Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1899-03-16

uoT luluu teIlIuS you Iuat you n"'
com. in the nick of time. We do need
an operator and badly. How sooI
can you begin work ?"
This minute" replied the girl
promptly.
Very well, said the manager and
with a few instructions, bowed her out
She'll do" he remarked to his part
ner, as he resumed his seat and ele-
waited his feet once more.
"Gee l should think she would !!
asserted Willis more forcibly than ele-
gantly.
The new hand did not fail to equal
the expectation. of her employers. She
was quietly courteous to those in the
office, men and girls alike, but she
minded her own business, as the
foreman put it, and, perhaps for that
reason, was more efficient than the
average Of the operators.
The office boy, an irreverent youth
who alluded to Willis as Bilious,
and to his partner as "theold man,
expressed the general feeling as to the
new girl, when he said to the editor
one day:
The linotype lady wants to know
if thi. is right.
The what?" -jacuated Willis in
amazement.
The linotype lady. That's what
she is. | know EN- when see one,
an she's the real article"
So she was christened, and the
name stuck, to the envy of the other
girls.
About a week after this addition to
the force, Willis opened the Wing one
evening and glanced first, as was bis
custom, at the editorial page. For
perhaps half a minute he stared in
blank amazement. Then he dropped
the paper and executed war dance
In response to his frantic calls the
manager FASTENED into the inner edi-
torial sanctum and calmly inquired
what was the matter.
"Ha. the foreman dropped out an
other line in the make up or did your
typewriter 60 off its feet and make a
mistake for which you wish to blame
the proof-resder? What ails you, any
way?"
Have you looked at the editorial
psge?' asked Willis.
"Why, no, what's wrong with it?'
"Did you write or cause to be writ
ten that Jarvis editorial ?"
What Jarvis editorial? | wrote
none and know nothing about any.
l thought we were to be neutral in
that fight"
That was the way l understood
it, said Willis, more puzzled now
than angry, but here is the strongest
kind of an editorial in tonight's Whig
advocating the election Of Jarvis. If
you don't know anything about it and
I don't know anything about it, then
what are we going to do about it ?
First, let's find out who doe. know
about it" very practically suggested
the manager. What does the proof
reader say?'
But the proof-reader had never seen
the editorial until they showed it to
her She was positive that she had
not read the proof of it, and the copy
holder supported her by affirming that
no copy for it had passed through her
hands.
When the foreman who made up
the paper was questioned he did re-
member placing the type in the forms
and reading the headline, but that
was a. far as his information went.
And the assistant foreman, who gave
out the copy, made the mystery deep,
eI than ever by asserting that no such
editorial matter had BEEN handled by
him. The devil" who took the
proofs, was equally certain that he
had nothing to do with that particular
lot OF type.
Tbs linotype operators were next IL
order for questioning and among them
Will. expected to find the solution o.
the puzzle, for it was only too evident
that the troublesome editorial had
been put in type by somebody. But
one after another of the operators de,
MED all knowledge Of the matter un'
til the entire roll had been called
without the f.intest glimmering o
light. Willis noticed that when h
approached the linotype lady she wa
very pale and apparently disturbed
but when he asked, Did you see th'
copy for this editorial, Miss?" sh'
answered SO promptly No, sir,
and met hi. gaze so unfinchingly thai