Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-06
RIVAL EDITORS.

editor ana proprietor, appeared In all thI
glory of secondhand type-mine was third
hand-and grade Of paper somewhat 10
sembling real "news'--mlne did not re-
semble 10 ut all.
Rowe was n good looking, bright, active,
well educated young follow, with whom
should certainly have been friendly under
different circumstances, but this was now
quite impossible.
One publication day sat down early TO
do up the customary batch Of "scathing
exposures" and "unanswerable arraign-
ments" of Tho Spy when Bud Haskins,
my editorial assistant, composition, job
printer mailing clerk and man Of all work,
came in bcaming with joy.
"Got some good news for you, Mr.. War
ren!' said he, grnning. Cording To
tho way 1t looks now, there won't bo no
Spy this wcck-p'r'aps not next week
pr'aps never!"
"How's that?" inquired, much pleased.
Groves sick abcd--fcvcr or sunthin.
Ho can't do stroke OF work, IN that fell
low Mckay ne has with him amt OF no
great use. No Spy this week, i tell you"
For u moment, mean aS the emotion
was, felt glad If Rowe missed an issue
or two, he would lose tho ground he had
gained and probably would have TO give
up altogether. Then i should be left with
the whole field tn myself Yes. l actually
felt glad.
"Im going out for few minutes,
Bud, / called To Haskins.
My reception ut Tho Spy Office was chill
ing. AS entered the dingy, pine boarded
room Mckay, big, stupid looking man,
stared and then sidled toward a mallct OH
the imposing stone.
II want to see Mr.. Rowe" said /.
"He's in bed up stairs growlcd Nc
Kay, lifting the mallct.
On a camp bed i'm tho attic lay Rowe,
flushed, breathing with difficulty and roll
ing his head irritably about the coarse pill
low. He seemed IL combativo person. 1t
took some little time to convince him that
my intentions were friendly, but when he
became assured of this he met mo with the
manifest frankness.
you're good fellow Warren" he ex-
claimed, seizing my hand. "Ive been n
fool
"No moro than l."
"Well, then, we've been pair of fools.
If ever come out of this we'll be pair
of friends instead butt He broke off
with a groan.
Come, come" said I, "you aren't GO
ing to die. You'll be well in week or
two"
Il know that, but the papcr-the paperi
1 can't do u solitary thing, and Mckay
alone won't get the matter up in week"
Fright enough. Now let's SEQ how we
can manage 1t. can do your part Of the
composition today and finish up my own
tonight. If we're both a day late, it won't
make much difference I'll begin setting
at once"
Hurrying down stairs to escape Rowe's
thanks, came upon spectacle which
took my breath away. Standing at case,
sleeves rolled up and thoroughly at home,
clicking the type into his stick at great
rate, was Bud Haskins.
"Hellon" said he, looking around,
shows your editor, publisher, N propi'tor
today Fin him pretty comft'ble?"
"How on earth did you get herc?" de-
"Same way you did Got to thinkin-
that's all. "
In few moments I was scribbling away
on an improvised desk by the bedside al
most as fast as Bud was setting tho type
below. Scratch, scratch-think an instant
scratch, scratch again-think Onoo mere
and SO on until n pile of ''copy" bad ac
cumulated. This was the beginning:
A FATAL FALSEHOOD.
Our by no means courteous and not in the
least esteemed contemporary, The Spy, which
IS at once IL disgrace to American journalism,
a libel upon the name Of n newspaper and
blot upon the fair city in which it is as yet
still scornfully suffered to drag out an exist
noxious to others and Of value to
itself, etc.
Rowe listened without saying q word
AT the end he quietly remarked:
THAT $ n powerful article, Warren"
"Well, now, SEQ how this one strikes
you" And began reading again:
DESPICABI.E DECEPTION.
We had hitherto supposed that the utmost
Imaginable depths Of reckless, shameless, hon
orless, consciencelcss mendacity had long ago
been reached by that sheet unknown to fame,
but intimately acquainted with infamy under
the name of The Herald.
Rowe bounced up in bed.
"Do you mean to say you're going to
abuse yourself like that3" said he.
II mean to say that such a savage arti-
Gle as mine has got to be replied to little
more savagely If possible"
Rowe by this time had taken the humor
OF the situation into his fevcred brain. He
replied family:
"I think you d better call yourself 'falsi-
fer first and save mp the 'ignoramus' for
use later on. Toward the last you might
work I'm some reference to your general re-
semblance to donkey, If you don't
mind"
"Mind9 Why, it's the very point /
want. I'll say that the only thing in
which don't resemble a donkey Is my ut
ter incapacity for any useful employment.
Suppose you attack me againg" sug
gested Rowe when the article was finished
"Thcrc should be at least two sharp lead
ers in each paper. You might mention tho
probability of my being ridden out Of town
on rail because the citizens can't stand
my continual lying any longer"
Aided by Rowc's suggestions, wrote
until had matter enough for four col
umns, two for each paper. There were a
pair of outragcously abusive leaders for
The Herald pair of outragcously abusive
leaders for The Spy besides two strings Of
rinul Ii IL.