Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-15
THE NEW REPORTER

sun-burned youth with the good clothes
and the trousers rolled up at the bottoms,
addressing the city editor of a New York
newspaper with q great air of confidence
and am making an effort to obtain q
foothold in journalism. did some work
for my college paper. have here two or
three letters Of introduction to you. Do
you think you can put me on as a repor-
terri
The city editor glared and then grinned
satnrnineiy.s Then he winked roguishly at
the assistant city editor, who winked
roguishly at him in return.
Journalism, hey?" said the city editor.
Want to get into journalism, you say?
What is journalism. I'd like to known"
Inc teSty tone didn't feaZe the tall youth
to any great extent. He stuffed some long
cut into his bulldog pipe apparently more
out of habit than for any other reason, for
some imaginary dust off his trousers.
That" he replied, lis what 1 want to
find out. I'm hunting for Journalistic job
SO that 1 can find out
The city editor groWled in his musta che
and then yanked the letters of introduce
ton out of their envelopes. The letters
We're from folks known to the city editor,
and they commended the tall sun-burned
youth as chap with a pretty fair head on
his shoulders
WELL" snapped the city editor when he
had read the letters, there's no journalism
around this plant. but IL you want to butt
into the newspaper business / can give you
a show. The cub that's been covering one
OF the police courts got discouraged and
you. want his billet you can have it on
cauley vein?"
The tall youth grinned self-possessediy
ana ana made no reply, feeling that no reply
There's not much doing at that police
court, Went on the city editor. as he
vlciousiy welded his blue pencil on some
nlmsy copy. "Chicken-feed stuff most
or 1t. worth about stick or so-occasion-
ally some funny DRINKS and disorderlies
NO chance for you to work in the editorial
we, or to put down the fact that you point
with pride or that you view with alarm
or any kind of stuff like that. Understand?
The young man nodded his head respect
fully aWeu Won ran os,.o -, .,. =, -,
morning and get your bearings, and We'll
nave a look at your copy. That'H be
about ALL and the city editor clapped
hstful Of copy onto one of his hooks and
turned his back upon the tall, sun-burned
youth.
When the city editor reached the office
the next day he found little stack of
copy. in an unfamiliar hand. on his desk
What's this?' he asked the chief CODY
reader, picking up the matter as if It was
Why" said the chief copy-reader,
that's neat little bunch of police court
stuff that one of the new ducks turned In
while ago. Four or five rafting good
stories in It, and dressed up just our way
l don't know who the fellow is that did it,
put thought I'd pass it along to you to
look over; it's so toppy and original"
HUH growled the city editor, turning
over the pages of the copy. He quickly be-
came Interested. as was apparent from his
manner
We'll. I'll be burned" he said after
while to the assistant city editor. Mem
Der that college whelp that was in here
yesterday, that L assigned to that bum po-
lice court-the one that wanted to get into
Journalism? Well. say, you ought to see
this batch of stuff he's turned in. Real
thing. Bout four stories in it that I'm
going to have heads put on and scattered
over the first page"
Nor exclaimed the assistant city ed
itor.
well. it would jar you, wouldn't it?"
said the city editor. And he said he want
you got any decent assignments left on
the book?'
Nothing but a bucket shop failure down
the street-may be something in it, but it
doesn't look promising"
Hey" yelled the city editor to one Of
the boys. where's that journalist? Where'd
he go after he turned in this copy?"
The tall sun-burned youth emerged from
a dark corner and approached the city
EDITORS desk.
Hello, there said the editor to him.
choppily. Not such bad stuff as it might
be-; that bunch you turned in from the
financial questions?''
We'll" began the youth. II took the
course in political economy. and"
Political economy, nothingr spluttered
the city editor. There's a bucket shop
down on the outer rim of Wall street that
closed its doors today. It's an outfit that's
been under suspicion for some time Chase
down there and see If you can dig up the
crookedness connected with the joint"
The young man from college clapped on
his nice new straw hat with the red ribbon
around it and went his way The city edi-
tor was gone for the day when he returned
from his quest, and so, after word or so
with the night editor, he sat down and be-
gan to write. He wrote until the hour the
paper went to press, with a relay of copy
boys grabbing off the sheets as quick as he
finished them, and when, at about half
past in the morning, he leaned back
pretty well worn out, he had written sew
era columns of double-leaded matter,
which was clapped onto the first page with
a big head.
Not so bad, son." said the night editor
in a kindly tone to the new man. who
YEARLY got up and went to his room and
slept for ten hours.
When he walked into the reporters loom
at O'Clock on the day following his first
days work he noticed that all of the cory
boys were looking him over shrewdly, and
that the old-timers who were sitting around
waiting Tor assignments stared at him hard.
He walked up to the city editors desk to
report.
"Ho, it's you. hey?" said the city editor,
with a thrill Of well-suppressed excitement
in his tone. Say, what dye think you are,
"Wen," stammered the tall. sun-purned
young man from college. that's what I
wanted to-"
You did. eh?" growled the city editor,
jumping up and clapping the young man
heartily on the back. mo, you didn't! You
Just thought you did, that's all! You never
wanted to be journalist, but you wanted
to be newspaper man, and If you are not
that right now, by ginger, you never are
going to be! You're all right, If you are
from college! That's the whackingest story
that has sneaked into this old paper since
I've been connected with it, and, what's
more, it's clean, cold-blooded SCOOP on
the whole town. and you're too much of a
cub to know it!''
For the young man from college had
struck the right trail, and got hold Of the
story of the hundreds of women who had
been swindled in the bucket SHOP and be
had spread himself on the account
From that day he got the No good as
signment on the paper that he had tackled
for job as journalist
This is a strictly true tale of a man who.
while one OF the youngest, is now one Of