Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-02-24
a. THE :=:PLOTTER. =:
A NEWSPAPER MANS sToR'

fell over Il chair or two, sat him
self down upon the edge of my table,
and announced, with drunken gravity,
that he was the best blank dashed job
printer that hit the pike
"YesT | said, briefly, glancing up
from one of the pungent paragraphs
that used 10 cause me so much amuse-
ment, yet were not appreciated by the
exchange editors of the metropolitan
papers.
Didn't | say so, young feller?' he
asked, in an aggrieyed tone. as he
reached for my box of smoking tobac-
co and slowed away a handful of it be
hind his wealth of bristling mustache
and whiskers. Gimme a job?' he
added, closing one eye and viewing me
critically with the other, the while he
masticated the tobacco.
We needed man, so | called the
foreman.
Give this man that bill-head job of
Dudley's, Ed, and see what he can
do" | said.
"I'll dern soon show ye what o Bill
en- do, young feller," grumbled Mr.,
ljams, as he rolled off the table and
followed Ed. "Or Bill en- turn out
artistic work firm a blacksmith shop
such s take this t be, sonny" with
a contemptuous glance at the interior
of the press and composing room. Then
he hung up his coat, filled his old cob
pipe-with my tobacco-grabbed a
stick" and went TO work
The proof of that one-horse bill-head
Job, when ii was handed me, about
three-quarters of an hour later, filled
me with joy. 1t was thing of beauty
"a masterpiece.
DO you want to stay here awhile"
l asked, having in mental view nu-
strength of Mr.. Ijam's unquestionable
ability in that line. Bill was standing
with folded arms. 1eering at me with
that one-eyed squint of his.
"'Course-ef We en- stand my price"
"What is it?"
He named figure about seven dol
lars week higher than l felt we
could afford; but as pondered over It,,
he added, But | en- do more work
thin two ordinary men-ef | git it t
do"
"All right" l said, finally, well try
It week." and | turned again to my
work.
Hold on" he said, Il want t make
n agreement with ye. Don't let me
have any money. | can't stand pros
perity, ye see. So, ef ye'd jest's soon
stake me out at some boardin'-house,
an git me a little eatin' and burnin' t.
bacca, I'll be fixed
This was agreed to, as was also the
request that stake" him for another
drink, to STEADY his nerves" Then
Bill settled down to work-and II ever
there was star of the first magnitude
in the job-printlng line, he was that
same. took samples of the first two
these | sailed forth and booked more
orders than we had received In mouths
past: but old Bill, slow in his move
ments as he was, proved equal to the
rush, and everything was done on
time, as promised Not only was he
valuable in his working capacity, but
he kept us all amused with constant
flow of anecdotes. related In his dry
way in drawing voice, rendered hus-
ky by years of dalllance with John
Barleycorn and tobacco.
He claimed to be. and probably was,
over 60 years of age, and was walk
ing encyclopedia of geographical infor-
nation, having walked, he said, in ev-
cry country on the face of the earth
where the English language is printed.
or course he had worked on the New
York Tribune in Greeley's time, and
was one of the several thousand ''only
men" who could readily decipher "old
Horace's" copy. Cairo, Egypt, was one
of the out-of-the-way places he had
"held cases" in, and accordingly the
boys dubbed him Africa" which So
brluuet he did not resent In the least.
He had been with us about a week,
when. one morning, he slouched into
the office and dropped into chair near
me. For some time he puffed away
Mt his vile old pipe without speaking,
but finally remarked, apropos of moth
ing:
Tell me ye write some FIR maga-
zines, an so on
admitted that l possessed literary
aspirations. :.
"'F We want SIM rattlin' good plots
said Bill, with some diffidence, Il en-
fill We full Of 'em. Make 'em up when
I'm drunk r on tn road. Good ones
too"
"Yes?" | said, wearily-for | had
spent many dull hour with that va
riety of bore with IA rafting good
plot" to tell about why don't you
write em yourself?'
Cant: amt sober long enough,