The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-11-25
JOE ON DUTY.

Gallagher. Joe was happy. His dream
had come true-he was in the DescriJer.
"Yes, sir, one er the stat, reg'lar sal
ary," he announced proudly to his old
newsboy comrades, his hands thrust
deep into his pockets, and his little body
drawn up uutilit assumed an attitude
proper for newspaper man."
"rhey couldn't get along any longer
without me-" he confdingly continued.
Didn't you know they was awful good
to me, the Describer folks was. They
sent me to the hospital, and Miss Tracy
she used to come most every day to see
me. And she brought some flowers
once, great red roses, sech as rich folks
wear when they go to the opery.
And the papers kept on having
notices about Joe, whose accident We
noticed in recent issue, is slowly coll
valescing at the Children's Hospital. A
complete recovery is expected soon.'
There's no use talking, newspaper
folks is the people," and, having deliv-
cred this with an air OF conviction, he
would take out and feel the point OF the
pencil he always carried in his vest
pocket and proudly exhibited as his
badge OF office.
If there was any one thing Joe could
do especially well, it was to sharpen
pencils. Miss Tracy had been the first
to discover this accomplishment, and
had benefited thereby, Tor from the
start Joe had kept her pencils always
nicely pointed. He had way when
not employed OF hanging about her
desk, and one day, in a tit of seeming
abstraction, he had taken up several
OF the pencils lying there and sharpened
them with such nicely as to call forth
special words of praise. That settled it.
Anything Miss Tracy liked she was sure
to have If Joe had the means OF pro-
viding it.
Gradually others in the office recog.
nized Joe's ability in this direction, 30
that it became one OF his daily duties to
sharpen the pile OF pencils that in some
mysterious manner found their way to
one corner OF the city editors desk and
aiterward distribute them to the proper
owners.
Just how Joo distinguished the PEN
ellis OF the various owners no one was
able to make out. Certain it is no one
else possessed such discernment.
Once they tried to fool him. 1t had
been the cause of much comment that
one OF the reporters pencil never re-
Ceived the same care rs the Others.
True, they were pointed, but not as we'll.
Joe had a reason for this; he had an old
score which he paid in this way.
At first they thought it chance, but
when they observed that the "over-
sight invariably occurred, they set out
to discover the reason, But Joe was
non. committal. When they pointed
out the TACT to him, he would only look
solemn and express regret that he had
been SO careless, still the fault was never
remedied.
One morning, after various trials and
failures 10 catch Joe, the exchange edi-
tor, a little later than usual, went to
him with couple of pencils.
Joe scarcely looked at them, but
aharpened them in turn and then laid
one on the exchange editors desk. The
other he placed on the reporters, at the
same time piping out in his sharp little
voice, Some folks think they're awful
smart, but amt no fool"
Every one in the room shouted, and
some one even suggested q rise OF
salary.
No further attempts were made TO
confuse Joe in this particular. Laugh
at and question this ability Us they
might, there came time when he
proved its worth.
Newspaper work wasn't all fun. Yes,
Joe admitted that it did have some
drawbacks, and he grumbled sometimes
and muttered bad words under his
breath-not always way under, either,
when they gave him work he didn't
want to do, especially when he wanted
to be off somewhere else. There was
some fun in Investigating drunken rows
and hanging about the police courts, or
racing to fires; but it was another mat
ter to do countless odd jobs about the
office and run on errands, with the ad-
monition to come straight back" And
Joe knew enough to mind.
Once, while he still felt the great i'm
portance of his newly acquired office,
he had stopped to watch q dog fight,
and had afterward become deeply in
terested in q heated discussion OF the
respective merits OF Jim @. and John L.
down in Pie alley, and had fingered still
few minutes longer to witness two
eyes blackened. Then he had coolly
sauntered into the Office with an air OF
perfect unconcern on his impish face
His manner changed, however, when
n sharp and decisive lecture was de-
livered to him in tone that carried
conviction OF dismissal and disgrace If
his ofiense was repeated.
Joe was big man now in the eyes Of
hisl companions, and dismissal from
the DCscriber office meant due disgrace
aud countless jeers from certain OF his
companions, who saw in Joe's promo.
ton only streak OF luck that made
him "stucker N up than ever-an' he
always was n big-feelin' kid anyhow"
So j oe walked pretty steady us far as
office hours were concerned. But he
grew weary OF being $50 laundering
good" rs he elegantly expressed it, and
one night be relNpsed into his oln-time
habits
For long time Joe had coveted the
row OF books that had been sent in for
review.
"Might just as we'll borrer ono for a
spell; they've done with 'em, he reA-
soned to himself. So, at an hour when
there was likely to be no one in the
room, Joe stole in and quietly trans
ierred the desired volume to his always
convenient blouse; then, hearing a
slight noise as ii something softly clos
ing, he gave scared glance about. The
door to the office was ajar, and, with a
frightened feeling, he sprang to it and