The record-union., 1894-04-28
The Reform Of Jeremy Garble.

[Copyright ! 1894, by Edgar L. Wakeman. All
rights reserved.
Jeremy Garble, editor and owner of a
great metropolitan journal, has just re-
turned to his native city from an ex-
tended foreign tour. He had dined with
the German Emperor, had been received
by the President of France, had been
given audience by his holiness, the Pope,
and had been permitted to erect great
memorial window in an ancient and his
toric abbey.
Preceded by press dispatches his for
eign journey had partaken somewhat OF
the nature of a continuous ovation. Nat
urally, when coming back to the imme-
diate neighborhood of every day busi-
ness rivalries, his individuality dwindled
to the measure of an ordinary human
unit of progress. This had an unpleas-
ant influence upon him.
The ledgers in his counting-room
showed tremendous profits; the puzzle
department, the guessing department.
the gift book department., the art supple
ment department, the circulation certltl-
cation department, and all the other mod
ern bazar departments of one of the
greatest dailies on earth were In health
full and prosperous development, while
the rhunderings of added presses testified
to his constantly increasing wealth and
power.
Within his little kingdom his hundreds
of employees were more obsequ1ous than
ever. His great newspaper structure
had itself received several additional
stories during his absence. Its dome
was now the loftiest in the city. Every
mammoth establishment was the great
est, the finest, the costliest and the most
superb known to journalistic develop
ment in all the world.
But Jeremy Garble had received moth
ing bordering on an ovation on his arrl-
val home. a few financial promoters
q had waylaid him and attempted TO ply
him with cheap wine. An agent or two
of mild forms of lotteries were ready to
present schemes in connection with
newspaper circulation. Cunning politi-
clans submitted plots for the rearrange-
ment of existing parties. Eleemosynary
institutions favored him with suggeS-
tions for increasing their own usefulness
through the means of his Journals CO.
operation. And various fairs, festivals
and missionary boards had postponed
active operations for public plunder until
he could be personally consulted and
utilized.
have remained away longer, or not have
gone at all His entire environment
seemed sadly changed or his introspect
i've view had been badly deranged.
One of his old political editors. Richard
NorGhup, coming suddenly out OF his
room, met him in the hallway and with
unaffected ol0-time cordlallty, grasped
his hand warmly, and, being himself a
trife deaf, shouted Justify:
"Why, hello, Jerry! God bless you,
old man, Pm right glad to see you back
againp'
At which familiarity Jeremy Garble
frowned and said, "How do you do to-
day, Mr.. Northup?" rather coldly.
His old employe dropped his hand,
hastened on, turned and regarded his SUI
perior for a moment, In hurt sort of
way, buttoned his coat about his STOPPING
shoulders and disappeared with dubi-
Gus shake of his head.
Jeremy Garble saw the action, or enough
of it to sting him deeply in the mood
which possessed him. "Old Norlhup,"
he reflected, must know how l have
been received abroad. He could have at
least shown me q little Difference. That
is the thanks one gets for keeping men
in their place beyond their usefulness!,
This, it may be observed, is often the
view men of success take of those who
have passed their entire lives Loyalty con-
tributing to that success.
A little further on he halted at the room
of the obituary editor, Mr.. Melancthon
Mold 'Old Mortality" he was called
by the entire force, and he had a clipper
way of buffeting any forgivable office
badinage with, "Wait until 1 have call
for your envelope, sir!' meaning that it
is always well to conciliate the obituary
editor of great newspaper.
II hear the Governors just back, I"
said an assistant cheerily. Now, Mr..
i 7 Il hi
really handsome for the Governor when
he croaks?"
Mr.. Mold was about depositing some
clippings in one of the thousands of en-
yelope boxes, containing data and incl
dents of the lives of all personages of any
public CONSCIENCE, or who were likely
to become so, ranged about the walls of
the room. He turned to the speaker,
adjusted his spectacles, cleared his throat
and gesturing airly with the pile of clip
pings in his hand, returned jocularly:
1.-The Governor? Well, should think
SO! A full page to his early struggles;
at least one to his editorial and business
triumphs; another to his association with
the great: four to his public muniticences;
andn-here Mr.. Mold lowered his voice
and cautiously glanced ito the hallway
three lines to his private generosi-
tiesr'
His precautionary glance had not been
QUICK 0uOuSu.
"Mr Mold" remarked Jeremy Gar
BILE quietly, "you may call at the CASH
ier's desk as you leave for home this
evening"
The old man was very white and the
boxes swan before his eyes, but he falt-
cred to the voice he heard and the form
he could not see:
''Very well, sir. / truly beg your par
don. i should not have said, even in
jest. what did, though it seems that my
estimate of necessary space for the chron-
icle Of your private generosities was not
far amissv'
But Jeremy Garble had passed on.
That unaccountable impulse of human
nature to visit upon the weak the fancied
revenge we cannot effect upon those of
equal strength at least momentarily pos
sessed him. It filed him with especial
indignation and resentment when he
saw an old Argand lamp burning on the
desk of the ''second-column editor, - Luke
Raddles.
Mr. Raddles was not at that moment
occupying dignified position for an ed
itor, and this further infiamed Mr.. Car
ble's irritated spirit. He was tilted far
back in his chair. One foot laid upon the
desk in dangerous proximity to the Ar
gand lamp. His head, held in his hands,
rested on his chair-back, his eyes were
closed, and he was smoking his dear old