The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-11
SKETCHES ABOUT TOWN.

~
itor's desk in one capacity or another, as
exchange editor, as telegraph editor. as
city editor and as managing editor.
He had the habit bad
It was not exactly his first vacation in
all that time, perhaps, but it was to be
his longest one.
He was going to the seaboard on
pleasure trip. For one entire month he
| was going to give himself up to enjoy
ment and bliss and peace of mind. For
ono entire month he was going to dodge
the steady strain On his nerves he had
grown SO accustomed to for twelve
! hours d day. He was just goiug to for
get there was ever such a thing az being
an editor with pencil and mucilage and
shears.
He got on the train that was to take
him away and settled himself for quiet
hour.
In less than three minutes he had
bought newspaper and was trying to
read it In less than minute more he
| was making black lines across the
corners of articles and paragraphs that
he wanted and reaching every few
seconds for his scissors. Of course they
were not there.
It took him less than five minutes to
know everything that was in that paper,
He had "read" it in true editorial style
and found himself handing it to = man
in the seat across the aisle to cut ~.
He bought another newspaper and
threw it down in disgust in less than
two minutes.
The man behind him remarked to
friend he had found that Tom Jones' was
going to run for sheriff in Sagwa
county and the editor. who was away on
a vacation. wrote the information down
on the back of an old envelope, though
he Gid not know who on earth Tom
Jones was nor where Sagwa county was
located.
Then he threw away the envelope and
turned to the window.
AS he flew past fields he saw quanti-
ties of farm machinery standing IN
covered in the weather, and he found
himself framing an article on the waste
fulness of the farmer
He SKILLED" it in the middle of para
graph.
Forward in the car baby began to
cry. The mother was unable to give it
the proper attention because she had half
a doZon other small children clinging to
her lap. She was a poor woman and in
his caustic mood the editor who was
away on a vacation decided that when he
had time he would write scathing criti-
cism on foolish poor people who marry
and have large families and he took some
notes on the subject.
AT the first big town the train stopped
at Congressman Milt Morgan, who was q
gubernatorial possibility, got on the train
and f1endish fate led him to share the
seat of the editor who was away on a va
cation.
After the greetings were over Morgan
began to talk about politics.
1t was no use and after a brief strug-
gle the ruling passion, strong in vaca-
ton, even. won the victory. The editor
began TO "take notes."
When he threw away the envelope a
few minutes before, he had parted with
his last bit of blank paper SO he wrote
the back of his ticket full and started on
the outside of his left cuff. Then he
turned the cuff inside out and filed the
inside before he started on the other cuff.
In short time he was compelled to take
off his collar.
Soon he had covered every available
space on his linen even to both sides of
the vermiform appendix of his shirt
bosom and was just starting on Morgan's
shirt front when the train stopped at a
station and Morgan got off taking with
him part of the editors notes.
The editor who was resting sup
pressed desire to run after him and de-
mand the shirt and settled back to sleep.
He could only get his eyes half closed,
however, and he began to see shapes in
the smoke from the cigars OF two men
that sat in front of him.
First the two smokes went straight up
and the editor, who was away on vaca-
ton, knew they were representing lead
pencils. One column waS.largsr than
the other and he knew it was the blue
pencil.
Then the two smokes crossed and he
knew that meant scissors.
Then the smoke settled over the heads
of the two men in compact mass, with
a thin stream arising from the center
and ne recognized the general shape of
his mucilage bottle.
He was getting restless now but the
pantomime was not yet finished.
The smoke assumed the shape of
horrible goblin. Its body was a waste
basket, its head was a paste can. it's hat
was paper weight, its fingers were lead
pencils, its tusks were shears 1t laugh
ed mockingly at him, and the editor
knew that. like his paper, it had come to
stay. He felt that he could never escape
it, and with wall as of lost soul he
tainted.
r. x o.
Two days later, when the dramatic
critic of the Billville Evening Clarion |
walked into the managing editors room
he stopped at the door in surprise.
"Why, hello, Johnson" he said; "I
thought you were away for a months |
rest"
And Johnson stabbed him to the heart
with blue pencil.
The old gentleman approached the |
door at the big convention hall with a
confident air.
He intended to go in.
He had all his credentials with him |
He was dressed in a jeans suit with new |
over alls stuck in his boot tops, he had on |
his black SLOUGH hat and his brown over |
coat, and carried his whip in his hand |
He tried the door. tt was locked. He |