Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-01-23

4
| his new acquaintance, Grey drew forth
| the letters that contained his fate, sure
of choice of positions and only hop
| ing that he would have the good judg-
ment to choose the best.
| AS the letters were read one after
another, his cheek flushed, and when
the last was perused he sat down on
the bed gazing with the blankest stare
of disappointment.
The fact is, they were all worded
alike, as though one hand had written
them, and each contained the assurance
| that the members of the staff Of that
| particular journal never resigned, rare
| ly died and that there was not even the
| thinnest hope of present or future liter
airy employment. On one letter, how
ever, some good fellow had scrubbed
| a postscript in pencil:
IF you can get the humblest living in any
| honest way, young man, give up the idea Of
| journalism in Chicago. JOHN BAILEY
Thus one bubble burst and now an
| other scheme for solving the great
| problem of existence must be devised.
| Why not call upon this John Bailey?
He was evidently man with sympa.
thetic tendencies, or he would never
have troubled himself to add that
scrubbed bit of advice.
Accordingly next morning Frank
Grey tramped up the rickety stair
| case that led to the editorial rooms of
the great daily. He had no difficulty
in finding the man for whom he was
earching-evidently a person in au-
| thority-and in a few minutes found
| himself in the presence of an oldish
man, rather inclined to corpulency,
| whose well-to-do air and comforta BILE
Surroundings hardly served to point a
moral to his wall over the blighted
| prospects Of journalism. He received
| the young man, who stammered his
apologies for his importantly, with
| good-humored cordiality.
80 you are another moth futtering
| in the candle of literary hope?" he
asked, with an amused smile.
well, yes, if you put it so. 1 do
most earnestly wish to join your ranks. :"
What do you think you are fit for?"
''Oh, 1 am modest; 1 am willing to
start with pittance, nay, to work for
a time with no remuneration, if tho
chance be given me-
Exactly. But what are your quail
fcations?''
Il can write rapidly and with toll
cradle accuracy. l have already done
some magazine work. and"
BAH interrupted the eccentric ed
itor. Can you wallow in the mire of
ward politics? Are you hand-in-glove
| with the loafers who hang around
Hans Pumpernicl1le's beer saloon? Can
you forget that you are man and be-
| tray private condolences: lie about peo-
pie who have been gracious to you; put
up with insults; write against your
| most solemn convictions. and be ready
to be kicked out of your berth by your
| employer, who has found a man with a
| skin little tougher or conscience a
| little denser than your own? Can you,
/ ask?''
well, if you are the result Of this
| peculiar training, L"
Might venture too. All, young man,
we are not similarly situated-I never
had to begin at the bottom In my
| young days things were different, and
there was no mob of hungry scribblers
| hanging on to newspaper. However,
| thank your blessed stars. there is no
chance of your getting ON the daily
however suicidically you may be in
clined-"