Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-02-07
A BORDER EDITOR.

nor III Tho Fourth Estate but all the
Same there wCrC no flies on \. j.
ROvlStOn. He WAS editor and propri.
ctor and Il part of the typeSticking
staff If The Border Scout, published
in n small town on the American side
of the line, close to Mexico | have
found it convenient to forget the
namo of the town, as there are still
some lively shooters left there, and
they may pcrChanCo consider them
selves aggriCvcd by my revelations.
Angel alloy is the picturesque
name of the main street of the town,
which does not possess n single two
story house or store within its bur.
derS. And on Angel alley you may
still see the sign of Tho Border Scout,
gloriouSly gilt, III letters II foot high,
running across the front of wool
en- building which has never worn
paint. asked Roylston why the
namU of Angel alley had been given
to the street along which loungcd
daily cattle thieves, gamblers, Uncle
sam soldiers and the miscellaneous
population of II frontier town.
1--WE gay" it the name of Angel
alley because, in the first place, it is
not an alley, and, in the second. be-
cause candidates for angels stand
hero and arc translated to brighter
realms with no moro formalty than
pistol shot. At this moment a
sharp dCtOnatiOn made mo look out
of the window of the editorial office,
and | noted that another angel had
been manufactured. The boys will
bring me the nowS, observed ROyl-
stOn calmly; lit is always happening
here. "
ROylStOn was n delicate and rath-
er elegant fellow, locally known as
His Dudley Nibs. and he had only
won respect by his utter fcarleSsness
in ragraphing and by having man.
ufaciurcd several angels with his
gun in the course of animated con-
trovrI:,ieS over tho propriety of Ger.
tain items. He had clear blue eve,
muStachc always carefully curled
upward, and he wore tall hat, tho
only ono permitted in the town, and
allowed to him rs being the editor,
His Dudley NibS. Everybody, found,
was proud OF Roylston, for, as jim
Waddy informed me, tho editor kept
up the style for tue whole place and
made English tourists and Boston
men respect the town."
Roylston had placed over the door
of his little office, in clear view as
L., T.,
legend: AS it is inconvenicnt for
the editor to pop nj people while he
is seated, and, moreover, as it is tax
ing an unfair advantage of him, he
therefore begs friends who may have
difficulty to settle to give him a
chance on his legs
As II matter Of precaution against
the lively lads who went up and down
the street on festival occasions, pop
ping into the open windows, ROyl.
stOn had placed some sheets of cor
rugatod iron ut the street window, so
that his head, when he was in his
editorial chair, was just under the
level of their topmost edge. 1T ism t
worth while, my boy" he observed,
Ito be hit when you are in hurry
to get out the paper.
Somehow there had grown up in
the place II healthy sort of public
spirit Everybody who lived in the
town doomed it his duty to stand up
for the climate, for the superior COM
mercial advantages and for the high
tone of the place, for, us Jake Thoms
a gentleman aGventurcr from Mis-.
sissippi, said to me contidcntially
I've have in this town only decent
people We have our little affairs
sometimes; but, on the whole, we
git on we'll, and, if | do say it as
shouldn t say it, the play is fair and
we give every Teller from outside a
chance for his life, if it is only 80
yards"
To tell the truth, did not find the
climate all The Border Scout had
painted it. The wind was always
blowing, and it was trade wind
from the Mexican gulf ard came up
over 700 miles of cactus and sand and
was exhausted Of any moisture it had
once possessed. 1t was dry, ncrv
Gus wind, and 70 my mind fully
accounted for the prctcrnatural irri-
liability of the inhaMtaHtS Ny room
when in town wHS always the apart
ment over Poppcndvkc's barroom,
and after the gentlemen below had
adjusted the politics of the United
States and had discussed the local
news il was always a. m., and then
/ would try TO sleep, with doors and
windows open and all the while that
Internal wind, as dry as the breath
of an oven, blowing over me. In the
morning we invariably awoke with
q terrible thirst, which Poppcndykc
assuagCd with all the resources of
border art
RoylstOn said 1 was prejudiced;
that nobody ever died in town; that
people sometimes cvaporated blew
away or were mysteriously withcred
up and waited into Muscat county,
but that natural death had never
occurred in the history of the place
l grew to admire the cheerful,
jaunty fellow making n newspaper
out in this lonely corner of creation,
which a passing English lord, on his
way to Chihuahua to look after his
cattle ranch, had informed me in cX.
tremely low tones WAS the domdcst