The Press., 1896-03-19

Well, old man, you've had hard luck, they tell me" leliIarked Booled as the pair sauntered n. "Going to press .toHight?".r |. .'':@-
 ''Just goingr,t What do you mean by hard luck!'3o 's1~7.la s.1.,'*f~. -: :+
 "Whyy the form, 4 to be sure." .-
 '"Oh, yesl That's. so. I'd forgotten about that Gone to press yet:'
 '::Yes, an hour ago. Must be about off now.
 "Got a good story on the murder?"
 ''The murder What murder! Who's murdered?" gasped Booled and Slocas, in concert. as they glared at the imper- turbable Brayton.
 ''Oh, it's nothing much. Just sim pie case of robbery and murder down at East End last night. Didn' know wheth or you'd handle it or not. Here's the full particulars in The Blade Our press is just starting. Hold on minute and see how the new paper looks. "
 At this instant its editor received sev- eral through the small window from the hands of therdelighted Peeto. and The Standard s force realized their sale.
 CHAPTER II.
 As Booled and Slocas hastened back to The Standard office that hot after noon, their feelings can be better i'm agined, by newspaper man at least, than described. They had been stunned by the first shock. Now the reaction had set in, and they were nearly frantic. It had required several minutes to read vnA item they had missed. At first they had regarded it a hoax printed for. the pur pose of selling papers, but their news paper sense and perusal of the article showed the fallacy of this supposition. Every detail therein relut ed showed how we'll the professor had worked up his find and proved most conclusively that he had visited the scene of the alleged tragedy in person.
 BOOled had first rushed to the nearest telephone and asked for 307. After delay of several minutes the central girl gave him 4O7 and cut off all communi- cation with the central station while she went to &Ae store below, where they sold gum and cOnfections. This Booled ascertained as he ran by the store and saw her chatting with the clerk. "Where's the force:" shouted the per spring proprietor as he neared the head of his office stairs and saw Busby wash ing his hands at he sink
 Went out about five minutes ago to go over to The Blade office to see how they come on over there. How bad a mess is it? Pi the whole form?'' cps tho HoIyi1l No vO,1 idiot TtSc II hoax. They haven't pied any form. They went to press with the last side full 20 minutes ago and with one of the worst murders on record all in cold type. Are we all otf?''
 "YCs, sir. The last carrier went out about ten :Minntes alter ,. They re just washing up the forms now.
 ''Tell 'em to put 'em back on the bed again and to lift ads. anything, to make room for this article. Have you any mem"
 "OnIy one-old man Billings, and he's srow.''
 "Send a boy after the men, then Run, you imbecile!'
 Run yourself You can't call me no idjit and imbecile and carry on round here like this. ain t no slave! I didn t miss no murder, and you kin jest do you own runnin. ;
 "Oh, come now, Busbyl Don't be foolish. Can't you see, man, that I'm nearly crazy? I didn't mean what I said. Run for the men now. please, while l write up this thing from The Blade. Get any nybody-everybody! We must get out on the street with this It's the worst scoop ever saw" "
 Busby, who was great stickler for the dignity of his position, and who in sullen way always resented abuse, moved his huge bulk slowly down the stairs, while Booled, Blade in hand, retired to his den to write up from his competitors columns the only really good story the town had furnished in weeks. He found his desk mass of mucilage, no paper thereon being fit for use. Peeto had flooded everything an hour before, as he lay there telling yarns against time. Slocas always lock cd his desk before leaving. There was no paper ae hand, and with an oath Booled started on a run for the stock room in the basement. The pressman, who had just gone, had carefully locked that, and tearing up through the busi- ness office, where determined old lady was endeavoring to beg free adver- tisement for a church festival, Booled seized d bil1head or two and bounded up the stairs again. The old lady, who had been referred to the editor, follow ed after, but finding the door locked began pounding for admission. Be-