The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1898-10-14

.,..vIIeI trrJua, wuIUu maze ms temper rise
and his feet ache. He had discarded them
early that morning and was now capering
about in red socks, trying to believe that
the W. y. b. concealed one foot, WhilC the
coal box hid the other. Each tiIno he tried
to how the coal box gave Il lurch and in
recovering his balance over went tho
basket. BY this time Dick came down
from the clouds
"If you will he kind enough to call
again this afternoon, l will have the
amount ready Tor YOU" he said.
This was bold statement, and as such
we treated it with respect.
you have Il watch, Bob" said Dick
when Miss Morris had gone But Bob re-
beIled. Not for all the walls of all the
afflicted would he part with that watch.
After much searching, however, and
sundry visits to an obliging relative we
scraped together Is.
Now the difficulty was how much to
pay her. 1t was childish to pay too much,
mean to pay too little. Mono of us had
ever written for any other paper than The
Organ, so we had nothing at all to go on.
The sketch was about 500 words, and we
decided that we'd make 1t 45, as she was
girl.
Miss Nora Morris often called up after
that, and we got quite friendly with her
and told her of all our trials and troubles
with The Organ. She seemed, however,
to like to talk about Dick more than the
afflicted, which was strange, as / always
thought women were tender hearted.
Dick seemed to have grown deal older
and graver than he had been, and some of
the fellows grulnbled because. they said
the paper was so much tanner than it used
TO be. think Dick had changed his opin-
ion about what the public wanted.
He said that at present they (the public}
were not educated up to so much original
ity, and that it was better to train them
by degrees. The compositor had been dis
charged long ago, and Dick made other
arrangements. learned after that he had
sold out the small sum his mother had left
him invested in cOnsols and paid the print
ing and paper bills in full. He wanted to
give Bob back the ESQ., but Bob wouldn't
touch farthing.
The Organ had always meant u lot more
to Dick than the rest of us, and now no
threw himself heart and soul into tho
work, writing most of the articles and
mastering all the business details in the
most wonderful manner.
But, in spite of all his efforts, the re-
old Organ walled only Very internationally.
One afternoon, when, as usual, We turned
up to see the paper 90 to press, we found
Dick, stern and despairing, all alone.
Its all over, you follows" he said.
1.-The Organs dead. I've no money, and
it's no use trying for tick. You'd better
go, all of you" he added, with catch in
his voice. There's nothing to wait for, "
and it was that very afternoon, of all
others. that Nora Morris chose to call.
10 tell the truth, we were miscrably
poor Bob had given up his watch weeks
BEFORE md don't believe Dick had had
a proper dinner for days Miss Nora tun
blcd to the state of the case III moment
and announced that she'd had stroke of
luck Tn, Warrior had taken IA serial Of
hers at last and would we all please to
come to tea with her i'll honor OF the oCca-
sion? She got awfully cross when, awk-
wardly enough. we stammercd an excuse.
LAS if I didn't know" she said, chow
UNANIMOUSLY you overpaid me for that
wretched tale of mine, and WAS so terri
bly, poor | had to take it, and now, just
because I've got "a little luck, you're hate
full and won't let me do the same for you.
Dick" she said, dick, l won't keep the
horrd money, and l hate you," and with
burst of tears she threw her purse at the
head of the editor of The Organ.
After that we fled, leaving Dick to stem
the torrent. But when, after waiting some
minutes our editor had not appeared, we
felt conscience stricken and sent Rags up
to see what was going OH. He came down
grinning in u foolish way.
Il don't think there is much the mat
ter" he said, chuckling.
4 rtnr tlnt pf course yp all went I'm
There, seated on pile of dusty Organs,
"a Smudge all across her pretty face, was
Nora Morris, her arms clasped around
Taylor neck and her head on his Shout
der, while Dick, looking idiotically happy,
was kissing her hair.
We'll, I'm dashed!" said Bob What
an ending to The Organr'
But that was where he was mistaken.
Somehow or other Dick and his clever lit
tie sweetheart got the poor old paper on
its legs again. 1t didn't pay so much at
tentiun 20 the afflicted, and though it de-
clined in originality of style and fearless
ness of attitude it was more of "a success
financially.
Dick and Nora were married only last
year, and they own very popular weekly.
1t is not called The Organ now, and some
how lately I've decided that until the pub
lie is better able to appreciate originality
I'd better drop journalism and return to
business.