The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-11-17

goodday went out and the editor met
more persons with suggestions be-
fore he went to his dinner at high
noon. When he came back at 1
o'clock he went out into the compos-
ing room and had a conference with
the foreman, who had busted himself
about the forms under the editor S
direction.
At O'Clock man came in swear
ing mad. He was prominent citi-
zen and he had been insulted, or words
to that effect.
"By gravy! Haskins, T" he ex-
claimed, "it seems to me I have been
in this town long enough for that
measly reporter of yours to know my
name"
Doesn't he?" asked the editor,
astonished and panied at such repor-
torial ignorance. ii
eff he does know it, he doesh t
seem to be able to use his knowledge.
BY crackey, he's got me down as
John B. Thompson, when anybody
ought to know don't spell my name
with a p. But 1 couldn't expect
much more, for all Of the collections
of stale, fiat and Improbable things
your local news is the worst. The
paper would be darned sight better
off without line of il.
"No local news p calculated the
editor, almost Mortified by the
thought.
"That's what I said. Do you need
map and a diagram?" and the
prominent citizen pumped his card
down on the table and flounced out.
The editor sat down and mopped
his brow for a minute or two while
he listened to few remarks from the
mayor Of the city on communications
appearing in the paper criticising him
and his official acts, with final hand
full of scattering comment on other
paragraphs equally subversive of the
peace and dignity of the state and the
constitutional rights of people to do
as they pleased without being pillori-
ed in the public prints by the shafts
and arrows of irresponsible persons
too cowardly to let their names be
known. The editor smiled at the
mixed metaphors of the mad mayor
and promised to see about it. Then
he went into the composing room and
told the foreman to get the forms
ready and send them to press. The
foreman grinned at the appearance of
what he was locking up, and just as
he got to the first page, which was
the last to go down, the leading sign
painter Of the town came into the
room, and stopped to chin the editor
a while"
you've got a mighty good paper, !"
he said-he had received a stickful of
puff the day before-"b the head
you've got on it is the most inartistic
piece of work I know OF" he added.
eve had an idea it was pretty
fair ventured the editor.
eff I had head like that, +" laugh
What would y You 81 really do about
it?" asked the editor seriously.
"Chop it off quicker than Crom-
well cut off the head Of King
Charles" said the painter and went
on out through the front office.
The editor nodded to the foreman
and in few minutes the forms were
locked up and sent down.
Promptly at q o'clock the Worthy
vile Watchmam appeared, and at
supper time the office was filled with
indignant subscribers. Every one of
them had his paper with him and
never paper had line on any of its
pages. Everything was gone out of
it and there was only a. four-page
wilderness of whiteness. The editor
was not in the office, but big notice
was posted in conspicuous place to
the effect that the UatcAman would
explain in its next issue.
On the following day in large let
ters at the top of the editorial page
this notice appeared:
TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS
"Our issues of yesterday appeared
in accordance with the suggestions
made to us by subscribers who think
they know how to run a newspaper,
and comment is unnecessary upon the
result.
All we have to say is that here
after we shall run the Watchman as
we please. Now is the time to sub
scribe,
'HEzEKIAH HAsKINS,
Editor and Proprietor"