The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-04
A BIT OF NEWS.


The Daily Chronicle stepped into the re.
three men who sat Mt their desks. Copy
was needed and upon this night of all 9TH
ers.
The sporting editor was ut Jacksonville,
and his ''stuif' would come to the night
editor. The religious editor was attending
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 Il raid on gambling den in ward
8. The young gentleman who was sup
posed to edit q 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 rs fast rs it could be clipped, and
only two of the three reporters In the room
were writing. The third was leaning for
ward on q TX, II cigar in one hand and
pencil in the other. lie was looking
straight aho;,d, trying to keep from think
ing about 50 nothing that had great deal
to do with himself. He was II young man,
space writer on The Chronicle, who did
bits of fiction to II monetary advantage up
on occasions.
To describe him APPLY and i'll few
words, he was "a years old in age, 80 in
experience and IS i'll disappointment. lie
was good looking, bright and had just
enough of cgotism favored into his sturdy
character to make him thoroughly self
confident.
This was Robert Sumner as he sat OH
this especial night, his mind pcrturbed
and fairly teeming with forced, illogical
reasoning when the city editor was abso-
lutcly nervous for copy.
He walked to n 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 waverng like
white flags. AS he gazcd Mt this without
seeing, Sumner laughed not because it was
appropriate in any sense of the word, but
merely because it didn't require any effort
of mind or thought. But it was n 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 pnrlor where he
had been rejected by Mildred Nelson He
remembered how he had stood directly in
front of her as she sat in II 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, n simple
NO" 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 thought. He was too
worried ut 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 ludicrous turn, and he
wondered if he could get Il note discount
ed there
lie gave the window pane Il sharp rap
as If to relieve himself of some of the bit
terncss he felt, threw his cigar aside, sat
down and began to work furously rs the
city editor looked into the room for the
fifth time.
In n handsome home sat two women
mother and datghtcr-thc faces of both
showing traces oil 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 and saw the rain beating down and
then turned to her mother, who had not
noticed her entrance.
what are you going to do?" asked the
elder woman
The best / cam" replied the daughter
ana left the room the second time. The
front door opened and closed.
mot by yoursclf' 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 n 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 / O'Clock. At n corner she hesitat-
ed and looked up mt 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 90 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 in the mirror that adorned it, She
laughed an almost hysterical laugh as she
saw her own countenance, pale and fright
ened looking, staring back at her. She
stepped out of the elevator and walked
down short passageway. She could hear
the buzz and whirl and rattle and CHATTER
of machinery and turned into the first door
way. She was met by stalwart young
man in considerable negligee, who was
carrying proof. She started back, saying,
null ta1 II
ner" In the meantime two other men
cOstumed in the same manner Ind conn