The herald., 1897-08-17
THE PURSUING PAPERS
Concerning the Expense of Inter
viewing Los Angeles Editors

The California spring months were
idealic. I determined, after spending
six weeks in the state, to order my goods
and chattels from a colder CLINE and
make Los Angeles my dwelling place
But tearing up ones home root and
branch and transplanting it 80 great a
distance is not exactly an easy matter
and with me it not only meant the trans
fer of baggage and expenses of freight
but also the giving up ofsundry columns
in certain newspapers and thus reduc-
ing my yearly income to a lower ebh
than was in accordance with my ideas OF
living. A bright thought popped into my
head, at least 1 thought at the time of
its brilliancy, though-but it's not about
the thought I'm going to tell you; rather
of it's unexpected results.
+ =
I determined to visit the newspaper
editors here, and, with that intention
and armed with letters of introduction
1 sailed forth one fine morning. By one
and all 1 was received most cordially
but when I broached the subject of my
bright thought-nameqy, the wish to
handle a column in a city paper-there
was not the interest taken in my propo-
sal that I longed to see; in fact, my care
fully worded suggestion to submit some
thing for publication fell, in every in
stance, as fiat as a pancake and when
l left each office 1 bore nothing with me
but a copy of some special paper that
had been gotten up for Christmas, the
Fiesta or some such holiday. Now, did
not want those papers in the least; more
over, as was going out of town few
miles before returning home and had
shopping to do for country relatives,
found them a burden and determined In
some way to rid myself of them. had
rolled the smaller ones into the greater
and had paid 10 cents for paper pad at
a news stand for no other reason than
that 1 might ask the boy-in-waiting to
tie a string around my bundle so that
1 might handle it more easily.
Now, I'll drop it somewhere, I thought,
and walking into store began my pur-
chases. 1 was so busy getting what
wanted that I forgot all about the bun
die of papers until the clerk handed me
my change, and then I noticed it lying
conspicuously upon the counter. I must
have stared at it, for upon looking up
saw the clerk looking at me in a ques-
tioning way and, feeling rather guilty
though I could not understand why-I
said:
"Oh, I forgot; would you mind getting
me couple of yards of that embroidery
1 first looked at?''
Knowing that to get the box down he
would have to turn his back, I deter
mined to seize the moment and slide my
paper bundle on to the floor close to the
counter, where it would never be no.
ticed I got it down all right, paid my
money for the trimming l did not want
and turned to go.
"You must have dropped your papers"
and at the clerks words turned.
'Did you not have bundle of pa
pers?"
"Why, yes I had; thank you; they
must have slipped down." And picking g
up the wretched thing bowed as po-
litely as 1 could and went sailing forth
on to Spring street. "The wretch" l
mentally growled, "why couldn't he at
tend to his own affairs-I never knew a
clerk to be SO observant before"
+ +
The library was the next place Wis
tied. Not that l wanted to see what
papers were there, but rather to add
my own to the collection. There were only
three people in the room-two ladies and
a small girl-and placing my bundle
carelessly on the table, I hurriedly
a1 ha of a 60 lit io,,,
nal-looked at plate in manner that
could only mean that had seen it before
and wanted to impress some detail upon
my mind before hastened to the dress
maker-and as though entirely uncon-
scious of the fact, left my papers under
a couple of journals and quickly walked
to the elevator The door was just clos
ing when a child's voice called out:
Wait" and running up to the elevator
the little reading room girl exclaimed;
You left your papers, ma'am."
"Oh, thank you"-but did not near
it; in fact thought the child forward
and presuming.
+ = =
"I'll leave it at a stationery store
thought l, and going in to the first one
came across, I asked for sonnet ethine
light to read on the train. The funny
book cost 20 cents, and grabbing it with.
out waiting for wrapper, 1 made my
escape, minus the holiday numbers
Vain thought--they followed me like
lightning on the legs of small boy ant
were breathlessly thrown at me as
was boarding a car. The conductor
handed them to me most politely, ant
again 1 was compelled to smile and Civ,
thanks for the obnoxious things.
+ = 4
My arms were filled with parcels ant