St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-10
MIKES NEWS STORY.
TBy G. Frederic Cressy ]


Boston Herald.
Mike was drunk.
That was natural, for it was Friday
night, and Mike was paid on Friday
afternoon. We would have thought it
unnatural if Mike had not been drunk.
He was not "boiled" drunk. but just
drunk enough 10 have a keen edge on
his wits.
He was the Waterman in the reporters
room at the city hall III Philadelphia.
He had another name-a last name
but we hardly ever heard it. The fact
Is, we never did hear much from or
about him. Most of the time when on
duty he read newspaper or a book,
though sometimes, plying his loneli-
ness, we would ask him to join in
game of "high- low" He was good
player, had good luck, and usually won.
Mike did a deed on this particular
Friday night which will cause him to
be remembered as long as tradition lasts
among reporters.
IL was this way:
Being summer, news was scarce, and
we were grumbling over this fact. A
reporter usually complains that there is
no news on general principles. even If
he has TWO good stories in his pocket,
for no other reporter must know that he
paper sense means anything which is
not an advertisement, from murder to
a wedding or an obituary notice.
Mike had fallen asleep because he
was drunk. but he awoke while we were
discussing the lack of news. Some one
said to him:
.Why don't you get us story, Mike?
You ought 10 know something"
"P'r'aps Oi ought, ana p'r'aps Oi
oughtent," he said, blinking his red
eyes.
first spoken, Pll tell you what We'll do.
If you'll get us real elegant story, ell
give you $40 for it. Won't we?" he
asked of the rest of US with broad
smile on his face.
We said of course we would.
Mike said nothing for fully minute,
while he gazed steadily at US, looking
from one 10 the other Of the six faces
before him.
"Wili youse give the $50 to moi wife
tomOrrer If l give yer the sthory now?'
he asked finally.
"Of course we will, Mike, but didn't
know you had Wife" | answered. We
had always taken it for granted that he
was unmarried, therefore we were sur
prised when he spoke of wife.
"Oi have a wife an oi can get a
sthorv."
What is she like? and have you any
heirs?' was asked. We were more than
interested 10 learn something about
Mixes family than TO hear the story, for
we did not have much faith in his news
capacity.
Il have hairs. an moi VOTES a foine
woman, she is, an domned soight too
good for a drunken haste the loikes of
mUiself. But that's 10 matter. Will
yer give the 20 balls to her if Oh git
yer the sthory?"
"Certainly we will, but you'll have to
give US your address. Where do you
live, Mike?"
''Listen am Orll tell yer wher at o
live" And we listened. Then lie made
us give him written statement, signed
by us all, promising that we would give
his wife the $40.
Nov yer SHAY right here till OF
holler to yer to come. Dim goin' oui
on Their roof to look fer somethin'. Sure
as any of youse foller me Oi'll not give
yer the sthory, Does yer see ?"
We saw and sat down to wait. 1t was
IL O'Clock then. A Ealf hour passed
Three-quarters, and we began to think
that he had gone to saloon and got
drunken, so that he could not come back,
and we mad also Begun to think that ii
he did not bring his ''5htCry' on pretty
soon we would not get it in time fol
publication.
Then we heard him call.
We Jumped FROM our chairs and all
hurried out of the door and along the
corridor TO the roof. We could see noth.
ing of Mike after looking around, so we
shouted for him to tell US where he was
He answered, and we saw him standing
on the other side of the roof, the arec
In the center of the building being be.
tween him and ourselves.
AS soon as he saw that we were look
Ing at him, he called out:
"Good-by, boys. Here's yer sthory.