The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-22
THE LAST FORM.

fil Johnstown disaster that tho old night
editor began to show signs of breaking
down He had held the one position for
So years or better and had stood over an
imposing stone when all sorts and descrip-
tions OF news were coming in. None Of ID
affected him. News was news, and type
was type, and the news had to bo put into
typo at certain time, and the type had
to go to press at certain time-that was
all thero was of 10.
When tho story came from the battle-
Held Of Antietam of the great loss of life
that both sides had suffered the night edi-
tors ohlef anxiety was that the news
should be properly displayed. 1t was tho
same month before at the second Bull
Run, and the same nearly year after
ward ut Gettysburg The surrender at Ap-
pomattox, the wonderful disbandment of
great army, the assassination of Lin
coin, the tragic fate Of Wilkes Booth and
all the events that were crowding close
together In the period when the republic
was passing through the greatest crisis Of
Its history found him calm and cool,
ready and alert to seize the salient fca-
ture of every dispatch and anxious to get
1t before the great reading public as quick
ly as possible. just this and no more He
never stopped to moralize or conjecture
when Slug was coming up rather slowly
or when the man at the stone dropped q
handful OF type, On these occasions his
remarks hnd no connection with the char
acter Of the news whatover
1t was therefore with some misgivings,
knowing all this, that the foreman OBJ
served the old man reading every proof
slip OF the catastrophe In the Conemaugh
faVprich vi iafu nd
ally shaking his head and signing. The
next night word came from down stairs
that the old editor was ut home with brain
fever and mightn't be back In the COM
posing room for u month. They made
up" that night without him and were 20
minutes late, besides committing the un-
pardonable sin Of leaving out a 70 line
tad
The old man had been in printing Of
fee SO long and so stcadfastly that It was
part of his life He was typical of all
good men In the place, good natured and
joyial from 8 to II o'clock, quieter and
more active from II to 1913, and from
12:45 to press time as nervous and fldgety
as a hen with IA borod OF ducklings. He
hann't saved much money-just tri6e
for rainy day, and, AS he laughingly OBJ
served he needed an umbrella about once
week. He had buried two children-a
girl and boy, The boy fell at tho baltic
of tho Wilderness, and his father saw the
name In type one night as he leaned over
the forms.
When the foreman went up the next aft
ernoon, he found the old editor in delir-
iuin. At the bedside, gently tanning
him, sat his dear old wife-one of those
sweet faced women who seem to be on
earth simply to bear burdens for others
and to lend comfort to the i'll and Distress
ed
Does he seem any betters" wns the
whispered inquiry. Tho boys miss him,
tell you"
II very much fear he Is not, )" was the
quiet, resigned reply "Ills mind is on
the paper all the time, He has not spoken
Of anything else since the doctor was here
an hour ago He seems to think-thera
now father, it's all right-yes, yes, we
will do just as you wish"
The sick man had interrupted the first
part of the remark. He was resting on
his elbow as his wife spoke.
Never mind that Joe, +" he half NUT
tered. Then, raising his voice to deoi-
siye tone: "Get that galley I'll railroad
1t now That's the dirticst proof l ever
saw in this Office. Dump it in here We've
oily eight minutes to get this form down.
Who's setting that Johnstown headt"
He's thinking of a hard week we had
in the Office the time of the Johnstown
ftood, whispered the foreman as he gazod
sorrowfully on the flushed face and the
feyerishly bright eyes. There was a mo-
ment's pause, and the old man cried out
again:
Joe, Joe, what's tso matter with your
Is tho office full Of subs tonight Chase
up K6 will your l never saw anything
like it since the snakes were driven out
of Ireland, Hero you are, standing around
like a lot OF Stoughton bottles, and I
can't get that hole hlled to save my neck.
WHAT l don't care II you re five columns
oyerset Get that plea cap line changed
to cap and lower case, and let's get this
form away. Only two minutes-only two
joe"
The old editor fell back on tho bed ox-
hausted.
'He is all broken down." said the faith
full partner of his joys and sorrows as the
tears coursed down her cheeks, land the
doctor gave me no hope at all, He said 10
was question of fow hours, and"--
The patient was on his elbow again.
is that You, motherf" he asked feebly.
'Oughtn't to be getting upt'
The lucid moment was gone like flash.
The fever began to talk, but the unnat-
ural strength 1t lent was gone. Tho breath
ing was labored, and the words were ut.
tered ut long intervals.
Tell 'em to send that second page
back, Billy, whispered the dying man.
"I'll make over, instead OF on the sixth
Tell 'em they will get this last form in 10
seconds. Keep your shirt on, boys; keep
Tour shirt on"
The breath became more Rtertorious
AL right, JoeS No. Put thicker quad
n there. Now she'll go, Joe, Holler down
here, Joe-this is the lastl"
The foreman drew the sheet over the
lead mans face.-Mail and Exprcss