The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-06
HOW BUD
GOT THE COPY

''Carleton's not in yet, Mr.. Howard
one of the men replied. He
But the door shut with a bang, to
open a minute later, when the same
worried voice inquired
"Where's Bud? No. I suppose he
asn't to be found either! Did anyone
ever know him to be on hand when he
was wanted? Here, Bud" as the grimy
faced galley and general utility boy in
question came in with his proofs. ego
down to the foot Of F street and find
Carleton. There's a wreck off the point,
but it won't do US any good unless ne
gets here with that copy pretty soon.
We go to press at 3 o'clock-in just two
hours. BUD
He stopped with a half-smile, for the
boy was already part way down the
stairs on his way to the street None
of us knew exactly why we gave the
weird, shriveled specimen OF boyhood
the name of Bud. Possibly it was be-
cause of the certainty we felt that he
would never become a blossom. He was
a thin-shouldered, shrunken cheSted
little fellow, small even for his twelve
years, with a sharp-featured, unchild-
ish face and the suggestion OF eternal
Group in his voice. He had drifted into
the office one stormy night about year
before the time OF which 1 write, and
although his request for "a place had
been promptly refused, he had calmly
stayed on, and became a fixture. He
was not communicative about himself,
and we were not particularly curious
One of the women proofreaders dlscoV-
cred before long that the gray rat I'M
der her desk was not a more constant
habitue Of the Office than was BUD he
spent the hours between the time the
paper went to press and the ARRIVAL OF
the day men at II o'clock sleeping on
a pile OF empty mailsacks in a dark cor
hut from a
time on he was alert and ready Tor BUS
inesS.
AS "understudy'' for Frank the reg
ular galley boy, he was fast picking up
a knowledge of printing and had occa-
sionally displayed surprising amount
of information regarding the general
makeup of a newspaper; strongly i'm
bued with the idea that all things were
secondary in Importance and must be
subservient to its requirements. Moth
ing pleased him so much as an errand
of the kind Just given him by the city
editor, and we all knew he would re-
turn on time if he was alive.
Carleton was new man on the pa
per, q little green in the business, but
with a nose for news and a sense OF
honor and the eternal fitness of things,
coupled with reliability of statement
Mr.. Howard had looked over his staff
that night before giving the assignment
testify.
You are the only man who can write
1T up without having the waves rolling
mountain high" And the new re-
porter had torn thick section from
the block Of copy paper and hurried
away. BUD found no difficulty in locat-
ing the wreck, although he could see
Its dark spars outlined against the sky
much better by running along the water
front as far as H street. The storm,
which had been raging for three days,
and had finally caused the disaster, had
subsidized a trif1e, and from his distance
the great black hulk seemed resting
easily upon the waves. On account Of
the hour, there were but few spectators
only the hurrying life-crews. the pa
trolmen, and the inevitable group Of
wharf-rats. Bud observed with delight,
that not another paper had reporter
on the scene. He looked around for
Carleton, and some one told him that the
Chap that had been writing there for
a long time, sitting in an overturned
small boat, had at last righted the little
craft and set off for the half-submerged
ship.
He hadn't oughter either" the man
continued. This water amt as peace
full as it looks. We had hard pull get
tin ia the last trip with the passengers,
and tne wind is risin higher every min
ute
1t was Ile CLOUDS UdQ DSSuU
to roll again, while the lightning threw
ever sharper and more jagged fangs
across the sky. The crew on shore
made hasty preparations to put out
There We're still many people aboard
the wreck-a number of them women
and children. Bud We the first onevin
the boat.
Come out of that, youngster," said a
sailor "Be quick with your
I'm goin', - cried the boy. 1--WE got
to see Carleton-Fve got to- tell your
The sailors hand was on his collar,
but Bud chung to the seat with deSpe-
ration, the muscles in his little hands
standing out like a gladiator's.
I've got to get something for the pa
PERI and his voice rose TO a shrill
scream.
The man lifted him out, sat him not
urgently down on the wet sand, and
pushed off the boat With fierce cry
the boy was after him, clinging like
monkey to its side. The sailor loosened
the boys hands and he dropped back
ward into the water He scrambled to
the shore, and stood choking with i'm
potent rage, strange oaths pouring from
his lips and his frail hands beating the
air.
The wind increased in violence. The
thunder was terrific, and the heavens
were cut with broad, white blades. The
night grew ever blacker. but he could
see by the flashes that the lifeboat roll
Jed heavily and seemed in distress. He
sank down and dug his hands deep into
the sand. All at once peal OF thunder
shook the solid earth; a flash Of light
ming leaped down and seemed to lap up
the sea and ships. Bud uncovered his
eyes, and in a moment his shrill voice
was added to the chorus of agony sent
up from among the flames of the fated
steamer. Lightning had struck her,
ana the boy had heard the sailors say
that she carried a consignment of coal
oil
The light was bright enough now. and
the watchers could see a small dark OBJ
ject leave her luminous side and head
toward shore It was the small boat
Bud screamed in ecstasy as he saw a
man, Carleton, work at the oars The
time seemed an eternity, and the boat.
overcrowded as it was with women and
children, seemed to make no progress.
1t was in danger Of swapping. How
long before the explosion must occur?
The boy threw himself face downward
upon the beach again, and waited.
Presently he lifted his eyes, and saw
the man in the boat rise and gently put
back the hands that were extended to-
ward him, as If in entreaty, and then
with a long leap spring into the ocean.
q Bud saw him strike out with strong,
n confident strokes, while the boat. re-
u lieved Of his weight, made leap for
ward. Then there was a sudden dark
ening Of the sky, as the flames swirled
downward, followed by long, reverber-
ating shock and roar; glare that turn
ed the heavens into fire, while the
waves missed around the scene with
the foam at their lips stained red. There
was a hurrying back and forth along
the shore. the Whirlinp of lone ranac