The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-06-01

" the managing edit
or, the night editor and the foreman Of
the composing rooms.
The Owl was one OF the oldest and
ablest newspapers in the country. For
years its cramped and dingy quarters
had served well their functions, had
accumulated their full quota of SCOT
and dirt, of dust and CRIME. Mice
scrambled about behind the walls and
reaches haunted the paste cups on the
editorial desks. But there came a day
when the old quarters, long ago far too
narrow and limited for the pressure of
business that had grown with the in
creasing reputation Of the paper, were
condemned, altered, enlarged and re-
1uvenated. Floorings were torn up,
beams taken out and replaced and the
whole office literally turned upside
down. The mice squealxed and scam
pered about boldly, and the reaches
came from inconceivable places. Some
of the copy-readers, as they startled
the fleet bugs from the paste cups, sug-
gested that "Hughey," the Office boy,
should be commissioned to get cat,
but nothing further was ever done
about the matter.
One evening the night editor had just
returned from his supper, had hung up
his hat and coat, and was approaching
his desk, when he saw cat actually
seated on the top, by the mucilage cup,
and busily licking its paws. 1t was
thin and gaunt, and had hard, hun
cry look in its eyes. The night editors
first impulse was to drive II away, but
he remembered the mice and the
reaches, and he turned To the little
group of copy-readers, busily correct
ing and getting ready for the compos-
ing rooms the manuscript that lay be-
fore them.
Boys" he said, "here's cat"
There was n quick pushing back OF
chairs, and the boys" turned around.
"Pssl" said the night editor. Don't
scare him. We need his services"
"Hugheyl" called the night editor.
'sLook at that" said the night editor,
pointing to the thin, gaunt cat repos-
ing on his desk.
"a cat!" exclaimed Hughey, Joyous
ly, extending his arms and moving to-
ward the animal
Look out, Hughey," said the men.
''he looks pretty hungry"
But Hughey was used to cats. He
knew their ways. He even noted with
some pity its famished look. To the
surprise OF the men the eat made no
effort TO escape Hughey. He picked II
up gently and strolsed its thin back. 1t
was good-sized cat with long, wiry
legs and hard claws Dusty black and
white stripes ran about its body. Its
ears were partly crushed down, and
IL held It's black head bent in hunted,
crouching manner.
Take care of him, Hughey," said
the night editor, sitting down at his
desk 'sfor he's on the staff now"
But this was needless advice 70
Hughey. He carried II TO his little
richety table by the window in the
paneled partition that shut out
peremptorily all who had no right in
the sacred precincts of the editorial
rooms Here was Hughey's throne;
here he reigned In undisputed author
ity. lie domineered over the timid i'm
quirer who ignorantly mistook him for
the editor, tantalized fresh" messen-
ger boys by keeping them waiting,
drove nearly into Mysteries the impa-
tient ladies who wished 10 explain
something to the editor, bluffed the
literary aspirant, berated the peddler.
jolxed the politicians, and opened the
door TO none whom he knew not or un-
I'll they persuaded him into knowing
them.
Ii was to these quarters Hughey
brought Shockie. The name was one
of Hughey's own invention. and was
bestowed upon the gaunt cat scarcely
two minutes after IL had been In
stalled. Why HuRhcy chose the name
he could never quite explain either TO
himself or TO those who asked him. All
he knew of the swift christening was
soon told, and he told that in lieu OF
an explanation. He had just put
Shoclxie down on the table and had
commenced TO sort the evening mail,
when the catsuddenly sunk its claws i'm
TO bunch OF letters to the editor and
began burrowing hercely amid them
BY the time Hughey had rescued the
envelopes they presented sorry sight
20 hand TO the editor And then
Hughey uttered the namc that chung
TO the cat ever afterward.
Hughey soon perceived that Shockie
was no ordinary cat. He was jour
nalistic cat, endowed as he fervently
declared with genuine nose for news,
and he firmly believed that in time he
could teach II the difference between n
fake" and n fact At any rate,
Hughey hoped for this, and he spared
no pains with ShocIde's education.
Night after night. as they sat at the
table together, he would explain the
subtleties to Shoclsie, and as Shoclkie
purred and whisled his tail intelli-
gently. Hughey felt comfortcd. Once
he saw Shoclsic looking curiously at
package Of ''fiimsy" that had just come
IN. The more Shoclde looked the more
fits eyes glistened. Hughey touched
the package and Shockie mewcd sharp
~. Hughey surreptitiously opened II