The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-16
From the Criterion. BY Permission.
81 AGE the damon LITTLE CITY ed.tn

From the Criterion. BY Permission.
81 AGE the dapper little city editor
Of the Globe, had great nose for
} news He also had a temper His
fits of rage We're usually tne result
of some cftense to his journalistic nos
this They were off, nded now. His face
was Is scarlet as the habituaI red car
nation in his buttcn-hole.
"BatesI' he called, in a tone that BODIED
n good.
4 reporter dropped, the paper he was
reading thrust a black pipe into the
pocket of ais shabby coat, and answered
Tie summons.
The editor looked the reporter over
from head TO toe and from toe to head,
carefully estimating MIN.
rates was tan, lean, caGaVerOuS; as
angular Of feature as he was of form.
4 great shock Of unkempt black hair
hung low over his forehead, and gave
him q lock that was grim, wild. fan
taste. The vagaries OF nature, as
though still unsatisGed, set in his home
~ had n pair of appealing blue eyes,
that diffused a strange peace over his
haEgard face.
Tho city editor could not look into
those eyes, and be marsh. He knew that
by experience. Even now the furtive
glance he caught as he looked up at the
repc. ter softened his rage, and tenn
pered his tone:
Look here, Bates" he began, more
irr:tated than angry. waving a handful
Of clippings from rival newspapers;
Twelve been beaten by every sheet in
town. ard you're to blamer
The reporter knew it. He had nothing
to say. There is no excuse in Journalism.
Sage went On. This is the third time
you've fallen down on an important
story within ten days. Two weeks ago
you were scooped; and a month before
you were beaten by even that ms g
nincant rag, the Gazette. I've warned
you repeatedly. You know l won't keep
man on the staff upon whom l cannot
depend. I intended to discharge you a
week ago; but I thought better of it,
and decided to give you another chance.
You haven't made good! l can't account
for it-yOu have done excellent work
heretofore-you stopped drinking year
RGo--what is it?"
Luck! Rotten luck!"
'Wcn, the Globe can't afford to en-
ploy an uDlucky man. AS a matter of
discipline. if nothing else ] shall nave
to let you 80. I'm sorry! Personally, L
like you. You can work on here until
the end of the week, and then-takc my
advice-get out of the newspaper bust
ness-yoU're not fitted for it,
AS if to emphasize that point, the
editor assigned Bates. a man of
experience, to report lecture about
which the paper might print a half dozen
hnes). and dismissed MIN.
Bates walked out of the office, dazed,
benumhcd.
Get out Of the newspaper business;
you're not fitted for it," The words
whTled through the reporters mind until
his head throbhed.
MY Cicdl If 1 can't do newspaper
work, what can I do? Nothing-nothing!
If there ever were ether possibilities in
me, this business has killed them I'll
simply have to stick to it. But WHOM
employ me? Every man in town will
know why I've been fired"
He was not worried on his own ac-
count. His mind was full of a little
woman, VINO lay i'll in a maternity hos
pital; the mother of a tiny pink thing
the nurse told Bates it was a boy-the
wife whom he feared death would snatch
from his arms. And it was this fear
this dread, that had usurped all his other
thoughts 70" the past six weeks. 1t was
this eVer-hauntiug horror-a horror that
drove the man to the hospital dozen
times a day, when he should have been
on the trail of news-which had cauS~f
Harry Bates, who had long ranked as
a capable reporter, to be classed among
the incompetents.
1t was bitter-a hard thing. 1t hurt
his pride-it depleted his purse Being
q space writer, he had been doing badly,
for since he was judged incompetent, he
had been given little to do; and for the
remaining days of the week he knew he
would do worse.
Fate seemed to have laid q heavy hand
on him.
Like most Journalists, he had not sawed
money. He could not afford to be idle
a. day, so ne was obliged to work on
through those weeks OF worry. He
might have had assistance, had he made
known the cause of his incompetency;
but his sensitive nature, the keenar be-
cause it was hidden ehrank from the
coarse tests. some of his fellows would
have made at that little womans eX-
pense.
So, thinking CT her, he FASTENED to the
hospital, trusting to luck that the lecture
would amount to nothing. 1t did prove
Of small interest and, as Bates had
prophcsied, so did his every assignment
for the next five days.
He was Respondent, very respondent;
not so much that his stories yielded him
little but that his wife was still in the
hospital.
IF she were only well and strong
again. I could bring in news, and turn
out copy they'd be glad to print" he
muttered to himself, as he stood by the
Office window one night, late in the week,
and gaZed out through the dizzling rain,
over the roof tops.
He sighed and turned from the window
The Office clocl1 struck 10. He noted that
he was the only reporter in the room.
EYES," he thought bitterly, they're all
working but me-
Just then the telephone bell rang.
copy reader answered it. He made
few notes on a bit of paper, nung up the
receiver, and handed the slip to the city
editor.
Sage raised his eyebrows. "Out-of-town
story; I'll have to see the night editor
aoout it." He glanced around the room.
The eyes of Bates We're on him Hes
the only reporter in the shop thought
Sage; Il suppose Wen have to trust
him"
The city editor rose from his chair,
and stepped into an adjoining office,
where a dozen men in shirt sleeves were
editing copy as fast as it came by wire,
telephone and messenger. The night
editor his feet cooked up on the desk,
q long Havana between his teeth, was
looking over the evening papers. He
glanced up as the city euitor accosted
him They exchanged a few words, evil
IDENTITY satisfactory to Sage, for he nod
ded his head, and re-entered the city
room.
oates" said he. as soon as he had
put his foot inside the door. mere is a
chance to redeem yourself. He handed
the reporter the slip. and added: There's
a big explosion at Bed Rock, and lot
First Painless Night in 3 Months.
"I received the Ready Relief on Fri
day, the 18th inst, by night express;
used the same at 8 o'clock and had