The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1892-01-22
THEN LED HIM AWAY.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazeltcl

Tommy barrett has sci the pace for the
field md led the race TO the last
For seven wears he had held the rcpu-
tation OF being the hardest working,
brainiest. ,urcSt and altogether best re-
porter in the whole great city. II there
wa, Il scoop, il was Harrctt's. If there
wa, Il brilliant piece of special work, it
Was Barrctt's Ii there WAS some insur-
rlounablc difficulty overcome, or a new
the lob was Barrctt's He was every
where, at all times of the day or night;
was 'onto" everything gong, and report
ed it in the crcamicst Of creamy styles.
Hi. intuition was nialliblc, his scope linn
tlcss, bis versatility and energy exhaust
less. There was nothing too scattered for
him 10 collect Nothing too wide for him
to cover Nothing too hard for him to DO.
No space TOO great for him to fill. At
early dawn he sped the round of metro
politan news Noontidc found him speed
ng on Evening heard his dying footballs.
Midnight knew his face All was one to
Barrett. He held the pulsng current OF
events under his thumb.
lie ran through breakfast dcvourins the
columns Of contemporaries. lie galloped
through dinner notebook ana pcncl III
hand He dew through supper feeding
an absent minded mouth with one hand
and grinding out copy with the other.
Time was always an enemy O.! Tommy
Barrett's. He actually hurried his hurry.
And his desk fairly vomited copy in Il
stream that never slackcncd or failed un-
Ill the forms were full
He did three months work for half its
worth.
ANYTHING to hold his place; for a moth
or, sister and crippled brother were de-
pendent on him. There was no let up for
Tommy Barrett. He never asked day
on ncr took vacation. On week days
lie worked eighteen hours; ON Sundays
nineteen. The brief intervals upon his
bed were filled with troubled dreams OF
the past dav 5 work and anxious planning
for the day 10 come.
His hollow ewes burned with II dry lus-
ter. His checks grew pale and sunkcn,
his wiry limbs atenuatcd, his hands like
claws. and conversation became a ievcrcd
flash. A bottle Of tonic and a box OF pills
were his constant companions. There
was no pause, no resi-, no relief; and there
camc a strange, tense dryEcSs IN his BRAN,
with flaming inner vision clear as a
crystal
That might he WAS handling The sensa-
ton OF the hour His .ammcd notebooks
aud references fill his desk and extra chair.
His coat was on the floor, and his hat IN
the cuspidor He never looked up nor
moved save TO Gear off page after page as
hi, Dixon :;i2 lcapcd along. The night
WAS narrctt's The city editor WAS simply
go-lctwecn. The chute WAS hot with
hauling up his copy. The foreman was
in :: dave. and the cases were white with
BIrrctt'5 manuscript. He bent over ms
desk and drove his pencil on.
The city editor picked up the last bunch
and clutchcd His blue pencil; hurIIedly
scanned the first two pages: then he paus-
ed and held the manuscript closer turned
il over, back again, uttered sudden cry
and called MS assistant.
The sheets were filled from top TO bot
tom with hUrrving ScrawlS, without hc'u
or tail, aimlcSs and meaningless. wan
AN angry hu, bcwi!dcrcd oath, the clty
editor hurried To the reporters side.
Barrct, bent over his desk, his pencil lily
irc like mad over the paper pliinS mp
sheet after sheet with mechanical rcSn-
laritv. Nothing but meaningless scrih-
blcs. Not sentence, word, letter or IN
tcIliei,lc sim in it 81 all
"What in the devil do yon mean Bar
relt?" yelled the editor; but barrett dId
NOT seem TO near On went his pencil III
its mad, aimless course. Leaning forward
hi, superior caught his hurryins hand.
The pencil dropped ncrvclessiy. Barrett
sank YEARLY back in his chair, looking up
with \ feeble, foolish smile and g vacant
stare that seemed TO see but not to COM
prehend. A..
4 momcn: the editor stood holding the
.chlly iingors and bending forward with
Wild inquiry to the blank face. When he
smoke his voice Was shaken with horror.
The tension had grown too severe to stand
The thread Of thought had snapped.
The lieht was out. The mind was gone.
Barrett's busy mind was blank.
For an instant there was hurry ana
then the great paper went on
The idiot was led away