Little Falls weekly transcript., 1899-06-06
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n Two great nations being on the brink
Of war, great was the flutter In the Jour
nAlistio world. Ambitious youngsters
gazed lovingly at the revolvers In the
pawnbrokers' window and were sagaoious
on the subject Of timed meat.
It'll Proprietors and editors laid their heads
together In the inner places of the great
newspaper offices and talked with one eye
on the enormous outlay 8 service of war
news warranted to beat all rivals would
involve and the other on an immense in
crease in circulation. 5ssB,s ft..:s,,j.775 =.
Now, then,"' said the shirt sleeved,
black haired waiter Of a Brain street coffee
house, 'you can + do that ERE, mister. = Y
E He addressed his customer, who, having
song ago disposed Of his mug Of cocoa,
had laid his head on his arms on the we'll
scrubbed wooden table and apparently
fallen asleep. !" You ave been ERE hour,
you know, and we can't ave the place
turned into dosshouse. ~ -
The customer, without = word, meekly
% dog might, rose to his feet and drag
ged himself to the door. The building
opposite the coffee house was blazing with
light. The windows, which were casting
q yellow glare on the haggard face Of the
awakened sleeper, were those Of The
Dawn, the most live and progressive Of
London's daily papers. The huge bills on
boards outside the building bore the words
In fiat, black letters: :" La It Warf Special
Interviews" The man who looked UP at
the glittering windows had been the first
editor OF The Dawn. His name was Brad
ley Brent. The clothes he wore at that
moment were barely respectable, and he
had dined on cocoa and . slice Of bread
and butter In the ooffee house. To use the
words Of one OF his most stanoh friends: =
Bradley Brent has thrown away more
chances than any one ever knew, II he
had kept straight, there's nothing he
mightn't have done. Now, I think the
most meroiful thing would be to give him
- much whisky % will enable him TO-
drink d himself to death quickly and COM
fortably.''' ~ y. '. .4s, !,1< t#@
: Terrible words to be the epitaph of one
OF the brightest intellects that ever made
itself q part of London 3 Hte1aEy ite, but
every ayllahle no moro than truth d It ~
g familiar story; has heen and VIII -
told Of scores of3 others bestdes Bradley
Brent 10 trnce his degradation step "
step would be 8 long and painful task. "A
brilliant and successful man does not be.
como wreck except by the easiest stages.
ThoseS who have the use Of his talents
Are not willing to relinquish their power
full aid, 20 fresh starts innumerable were
provided for the use Of the ex-editor Of
The Dawn. Iu vain; his terrible demon
had him fast In his grip. ..%.t. R%
:. In the lives Of such a. Brent there are
three. stages. At first the world gives its
verdict, IAN exceedingly able man."
Then comes: "What an exceedingly able
mani What pity he drinksl' And the
victim 10 already some distance on the
way. But when the sentences are reversed
and the phrase runs: "What q pity he
drinksl An exceedingly able manl' then
let him abandon hope, for soon ability
will cease to take any part in his terrible
comedy. ~ o.. # &'<'&
Brent, still lifting his haggard face to
the lighted windows, thrust his hand into
his pocket. His exploring fingers touched
four coins. .r. ..'tnS'
"'Threepence halfpenny," he muttered.
81 simply can't sleep on the bridge to-
night. The wind off tho river cuts me to
the bone. wonder If Fraser would''--
He stepped into, the vestibule and from
the doorkeeper obtained a pencil and q
scrap of paper for the purpose Of writing q
note to Fraser, now news editor of The
Dawn, but In days gone by q young re-
porter taking his orders from a subordi-
nate Of Brent, editor in chief. The door
keeper, sitting behind his little window
marked Inquiries, !" took the note and
sent 1t rattling up little shaft In the wall.
Two young reporters stopped to, light
their cigarettes as he stood there, and one
Of them said the Transylvanian embassa-
dor, Count Goustovitch, had been closeted
for three hours with the premier that
evening, had left visibly agitated and lls
pale as death and had been driven furious
" home. =. " 4..s, ,. !. %>s@. ,s..iiG. i.
81 should have liked to have been con.
nected with that room by telephone, !"
.laughingly remarked one Of the youths. 4
Yes, rejoined the other, cor had .
monograph hidden under the table. s5
u As they passed out crop haired boy
came whistling down the stairs and thrust
something into Brent's hand. Tho en-
velope contained q coin and q note: .4 ii.
I send what you. ask this time, o. you ars
% broke, but can't be continually doing IL
Give some one olse chance next time. Iz 4
Briskly, almost gayly, Brent strobe up
Brain street. The brusque1ie OF the news
editors note was az nothing BY the side
Of the great fact that supper, bed, break.
fast In the morning of . sort-lay in the
silver coin he had sent. N Ill
..I'll inst drink Fraser,s health once. /"