The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-12-31
aETTING OUT AN EXTRA.
crADY -WlTTED GIRL SCORES A
nrAr ON NEWSPAPER RIVALS.

..,no Scene in Printing Office When
De Of Dewey's Victory Arrived -
.|,rosret Clyde, the Proofreader, Eose
% the Emergency and Made Record.
Isabel Gordon Curtis contributes o
..arv toSt. Nicholas called Margaret
aides Extra" telling how a young
vi who read proof on morning pa
~ scored a heat on the rival jour
sss The girl was left alone in the
.atorial rooms when the nights work
vas over. ,
Margaret read column after column
u the news from Cuba, Key West
and Washington. 1t seemed to her as
n sbe had read it all before, and she
mt NJ away the paper while she ate her
moaoer luncheon. Then she tldied up
tho desk and laid her head on hey
arms She was growing drowsy. SIZE
rondered if she could take bort
osp, Her train would not leTe Tor
an hour and.a half yet. 1t wasgroW-
ing lonely in the deserted composing
room. hroch1,
do 9n9 for a moment. SIZE imagined
she heard a noise. The presses were
still rumbIing downstairs, and the
grav dawn was steding hazily into
corners of the composing room.
It was 5 by he large clock; The
noise came Again. Somebody was
heating and shaking the outside door.
Margaret vas frightened, and for a
moment she turned to run to the
press room.
The noise grew louder. It was an
;mpatient, determined pounding, first
Of hands, then feet. She flew to the
door. through the glass she saw the
dim figure of a boy in blue messen-
ger uniform. He thrust yellow en-
velope into her hand, cried excitedly,
"News from Manila!' turned tomount
his wheel, then disappeared down the
dim street.
Margaret felt stunned. She knew
something ought to be done, but
what? 1t was so far to Phillips home;
Mr. Schell lived in suburb three
miles from the Office, and there was
nobody in the pressroom who could
set type. She wished the boy had not
left so quickly. ,
Margaret hurried to the proofread
er's desk, where an electric ligh
glowed. She tore the yellow envelope
open and read the fifty Or sixty words
on the thin sheet Of paper
"All we'll at Manila Not an Am
erican lost !" She felt as if Dewe.
had sent her the message direct, an'
an excited "Oh!' echoed through tn
empty room. Margaret glanced at tn
clock. 1t was five minutes past five
Time was precious, and she felt sh
must something. A few days as
she had worked on an extra. Som
important news had come in whe
Phillips and she were alone. She ha
helped him to set the story in larg
type and stood by while he filed it il
the upper part of the front page
There were few exciting minute
and Margaret had worked breathless
ly. Phillips had said some kin
words afterwards about her efficiency
and it made her happy for all da
long.
She flew to the case where the larg
black letters were kept that la
adorned the first pages of the "Gai
cite" recently. She was working {
if life depended upon her movements
She learned to set type with wonde
full dizziness during two years worl
and in ten minutes she was standin
over the words that later that morl
ing sent wave of relief and than
fitness through America. She hu
ried down to the press room. III
regular edition was nearly ready. II
men were running off the last tho
sand, and the nimble folder stood b
side gathering the papers in
bundles.
Pomeroy, the foreman of the pres
room, looked up in mild surprise whf
Margaret dashed in.
"Well, what are you doing here?'
Come" she cried excitedly, econ
upstairs with me at once!"
"The place isn't on fire, is lt?"
asked, half seriously.
"No! it's the news from Dewey
she answered, hurriedly.
"Here, Thompson" he shouted
man at the other machine, 81 mu
60 upstairs a moment-you take L
place."
He followed Margaret up the ste
stairs to the table where CLEAN
light fell on a half form of large typ
headed by block letters. He read t
type almost at a glance:
DEWEY IS ALL RIGHT.
Revenue Cutter "McCulloch" at Hong-Ko