Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-28
Midsummer Day

Public Pulse and other great journals Of
the city by the Kaw-he started In on a
policy of retrenchment. He had been in
the dry goods business all his life and
knew nothing about newspaper manage
ment, but that made no difference. He
would apply to journalism. he said, the
same broad, safe principles that had
proved so effective in his mercantile life.
On the day the new proprietor assumed
control the managing editor showed him
about the office.
whats that thing for?' asked the mer-
chant-Journalist, pointing to the press.
"That's the press-the machine we print
the papers on"
"U-m-m, hum-m-m. And who are all
those men standing along there?"
They are the printers; they set the
type"
Does 1t take that mRny7"
well, we're getting out a four-pagc
paper, you know, and six printers is
thought to be very conservative. Yes, I
think they are necessary"
I'll look into that"
Coming up to the editorial department
Mr.. Hammerslaugh wanted to know the
duties of each member OF the staff. He
seemed particularly interested in a man
who sat at a table reading a newspaper.
What does that fellow dor" he asked.
"oh, he's the exchange editor. He reads
newspapers and cuts things out OF them
to be reprinted in the Globe"
How much does he get"
twenty-five dollars a week"
"Humph! Discharge hint l can hire a
girl for SO a week to read newspapers and
cut pieces out Of them!"
Say, that was a great lot of fish stories
you had in the Sunday Bee a few weeks
ago." said Harrie Townsend the other day.
Wasn't but two FISH stories in the whole
lot, and one of those was about a frog.
was a good yarn that Judge Patrick
told about soaring the tenderfoot speech
less out In camp, but l can give him point
ers in that game. Along in 1888 a young
fellow came out to West Texas from st,
Louis who know 1t all. He was a nice
enough fellow until 1t came to telling sto-
ries, and then he seemed to think that he
had to beat us all or break a trace trying
Fl went out on a camp hunt with oui
gang, and the second night out we decided
that something must be done or we would
lose our reputation for entertaining stran'
gers. We had in the camp outfit a rubbeI
syphon about FIVE feet long that we uset
TO draw-er-er-water out Of a keg tina
somehow had got mixed In with the food
stufs. After supper ! eoiled this up tightly
and put II to soak in a pail Of water 81
that Il would be Just a little bit chilly ant
be ready for immediate action when needed
Then. sitting around the fire with pipes go
ing, we got TO telling snake stories unit
the whole lot felt a little bit creepy. A
a late hour we turned In, and before verl
long our friend from the effete east was Il
the land Of dreams-snake dreams. Tn
night was pretty warm and he lay with tn
collar Of his flannel shirt wide open, snOr
ing like a good fellow. Creeping out Il
the water pail. / got that syphon, all NIGEL.
coiled up, and dropped Il way down on hi
wlshbone. 1t began to unwrap instanteT
and say. the yell that that poor fellow CAV
woke the folks at a ranch house four mile
away. He hit the ground running an.
headed for Tom Green county at a gait tina
would have made Maud s. look like 3
cents. tearing at his shirt and letting on
a howl at every jump. We all started afte
him. but n he hadn't got mixed up and be
gan running In a circle We never would hav
caught him. When We did interfere wit