The record-union., 1898-12-18
conductor of the cable car, who knew

NAAS
office, glad that the day dream had aot
belated me; for the pompous and tyran-
nical Signett was impatient of tardi-
ness, and a delinquent reporter would
throw him into fit of temper, as f=ro-
cious as the outbursts of old School
master Creakle, in David Copperfield.
1 entered the reporters room on time,
where 1 was pleasantly greeted by my
coworkers, who sat around reading the
morning papers. Going to my desk,
full of vim and ambition, 1 found
plain envelope, addressed to me, marked
"Personal.' II ran tersely, cruelty, as
follows:
Dear Sir: 1 am sorry to inform you
that the 'Bugle' cannot longer avail
itself of your services. Respectfully,
"SIGNETT, City Editor
If he had dealt me blow with ms
naked fist, the result would not have
been more startling. My heart thump-
ed so that l could hear it, and the blood
deserted my face. I tried to see Sig
nett, for 1 wanted some explanation
but he had gone. 1 found him in the
evening. but he was brutally blunt and
heartless. 1t was evident that he dis
liked me, and the brute STOOD glarln3
with the responsiveness of hend that
enjoys the torture of his fellows.
1 went from the office with the keen
suffering of one who sees his fairest
idols shattered. In my desolatlon 1
met Harry Whiting, a fellow reporter.
With a heavy heart and an intense
longing for human sympathy, L told
him of my misfortunes, as we grew con-
fidential over q confess it with shame)
too many whisky punches.
When he had heard me through he
! said '"ViZeen, you've been too gentle
manly and obliging with Signett He
| built on the lines of bull dog, and Il
takes an iron man to handle him.
I told him that I had never before
| found good manners a detrlment,
whereupon he said: ''Signett's cow
ard at heart, and such men are brutal
with gentlemen If you'd had deep
rough voice and a gruff manner you'd
have cowed him or commanded his re-
| spect."
This was the substance of our talk,
though Whiting urged his point in va
rious lights, arguing with greater vehe-
mence after each drink. When he mad
gone, l reflected that there was con-
siderable wisdom in his view of the
case-but there was no remedy in sight;
| and 1 went to bed that night with a
heavy heart.
| The foregoing is the beginning and
the end of Mr.. Vizeen's narrative. II
is evident that he meant to tell the en-
tire story, but a thorough search among
his effects has failed to bring forth the
rest Of the manuscript, and it is believed
that he never finished the narrative.
! But as / knew VZeen better than any
| body else, it is deemed proper that
should tell all that l know about the
mystery of his life. You should know
! that I worked with him for years, sat
at a neighboring desk, and took a deep
| interest in the poor fellows misfor-
| tunes.
Within a week after his summary
dismissal Vizeen came to my room late
one night, and bade me a trembling
good-by
I'm going to New York" he said,
''where | hope to. succeed as a chemist,
in which science 4 am considered an
expert I think I shall send for my
family in month or two, old fellow,
| and if you will help Mrs. Vizeen and
the little ones across the ferry, I'll deem
it a great favor
Tears filled his manly blue eyes when
I grasped his hand and said that it
| would be a pleasure to serve him in
any way he might command.
l heard from him several times while
he was in New York, and his last let
ter was hopeful. 1t told of his good
prospects with an old friend by d
happy chance" his letter ran, 'I have
found employment in an old school
mates laboratory You will doubtless
be surprised to know that I refer to
the illustrious Dr. Clare B. Hamilton,
whose original Investigations in biol
ogy, and whose startling discoveries in
the domain of anatomical and physical
science, have already given him an in
ternational reputation"
I was greatly puzzled at the end Of
two months by Vizeen's failure to reply
to any of my letters; so I called upon
his wife to ask whether anything mad
befallen my friend. She said he was
we'll and prosperous. Her own mood
and the appearance of things at the lit
tie cottage showed that the family did
not want for the comforts of life. She
was strangely reticent as to the affairs
of her husband, and as he paid no at
tention to my friendly letters, l con-
cluded to worry no longer over the
troubles of the ungrateful-and I dis
missed the Vizeens from my mind.
Not long after these reflections there
came a new reporter to the "Bugle' cf-
flee, a determined, gruff- fell
low with a pair Of villainous black eyes
and a sonorous bass voice. 1t soon
became known to few of us that lie
was Mrs. Vizeen's brother, and it soon
tice had chosen him to avenge the
wrongs that the city editor had heaped
on Jim Vizeen. Signett assigned nim
Drank Wilson was his name) the desk
| next to mine, where poor Jim had so
often sat chatting with me and telling
me of his troubles. I can hear his sill
very laugh yet, and see him trembling
under Signett's harsh reprimands.
How different the bearing of Wilson!
His commanding voice, bulldog glance,
and terrifying black eyes, were the
completest possible antithesis Of Vizeen.
I think that Signett feared Wilson
from the outset, for the new reporter
bluntly demanded extra pay for doing
the dog watch at the police station,
the first week of his engagement-and
got it. This was unprecedented The
second week he fatty refused to do the
| id night owl job at any price, and
| demanded to know whether Signett
| meant to Insult him by assigning him
| to such apprentice work. Wilson was