St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-05-30
AN ELECTRIC WOOING.
Written for the Globe. ]

other. and angrilly tossed his hat ON
the desk.
81 guess the old manis getting daffy."
he said to the chief copy reader. Here
he has gone and engaged another young
woman on the staff as society editor.
Why couldn't he have put on young
man just as we'll? / don't want any
woman around the office, turning up
her nose every time man says damn.
and looking up In reproachful manner
when call down the boys for getting
scooped. They have got no business to
do anything except look beautiful and
make the men happy"
He stormed around the office for sew
eral minutes and then set TO work max
ing out the assignment book. Harry
Holbrook was young man, the young
est city editor in New York, and said to
be one of the best newspaper men in
that city of intellectual workers. No
one knew of any reason why he should
not like the members of the gentler sex,
but he was like great many other men
In the same business. He had seen dur
ing court and police reporting so many
instances of frailty and infdelity that
he could not believe 1T safe to
venture among them with his heart
worn as a watch guard. He had made
MANY objections to the employment OF
females on the staff Of the paper, and
had carried his point until Helen La
Seur had stormed the citadel of the
managing editor and won an opportu-
nifty of doing something for the paper.
II shall expect her to work under
your instructions" said the managing
editor to Holbrook, land while she Will
do the society run you may give her as
signments such as your Judgment may
dictate"
The city editor smiled to himself as
he thought of the assignments which he
might think up, and which would prop
ably impress her with the fact that she
might find more congeniaI employment
He had never seen her, and he forcibly
remarked TO the chief copy reader that
he did not care to clay eyes on her"
He expected to find her a tall, thin
female of uncertain age and certain
ugliness. dressed in fright of a bonnet,
and a dress with frayed skirts.
That night he was aStOnlShed and
dumfounded when tall, handsome
girl, with serious brown eyes, asked
| him what her work would be for the
evening She was clothed with excel
! lent taste in dark dress and a modest
| head covering, which reminded him of
something which he had seen his sister
wear. she had mild, sweet voice, and
| appeared trf1e embarrassed at his
stare of evident surprise.
Some routine work was assigned her
| for the evening and she was given few
| instructions in connection with the
| society column. The rustic OF dress
was an unusual sound in the office, and
| Holbrook thought it did not seem quite
so much out of place as he had eX-
pected.
Miss La Seur had been in the office
| of the Sayings three weeks, ana, while
! Holbrook growled in half-hearted
manner at every possible opportunity,
| he did not carry out his implied threat
of giving her night police assignments.
| She never questioned any of the work
| given her, and did it bravely and almost
| faultlessly. She had a style of writing
| which had opened the eyes of some OF
the members of the staff. and there was
| not man on the paper who would not
have gone out of his way long dis
| lance to be of assistance to her.
The evening had been an unusually
busy one. There had been society
ball which had lasted until late hour,
and, as it was desired that the affair be
| covered thoroughly. Miss La Seur had
| been compelled to remain in the office
until o'clock. Holbrook was standing
| the ''dog watch" because of the illness
| of the night assistant. and there
| floor with the exception of the men
| i'm the telegraph room. Miss La Seur
was Just finishing her last page of copy
| and Bolbrook was writing the head for
| the article. when there was a knock at
the door. Without waiting for reply,
the visitor entered the Office of the city
editor and stood looking at the two
| persons in the room. The knock had
| aroused the attention of HoIbrook. and
as he caught sight Of the visitor he
| started.
A man stood in the doorway, the only
| entrance to the room, and looked i'll
| tently at the occupants. His long, shaggy
hair fell in matted folds down his
| neck and over his face, and through the
| unkempt locks cleaned pair of fero-
ciouS eyes. His clothing was tattered
and soiled, and he was without hat. In
his hand he carried long knife, which
glittered in the rays of the incandescent
lamps like stolen moonbeam. The in
| truder heSitated for moment. Then
| he said:
II am very sorry, my dear young lady
and gentleman, but it is my duty to kill
| you. | find you two here at this hour in
the morning, alone and unprotected. /
am very sorry, but [ must cut your
Threats and baptise the floor with the
red blood. 1t is my mission"
Holbrook looked in horror at the mad
| man. He was unarmed. and his posi-
! ton in the chair would not permit him
| to spring on the intruder before his at
tempt would be anticipated. Miss La
| Seur was seated at the other end of the
| little room at the desk of the night city
editor, which was Illuminated by a sin
| gle light around which had been pasted
| a piece of copy paper, in order to throw
| the light to the desk. Her hand rested
| OH the edge of the desk, and there was
| a slight movement of her fingers in the
half light. At the side of the desk was
bell which communicated with the
telegraph room, but which had not been
used since recent change of officers.
There were three men in the tele-
graph room waiting for "thirty"to come
in and the operator was putting on his
coat. Suddenly there was tinkling OF
the long unused bell, followed by a
Quick and clear succession of sounds.
i A look of establishment came over his
face as he seizes the telegraph editor
by the arm. The sounds continued:
Help i-n-s-a ne man City
editors Room Quick.
| Newspaper men are credited with
possessing almost superhuman reason
Ing powers at times. The operator
spelled out the sounds to the telegraph
editor and they could hear a strange eX
cited voice in the room from whence the
signals came. Silently they stole or
tip-toe to the door, and it was but the
work of an instant to disarm the maniac
who had not observed their approach
He made hard fight, but was finally
bound and helpless.
On the floor by the desk of the nigh
city editor lay form which. did fo