Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-01-30
CHAPTER yu.-CoNr1EuEp.

"What cnance, sir. do you think
| would have with the weeklies?''
''Their name is legion, but with the
exception of three or four you would
be either requested to write for starva.
ton wages or be engaged at high sal.
airy and never paid. You might, if you
were lucky, get nine dollars a week,
and a bricklayer's wages are four dol.
lars day"
1.-THE picture you draw is not encour.
aging"
Nor do I mean it to be- Fly from
this over-populated city, to which every
young adventurous breadwinner from
every country on the earth makes his
way, till the streets are teeming with
the unemployed-but, say, have you an
imagination? Can you paint word
pictures? The story papers do pay well,
but you must have served your appren-
ticeship before you will be admitted
into their columns. So that chance is
barred
And you know of nothing?"
''Why, yes. said Mr.. Bailey, reflective
IL, there's an old friend of mine. who
used to be q colleague in this office, who
told me the other day that he wanted
help. He's been badly bitten by social
ism, and he runs a sheet which he
seriously thinks is to redeem the world,
though 1 never saw it, nor do 1 know
anything about his pecuniary RESPONSE
bility. Men with whims rarely amount
to much, and 1 guess he's sunk all he
had accumulated in this venture
Would you mind giving me his adj
dress?'
with pleasure. Here, let me write
you n line of introduction. 1t is a pity
you cannot make up your mind to fol-
low a respectable line of occupation,
but if you are determined to go wrong,
you may as well meet your fate ut once. -
Bidding adicu to his new friend, who
he afterwards learned was fastidiously
touchy on anyone else presuming to
slight the profession OF journalism.
Grey hurried to the address he had re-
ceived.
The building which housed. with
twenty other crafts. the Labor Times,
was not prepossessing in its exterior.
However, after mounting three flights
of stairs-for then there was not as
now an elevator in every Office building
liG1tIy Illuminated with colored pla-
cards. There was q grand pictorial
represented ion of Labor as knight in
arTno-, mounted on 4 superb charger,
pinning to the earth with 4 huge spear
the fisry dragon of Capital. and half 4
dozen other lorid denunciations OF
equal Significance.
Grey modcstly tapped at the door,
then entered.
The walls of the Office were pro-
fuscly adorned with faring posters,
vile its furniture consisted of three
common windsor chairs and large pine
table abCndartly Uttered with papers,
behind which sat tall, gaunt old
man with gray hair falling over his
shoulders.
Col. Gilchr;st, presumed" Grey in
quircd.
AT your SERVICE" the gentleman
bowed with old-time politeness.
Il bear you this letter of introduce
ton"
Wen. young nan, what can l do for
yoa?' This with new air of patron
age in his tones.
Il an seeking literary work. Your
Journal is likely to enlist my syInpa-
thicG. and E2vc called to see if there
Is, as NJ. BAILEY suggested, vacancy
Oh or ssa:f.'
"You have mcans?"
well, yes enough to keep me for a
month Or two"
THAT i :7ood-no experience, eh?'
''E-,cc city"
We'll, as it happens, do need help.
o. course you arc aware that the privi-
icge o. working upon { journal Of such