Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-09-23
THE DOWNFALL OF FREDDIE.


as were the trio of big dailies in San
Francisco to secure men that not only
had nose for news" but the skill and
originality to make good reading of it,
they had, certainly without COLLISION, but
with startling nnanimity, refused
longer to endure the eccentricities of the
unquestionably brilliant and personally
engaging. but equally dissipateI and I'M
reliable. Freddie
His last triumph had likewise been his
downfall, for rewarded generously on the
occasion of q brilliantly executed and
maryelously well-written scoop" Fred
die. in the gladness Of his heart and in
nocent pride Of achievement, had given
dinner, principally champagne and
oysters, to a circle Of bohemian friends
in Sausalito, which was an unquestiOned
success by every test of bohemia, even
to the characteristic finish, when he had
to borrow enough from one of his guests
to pay ferry-farc for the rest of them to
the city
1t would have been all right even then
bad as was Freddie's former record, but
for the burden of alliuence one of Fred
dies late guests had become possessed
Of that same afternoon, and which cried
for relief from the narrow confines of
usually faced pocket
SO it fell that on the arrival of Fred
dies already cheerful party at the city
gates, the choicest spirits unanimously
decided that it would be wanton waste of
good opportunity to give up an evening
so auspiciously begun (it was then
1890, so it came to pass that tomor-
rows details were gently showed out of
the roseate light of ,Ae present into the
outer fog Of the future. to the serious
detrimcnt of the local news service and
the desperate wrath Of at least four city
editors, not to mention the melancholy
tone that resulted in what was actually
done ON account of rep0rtorial headache.
For although | deliberately draw the ira
ditional veil, that prolongation of Fred
dies party was so lmid that no soften
ing veil could entirely obscure its glory.
which is remembered by some Of the un-
regenerate even unto this day.
So it happened that when Freddie felt
moved to drop corelessly into the edi
torsal rooms of the Hyeliest of the bic
dailies to pick up n detail, he was blamed
fer more than his fair share of the
trouble, and there was stormy inter
view with the city editor, from which,
highly indignant and swearing eternal
alienation, issued Freddie. who rushed
straightway to the sanctum across the
street.
Here the interview wasn't stormv-on
The contrary, sudden drop in the tenn
perature made it impossible for Freddie
10, Al
was there; his services were not eonsid-
cred essential to the success of that par
ticular paper
Freddie felt hurt. A row he didn't
mind, for to him there was no more final
ity 10 spat with il city editor than as
between a man and his sweetheart. But,
as he expressed it, this CLASSY eve prop
osltion was new one. and looked bad"
Days passed-several of them Moth
ing doing, all the boys repentant and
working hard, and money getting mighty
scarce, and Freddie had about reached
point where his pride was broken enough
TO send him to an evening paper that he
loathed, but which he knew wanted him
the hated the other with an enthusiastic
and fantastic hatred), when. as he was
about To drag his pride in the dust"
rs he pat it to himself. he got Il note
from Sacramento paper asking him to
write up the circumstances of n sensa-
t!onal case of mistaken identity i'll which
a prominent Sacramentan was involved
to the scandalized delight of his towns
men.
This $40 windfall went at once for
pressing little obligations. except So
all poor Freddie had in the world The