flat
tered myself that l touched things
up in good style.
"Sorry, my boy-very sorry" said
the old man, as he looked over the
copy. "You say here that these
raids must cease or Texas will rise in
arms?"
eyes"
"And war may ensue?"
eyes"
"And you advise Texans to demand
satisfaction at the point of the bay
onet?"
"Of course"
-" 1t won't do" he said, as he drop
ped the copy into the waste basket.
'The only bank we have in town is
owned by Mexican, and I've got to
borrow $40 of him to get the next
bundle ofpaper. If l printed this
article he'd shut down on me and
bust the concern. You see every
town has its idioms."
"lS there anything in the town
which hasn't an idiom attached"
"Well. yes; but being a stranger
you probably couldn't find it. Sorry
for you, and I'd like to give you sit
for week or two, but you see how it
IS. | expect Col. Joe King in to-
morrow with his mule train, and if
you d like me to speak a good word
for YOU"
but I'd probably find another
ldiom in that l interrupted.
That's So. you might. Come to
think Oft, Col. Joe King has killed
five men, and he lives with four sQuaw
wives, and you'd probably be just
burned idiot enough to ask him why
he didn't git religion and change his
ways"