The Portland daily press., 1894-02-16
A BIT or NEWS.

The Daily Chroaicle stepped into the re-
porters' room and looked anSiously at the
three men who sat at their desks. Copy
was needed and upon this night of all 9TH
ers.
The sporting editor was at Jacksonville,
and his stuff would come to the night
editor The religious editor was attending
a sensational debate given for charity be-
tween well known minister and prom
inent and exceedingly clever society wom-
an. The subject matter under discussion
was "The Rights of Woman Relative to
Free Speech" The police reporter, upon
whom the city editor usually depended for
early copy, had gone out with the detect
ives for raid on gambling den in ward
Q. The young gentleman who was sup
posed to edit column of gossip daily
hadn't come in as yet He was probably
attending some social function-a favorite
pastime Of his Added to all this it was
o'clock, not line of local had been sent
in, while the machines were devouring re-
print as fast as it could be clipped, and
only two of the three reporters in the room
were writing. The third was leaning for
ward on desk, cigar in one hand and
pencil in the other. He was looking
straight ahead, trying to keep from think
ing about something that had great deal
TO do with himself. He was young man,
q space writer on The Chronicle, who did
bits of fiction to monetary advantage up
on occasions.
To describe him aptly and In few
words, he was "a years old in age, 80 IN
experience and IS in disappointment. He
was good looking, bright and had just
enough of egotism favored into his sturdy
character to make him thoroughly self
confident.
This was Robert Sumner as he sat on
this especial night, his mind perturbed
and fairly teeming with forced, illogical
reasoning when the city editor was abso-
lutely nervous for copy.
He walked to window and stood look
ing at the night. The arc lamps winked
their white electric light out into the wet
air, and the vivid, pulsating rays seemed
to struggle with the damp wind and the
dripping rain, shaking and wavering like
white flags. AS he gazed at this without
seeing, Sumner laughed, not because 1t was
appropriate il any sense OF the word, but
merely because it didn't require any effort
of mind or thought. But it was cynical
laugh. He was thinking about woman
all naturally enough, he mentally argued
After more of this depressing mental dis
cussing pro and con he arrived invariably
at the same spot, in the parlor where ne
had been rejected by Mildred Nelson. lie
remem bered how he had stood directly in
front of her as she sat in a big armchair
and told her of his love. Never before had
he wanted to smoke half SO bad, and after
he had finished she looked half frightened
and then had taken him by the hand and
said, ''You're joking surely and then,
very pale, had given her refusal, simple
tsNo." The look on her face he could not
forget, and somehow there rested in his
breast the honest conviction that she loved
him, after all, although he could find no
reason for such a thought. He was too
worried at the time to ask her the why of
her refusal, and now it was too late. May
be it was because her father was president
of the Mechanic Banking association. His
thoughts took ludicrtus turn, and he
wondered if he could get note discount
ed there.
He gave the window pane sharp rap
as If to relieve himself of some of the Bit
terness he felt, threw his cigar aside, sat
down and began to work furiously as the
city editor looked into the room for the
fifth time
In handsome home sat two women
mother an 4 daughter-the faces of both
showing traces of tears. Between her sobs
the mother repeated and moaned:
"What shall we do? What shall we do?"
The younger woman firmly arose and
left the room. When she returned, she was
dressed for going out. She went to win
dow ard saw the rain beating down and
then turned to her mother, who had not
MOTTO her entrance.
"WEst are you going to do?" asked the
elder woman
18th. best ] can,' replied the daughter
and left the room the second time. The
frona door opened and closed.
"Not by yourself!" screamed the moth
er. But the young woman had disappear
ed into the darkness. With no protection
save the gossamer, she bent her head low
and hurried forward. 1t was only short
walk, and she has reached the center OF
the city. She heard the city clock strik-
ing, but did not stop to count the Time
1t was II o'clock. AT corner she hesltat-
ed and looked up at a row of large build
ings. In one the lights were burning
brightly, and there were signs of life and
industry. All the others looked dead and
dark
To the lighted building she went and
entered and found herself in front of the
elevator. She wanted to go to the report
ers' rooms, she told the elevator man, and
while the hydraulic vehicle was ascending
to the sixth floor in its own peculiar and
tantalizing gait the woman looked at her
self III the mirror that adorned it. She
laughed an almost hysterical laugh as she
eayv her own countenance, pale and fright
eged looking, staring back at her. She
stepped ouV of the elevator and walked
dew Il a short passageway. She could hear
l..e buzz and whirl and rattle and clattel
cf machinery ard turned into the first door
way. She was met by stalwart young
1.an in considerable negligee, who was
a:z-5irg proof. She started back, saying.
"t only wanted to see MIR. Robert Sum
r. - In the meantime two other men,
c,'c>umed in the same manner, had come
~ and were watching her.
Mr., Summer" repeated the young man,
w,th a strange look On his face. ooh, this
l. r,1a way" The other men laughed. He
occ1ied the door for her. She stepped in
sitle in front OF desk where man VAS
ls.njpp over q shade above his eyes, writ