Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-20

|
ness. demanded 10 lie driven to the
Herald building. Ii did not strike the
driver thai the newcomer was pre-
vlseIy gay young man when he climb
ed into the omnibus, but an hour later,
as he stood in the doorway of the edi-
| hce he had indicated as his destina ton.
depression seemed TO have settled into
the marrow of his bones.
Piattville was instantly alert to the
| strangers presence, and interesting con-
lectures were hazarded all day long at
the back door OF Martins Dry Goods
Emporium 0his was the club during
the day.. and at supper the new ar
rival and his probable purposes were
discussed over every table in the town.
Upon inquiry he had informed Judd
Bennett, the driver of the omnibus,
that he had come to stay. Naturally
such declaration caused a sensation,
as people did not come to Plattville to
live except through the inadvertency of
being born there. In addition the young
mans appearance and attire were re-
ported to be extraordinary. Many Of
the curious, among them most of the
manageable females of the place, took
occasion to pass and repass the sign of
the Carlow County Herald during the
evening.
Meanwhile the stranger was seated
In the dingy Office upstairs with his
head bowed low on his arms. Twilight
stole through the dirty window panes
and faded into darkness. Night filed
I the room. He did not move. The young
man from the east had bought the Her.
aid from an agent--bad bought il with
out ever having been within n hundred
miles OF Plattvile. The Herald was
an alleged weekly which had some
times appeared within five days of its
declared date OF publication and some
times missed fire altogether. 1t was a
thorn In the side of every patriot of
Carlow county, and Carlow people, aft
er supporting the paper loyalty and
long, had at last given il up and sub
scribed for the Gazette, published in
the neighboring county of Amo. The
former proprietor Of the Herald. q
surreptitious gentleman with goatee
had taken the precaution Of leaving
| Plattville forever on the afternoon pre-
ceding his successors arrival The
young man from the east had vastly
overpaid for his purchase. Moreover,
the price lac had paid for il was all the
money he had in the world.
The next morning he went bitterly tc
work. He hired a compositor from
Rouen, young man PANIED Parker.
/ who set type all night long and helped
him pursue advertisements ell day.
The citizens shook their heads pessi-
mistically. They had about given up
the idea that the Herald could ever
amount TO anything. and they betrayed
an innocent but caustic doubt OF abil.
ity in any stranger.
| One day the new editor left a note on
his door; will return in fifteen min
| utes."
| MIR. Rodney McCune n politician from
. the neighbortng county OF Gaines. hap
pening TO be in Plattvilie on an errand
TO his henchmen, found the note aud
! wrote beneath the message the scath.
ing inquiry. WHY
When he discovered this addendum
the editor smiled for the first time since
his advent aud reported the incident In
his next issue. using the rubric why
| Has the Herald Returned TO LITER" as
a text for rousing editorial on hon.
esty IN politics. subject or which he
already knew something The political
district to which Carlow belonged was
governed by limited number Of geu.
tiemen whose wealth was ever on the
ipcrease, and honesty in politics was
startling conception TO the minds %
the passive and resigned voters who
talked the editorial over on the street
corners aud in the stores. The next
week there was another editorial, per.
sonai and local In its application. and
thereby IL became evident that the new
| proprietor OF the Herald was a theorist
: who believed in general that a po!it.-
clans honor should not DC merely o.:
that middling healthy species known
"a honor among politicians" and In
particular that Rodney McCune should
not receive the nomination of hi. party
for congress Now, Mr.. McCune was
the undeubted dictator OF the district
and his followers laughed at the strac
gers fantastic onset: but the editor was
not content with the word OF print. He
hired a horse and rode about the cOun-
try and Ito his own surpriSe) proved 10
be an adaptable young man who en-
1oyed exercise with a pitchfork 20 the
farmers profit while the, farmer task.
ed. He talked little himself. hut after
listening an hour or so he would drop n
word from the saddle as he toft ard
then, by some surprising wizarslry Ire
farmer, thinking over the in,erv iew,
decided there was some sense ~ ~ {
that young fellow said and grew curl
Gus to see what the young fellow had
further to say In the Herald.
Politics Is the one subject that goes
to the vitals OF every rural American
and a Hoosier will talk politics after
he is dead.
Everybody read the campaign edi
torials and found them interesting. al
though there was no one who did no
perceive the utter absurdity OF younl
stranger dropping into Carlow ant
involving himself In party hgh
against the boss OF the district. 1t wa
entirely a party fight, for by grace o.
| Ice he ~ Ia