The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-11


| Plattville: he realized that their love-
illness lent d too unhappy tone 20 the
4 inIaginings and introspections upon
which he was thrown by the loneliness
! of the environment. and he considered
that he had too much time in which to
think about himself For five years his
! intrOspectiOns had monotonously nurl-
ed one word at him Failure; Failrue!
Failure!" He thought the sunsets were
making him morbid. Could he have
shared them, that would have been
different.
His long, melancholy face grew long
er and more melancholy in the twi-
light. while William Todd patiently
whitfield near by. Plattville had often
discussed the editors habit of silence,
and Mir. Martin had suggested that
possibly the reason Mr.. HarkIess was
such quiet man was that there was
nobody for him to talk to. His hearers
did not agree. for the population of
Carlow county was a thing of pride,
being greater than that of several Dor
dering counties. They did agree, how
ever, that Harkless's quiet was not I'M
kind, whatever its cause, and that
when it was broken it was usually
broken to conspicuous effect. Perhaps
1t was because he wrote go much that
he hated to talk.
A bent figure came slowly down the
street, and William hailed it cheerful
I ly: Evening, Mr.. Fisbee."
"A good evening. Mr.. Todd" answer
ed the old man, pausing. "Ah. Mr..
Harkless, I was looking for you" He
had not seemed to be looking for any
thing beyond the boundaries of his own
dreams, but he approached HAIRLESS,
Juggling nervously a some papers in
MS pocket. Il have completed my notes
for our Saturday edition. Ii was quite
easy; there is much doing"
Thank. you Mr.. Fisbee," said Hark-
less, as he took the manuscript. Have
you finished your paper on the earlier
Christian symbolism? hope the
Herald may have the honor of print
ing it,. This was the form they used.
Il shall be the recipient of honor,
sir, returned F'isbee. Your kind Of
fer will speed my work; but l fear,
Mr.. Harkless, l very much fear, that
your kindness alone prompts it, for,
deeply as / desire it, 1 cannot truth
fully say that my essays appear to in
crease our circulation" He made an
odd, troubled gesture as he went on;
Ihey do not seem to read them here,
Mr.. Harkless, although Mr. Martin as
sures me that he carefully peruses my
article on Chaldean decoration when
ever he re-arranges his exhibition win
dows, and l bear in mind the clipping
from a Rouen paper you showed me,
commenting generously upon the schol-
arship of the Herald But for fifteen
years 1 have tried to improve the art
feeling in Plattville, and 1 may say
that L have worked in the face of no
small Encouragement. In fact" (there
was a slight QuaVer in Fisbee's Voice).
Il cannot remember that 1 ever re-
celVed the slightest word or token of
announcement till you came, Mr..
Harkless. Since then 1 have labored
with refreshed energy; still, 1 cannot
claim that our architecture shows a
change for the better, and 1 fear the
engraVings upon the walls of our peo-
pie exhibit no great progress in selec-
ton. And-I-I wish also to saw. Mr..
Harkless, If you find 1t necessary to
make some alterations in the form of
my reportorial items for SATURDAYS is
sue, l shall perfectly understand. re-
membering your explanation that Jour
nalism demands it. Good-evening, MI.
Harkless Good-evening, Mr.. Todd" He
plodded on few PAGES, then turned.
irresolutely.
What is it. Fisbee?" asked Hark-
less.
Fisbee stood for moment, as though
ABOUT TO speak, then he smiled family,
shook his head, and went his way.
Harkless stared after him, surprised.
1t suddenly struck him, with feeling
or irritation, that if Fisbee had spoken
1t would have been to advise him To
call at Judge Briscoe's He laughed
1npatiently at the notion, and, draw
ing his pencil and a pad from his
pocket, proceeded to injure his eyes in
the waning twilight by the editorial
perusal of the items his staff had inst
left in his hands. When published, the
manuscript came under a faring
heading, bequeathed by Harkless'
predecessor in the chair of the Her
| aid" and the alteration of which he
| felt Plattville would refuse to sane
| ton: Happenings of Our City" Be-
low, was printed in smaller type: Inn
provements in the World of Business"
and, beneath that, came the rubric:
Also, the Cradle, the Altar, and the
| Tomb"
The first of Fisbees items was thus
recorded: ut may be noted that the
new sign-board of Mr.. H. Miller has
been put in place. We cannot but re-
greet that Mr.. Miller did not instruct
the painter to confine himself to a
simpler method of lettering"
"Ah, F'isbee," murmured the editor
reproachfully, that new sign-board is
almost the only Improvement in the
World of Business Plattville has seen
this year. / wonder how many times
| we have used it from the first. 1T is
| runored in business circles that Herve
| Miller contemplates'-to the exciting.
| Under Way and, Finishing Touches ;
/ My poor White Knight, are five years
! of training wasted on you? Sometimes
| you make me fear it. Here is Plattville
| painting for our story of the hanging
of the sign, and you throw away the
| climax like that" He began to write
| rapidly, bending low over the mad in
the half darkness. His narrative was
an application of the interesting in
formation (already possessed by every
| inhabitant) that Herve Miller had put
up a new sign. After a paragraph of
| handsome description, "Herve is all
ways enterprising," wrote the editor.
| This is a move in the right direction.
Herve. keep it up"
He glanced over the other items med
itatively, making alterations here and
there. The last two Fisbee had writ
ten as follows:
There is noticeable in the new land
| somewhat incongruouS) portico erected
by Solomon Tibbs at the residence of
Mr.. Henry Tibbs Willetts, an attempt
at rocco decoration which cannot fail
to sadden the passer-by."
Miss Sherwood of Rouen, whom
/ Miss Briscoe knew at the Misses Jen-
nings' finishing school in New York,
is a guest of Judge Briscoe's house
| hold"