Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-02-29

were two nights when she felt that
someone was following her. Terror lent
wings 10 her feet The neXt night a
backward glance showed her a figure
following her again. shrinking alonS IN
the shadow OF the trees. i showed her,
100. a familiar something in the ngure'5
walk. she stopped abruptly
"NTontgomery. she called, come on,
from behind that tree
For moment there was no response.
Then Montgomery sloucned into slSaI'
and came shamefacedly 20 Rer.
You see. he said, its awful for
lady TO be out alone. an l thought
thought
Then a remarkable thing happened.
The newspaper woman stopped, gave
him tremendous mug, and kissed him
s1uara on his frecEled cheek. 1t made
hin, feel uncomfortable but somehow
ne was eIaa afterwaTd TO remember II.
II was q busy winter socially and po-
n f,allv There was news, and impOr-
t9nt news TOO. on foot The very air
hr.a+rad IT, but the usual channels OF
i-fornarion were blocked. Officials
were n0n-commital. unuerlnss AFRAID
~ sneak There were rumorS or an
insuif TO the flag in foreisn waters,
-ioraa no one could say the thing had
,..srlv bornened. nor what would Be the
outcome Of it.
n was late i'm the evening of q day
chat had been exasperatingly barren OF
5eva1ormeuts. Montgomery was on
his way home. As he passed the Whl'e
House something lying Just inside the
fence where the ligh- Of tie gate lamp
lit 81 ND aUuringly -a)-ht his eye. IL
--9s an illustrated weekly, with start
ling Dictures on a pink ground, ana
some careless hand had thrust II
tbrouor the bars. Montgomery hung
binsalf down and reached for it. HIS
ann was still outsTetched when TWO
mon came out OF the gate Their coats
almost brushed the boy, but they ana
NOT see MIN. They stopped while the
elder iehted his cigar. Montgomery
heard the words:
THE resident approves your course
then?' WI
ultimately. / think he viii. We de-
mand an absolute apology, Orwell
Wen force one.
And if NE does not approve IT, "haV
them"
The men had moved on. but Mont
gomerv caught the word resign.
i'm q fash the illustrated weekly was
forgotten. lie rose to his feet and re-
peated the words softly to himself:
Absolute apology force one-re-
sign"
lie recognized the speaker dimly.
Where had he seen him before? It
flashed upon MIN in moment. 1t was
the Secretary OF State!
1t was nearly midnight. He must
get TO the newspaper woman before
She went home. lie bent his head and
dashed down the street 1t was
'beat." the biggest one of the sea on,
and she should have it. He flashed past
corners blindiy. Far down the street
he could see the Office lights. He must
get there before she went home. Two
blocks away-a block aWay-haf
block away. II was crossing the last
street. Somebody yelled at him. He
could not spare the time to pause. There
was a ring OF hoofs, shout from
somebody. a whirl of lights and Mont
gomerv was thrown to the pavement,
dazed and bleeding Somebody ran TO
helr him. but he was on his feet again.
Don't stop me; don't stop me, he
said. dizzily; femme go, for Gods
sake"
Somebody tried to stop him, but he
stumbled on. The Office lights were
shining i'm mis- ewes and ne knew he had
beaten the town.
And that is how it happened, q few
hours later. when the last line of copy
was ia and the news that should make
to-mOrroW's paper the sensation of the
world had already had its startling
headlines scanned by the proof reader.
but a small boy with a pale face and
a baudage about his head sat at "A. u
uuet finer than he had ever dream OF.
II was laid i'm the city EDITORS room,
and the managing editor himself was
present. He shook the boys hand and
thanked him and the city editor slap
ped him on Che back.
Bur the very prCldest moment Of all
was when the newspaper woman lean
ed over him and said:
Montgomery, you're a credit to the
profession
He was afraid she was going to kiss
him again but she didu't-Mrs. =. T.
FOote in the Washington Post.