Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-05-13
HE HAD AN EASY TIME
AT LEAST HE MADE THE WASHING
TON GIRL THINK so.

The Reporters Daily Duties as Outlined
For Her Benefit With All the Power Of
Glowing Imagination-Does as He Likes,
Writes as He Pleases.
Newspaper men always seem to me to
be such entrancingly mysterious things,
you KNOW said the beautiful Washing
ton maiden to one of 'em. Il never get
through wondering just how they do
how they find out these queer things that
we read in the papers, you know. Now, I
suppose you just walk around, and when
you see anything or hear something you
just write it down and have it printed in
your paper. Isn't that the way it's doneP''
Precisely. None of us has any boss,
top man, head knooker or anything like
that of course Do just as we please, all
of us. Never get any instructions from
anybody. When we want to write, we
just write, and what we write goes. We
don't pay any attention at all, you know,
to the editor, the managing editor, the
city editor and all the rest of that crew.
Just do anything we like, write anything
we like, roast anybody we like Tor don't
like, rather) and have a good time all
around. Now, I'm a reporter, you see.
Well, here's about an average day for me:
II get up about II o'clock in the fore
noon, after having taken chocolate and q
roll In bed, and put myself in the hands of
me man. Me nal finishes shaving me
and fixing me up within an hour, and by
noon, after critically surveying me all
over, he turns me loose the thing of beauty
that you see before you. On my way down
town. always walk for the sake of the
exercise-I am usually detained a bit by
sumptuously attired ladies who can't re-
sist the temptation to stop their carriages
when they see me in order to find out
what's really taking place In the upper
strata. Before going on down to the office
I usually drop in for a minute or so upon
Mr.. Mckinley, who generously refrains
from embarrassing me by commenting at
too great length upon how much he liked
my stuff in yesterdays paper.
IT nod haughtily to the managing edi-
tor as l pass into my suit of orientally fur
nished offices and spend ten minutes or SO
in sorting over the pile of scented, violet
hued notes that always await my atten-
ton. BY this time there's usually word
in the office that an atrooious murder has
been committed somewhere over in the
Umptheast. / stroll over to the scene of
the crime, stopping at my florists for a
fresh boutonniere on the way, and get the
facts. Then ! return to the office in a
brougham, sent after me by the managing
editor, and dictate what I've ascertained
about the murder to a 300 word a minute
shorthand man. If the murder hasn't
been quite bad enough to suit my sangui-
nary tastes, I touch it up a whole lot and
make it look pretty bad for all hands
mixed up in 1t. Then / smoke a couple Of
Persian cigarettes in the seclusion Of my
olive and gold office, tossing off a leading
editorial or SO upon the Cuban question or
Hawaiian annexation as | smoke just to
keep from being bored.
"My trap is at the door of the office by
this time, and / step into it and permit
myself to be whirled up to the capitol. l
move around among the Legislators for an
hour or so, warding off their eager in
quiries as to what's going OIL at the execu-
tive mansion as best l can. l treat them
all impartially, SO as not to excite jealousy
among them. After a half hour siesta,
during which I recline on a morocco leath-
er couch in one of the senate's committee
rooms, I am fooled back to tho office,
where find the managing editor some
what wrought up because all of the re-
porters have declined to 60 to a big fire a
few blocks away because it's raining.
"To save the managing editor and the
city editor both from losing their jobs, I
volunteer to go and cover the fire, and
they overwhelm me with their grateful
thanks. Then I rest my mind by writing
a few brilliant short editorial paragraphs.
If there's a big criminal trial in progress, |
I take a run over to the courthouse to see
that the judge is conducting the case SO
that the man the paper wants convicted
shall be convicted. On leaving the court
house, feeling the need of a bit Of reorea-
ton, / usually hail a cab and attend one
or two burnt orange or cerise teas given
by legation ladies or cabinet ministers
daughters.
81 have to be on my mettle on these &C.
oasions, for all of the ladies depend upon
me for the latest e~soteric information on
literature, art and good form. BY this
time l am somewhat wearied, so l gener-
ally telephone to the editor that III not
return to the office and instruct him to let
know by special mounted messenger if
anything big happens, addressing me, Of
course, ut the Elite club, where l have my
chambers.
"Then / come down here and make my
devoirs to you"
"Why, how perfectly, ~sultanically heav-
enly!n exclaimed the beautiful maiden.
"And how deep you must have to bel'-
washington Star.