The Flagstaff sun-democrat., 1897-04-01
IN AN EVIL MOMENT.
nY EMMA c. HEWITT.


 heavy frown upon his brow, his blue
 pencil in hand, rapidly scoring here and there with a muttered curse, first
 for the stupidity of typos, anon for the stuff sent in by would-be contributors,
 whose position and influence made con- ciiiation necessary. His annoyance was increased by the irritating conscious ness that messenger boy was waiting
 at his elbow. and had been so waiting in stolid silence for some time. Three short, sharp whistles at the tube di- rectly behind him!
 ''See what's wanted!" commanded the magnate, never lifting his eyes and giving specially heavy blue line to ar obnoxious word. But the command met with no response. The silent fig ure at his side never moved. 'Why don't you answer the tube, you idiot?" he exclaimed, furiously, as the three whistles came again, short, sharp, im- patient. Then his pencil dropped from his fingers and rolled unheedej to the floor. Beside him, mute and notion less, stood one of Raphael's cherubs! No wings had he, to be sure, and more clothes, hut one of Raphaers cherubs all the same. The same cherub's face-the same golden aureoie! The baby-blue eyes looked into his with a mixture of sadness and pleading which moved the stern heart strangely.
 Again the whistle sounded. Without a word he answered it himself, creating wonderment below, not to say conster- nation, by the announcement that he was busy. adding with vigor of lan- grage we'll known in those realms, that anyone who disturbed him within the next IS minutes might draw his salary to date and get out! Winston "busy" and the presses waiting for him! Eff teen minutes valuable time lost! The foreman passed the word along with shrug--the typos swore, but it made | not whit of difference. The autocrat had sent forth his fiat, and if fire had | been discovered issuing from the sanc- tum, it is to be doubted that anyone | would have had the temerity to knock on the door before the allotted time had | expired.
 "Now, how did you get up here, and what do you want?" he demanded more gently of the little creature beside him. Don't you know that editors are very busy men, and not to be disturbed in this way?"
 In accounting to himself afterwards for his extraordinary attitude upon this occasion. his only excuse for not pilch- ing the child out su,nmarily was the of tiny grave upon a New England hillside where slept lit- tie brother of 90 years before.
 T came up myself. Nobody saw me-" answered the child. in plaintive voice that had something unchildlike in its ring. Please, do you buy poetry?" and he brought from behind him a baby- like hand in which was closely clasped Q sheet of note paper.
 If he had announced himself as a dealer in diamonds, Winston could not have been more taken aback.
 "Why? Are you poet?" he asked, Q mixture of astonishment and amuse- ment on his countenance.
 No. but Sister Marie writes poetry, md she's sick, and there's only two of us. and she's sick, you know-I told you that-and l thought maybe-may- bel could get some money"
 "Let me see what you have there," replied Winston, abruptly.
 The idea of the sick girl lying at home there, and this scrap of child out trying to sell her poetry seemed to him 3 monstrous thing. No doubt it was the worst kind of rubbish! It was folly to even look at 1t. But the whole strange uess of the situation had sort of fas-