The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-12-08
RUNNING DOWN AN ITEM.

with papers, Charles Norway sat be
fore an open desk looking over a vol
luminous heap Of proofs He was 8
gOodIookl0g young man of the blonde
type. having cOnntenance full OF
blended keenness and good nature.
while his smoothly shaven face and
premature badness gave him a certain
distinguished air which was at times
Of practical benefit to him. Norway
had been IN the newspaper business
ever since he could remember. As
long ago as when he had worn curl-
and knee pants, lie had been office
boy in the employ of Horace Greeley
/ and once when An irate assistant on
+ the paper II moment of wrath at
/ some misdemeanOr. rubbed a bottle of
! blue ink into the sunny brown of Nor
ways curls, Mr. Greeley had shown
his dIsapproval by a sharp rebuke to
! the perpetrator of the rash act. and.
/ taking the boy by the hand. himself
| conducted him to barber and SUP
! erlntended the removal of the ink
Later III life, Norway grew, by the
( process of assimilation, into a frlI-
| tiedged reporter.
lie had a way of persuasion which
wormed secrets out of people before
/ they knew IL and he also had nice
discrimination enabling him to make
! good any Deficiencies even better than
the narrator Of the facts himself could
have done it. When be was, in the
regular profession, elected from a
! place. he had way of reappearing.
! quietly, mudestly, and with a sort of
1 sweet, lnotfenslve dignity, not once
/ only, but with CONSTANT regularity.
until the StOutest heart quaiIed under
! the perslstant visitatiOns. and he gain
ed his desired pOint. These qualities
combined made him asuccpssfuI news
gatherer; and as he also possessed
some literary ability, ne gradually
rose IN his profession A few months
before the opening Of our story. he
had accepted position as night edi-
! tor OF the Pro and Con, an enterpris-
ing Chicago daily.
Norway had come to Chicago b..
fore the fire, just in time, in fact. to
lie caught IN an adventure IN the great
cOutlagration. 1t was not much of an
| adventure after all: and only that it
concerned remarkably pretty girl.
Norway would probably have remem
| nared 1t, If at all, as a mere incident
In the confusion Of escape from \
burning building, the young LADY.
who was a mere school girl Of about
fifteen years of age, had become Sc
parated from her friends, and he.
finding her alone and terrified. he
did just what he would have done had
she been a beggar on the streets
helped her to place of safety as
soon as be could. The young lady
was only half dressed, and her thick,
silky black hair hung below her waist
IN one wind blown, tangled braid,
while her small bare feet were hastily
thrust into slippers. She had thrown
dark mantle over herself. and this.
being without sleeves, compelled her
TO put forth a bare white arm. as she
chung to her protector in the wild
confusion of that terrible night. At
one time when they came to form
idable pile of scOrchiug bricks direct
ly in their path, he had taken her in
his arms as though she were child
and carried her across, while she.
frightened at the falling walls which
seemed ready to crush them as they
fled, iustinctively clasped her soft bare
arms around his neck. Norway. from
his earliest years, had been alone in
the word, without the eudealing in
fuences of mother or sister: and the
child like trust and confidence of the
young stranger; aroused new and
strarga feeling within him. Though =
tavorIte. in a general way. with all
women, he bad Gever been in love:
but be lost his heart, somehow, TO the
beautiful young girl that eventful
night. which. as he looked back upon
1t, seemed like a happy episode Of
another world. Ia after years when
ever Norway heard any one dpscant
on the horrors of the Chicago fire, he
always said be rather enjoyed confla
gratons of that kind, and wonlIn't
mind going through with another.
No; nor would he have objected to
living IN continual alarms, anywhere.
if he could but see again the face that
had SO per-isteutly haunted his ina
gination ever slnce. For, Norway.
with all his jolly, happy go lncky dis
position, had one Of those very rare
natures, upon which a strong impres
sion is indeIible for all time.
SO Norway, at twenty pine, was
bachelor, and likely to remain So.
He never knew who his companion
was. for, Just as he reached a place of
safety on the border of the lake.
chance lei them right to some of her
missing relatives, who were wildly Ia
meuting her loss, while her father was
yet searching for her. Norway did
not wait TO be thanked; aud be had
never seen the young lady again.
As he sat that afternoon engrossed
with the proofs, boy entered.
Chief wants to see you, Mr. Nor
wag," he said.
Norway sa d very well, and present
ly betook himself to where the editor
in chief, Mr.. Thorue, sat in a large
leather chair, smoking. and absent
ly folding up sheets of paper. which.
ever and anon, he tore into intin-
lteslmal bits, scattering them over
the floor at his feet This was a con.
tirmed habit of Mr.. Thorne's when
meditating; il assisted his thoughts to
dow easily, and also impaired dis
tiuct individuality to the room. 1t
WAS conceded by every one who had
ever been in it, that this apartment
exceeded in wild and hideous disor
der any other given numbs of square
feet ever iLc.osed within four walls
As Norway approached, Nh Ih3rue
looked calmly at him over a vast ac,
emulation of unanswered letters and
spoke:
You've heard of this B rshold af
fair?' he asked.
a very lite. The people con
! lerned are pretty cIose-p- Uuthed. and
won't say a word. There's A good