The San Francisco call., 1906-08-12

| Wilson tried the humble act" per-
suasion, bullying, but nothing more
| could he get from the man before him,
| who, recovering from the effects of the
| liquor he had drunk, was in what Will
son called nasty frame of mind"
After hours of fruitless effort Wilson
left, noting that it was past IL o'clock.
His paper went to press at in the
morning. But three hours remained to
him, and he was no nearer the story
than he had been three hours before.
AS he left the mack at the door of the
telegraph Office from a neighboring
| lamp post came a nerve wrecking jum-
BILE of words: Great sheal China right
here in San Jose. Greatest story on
earth. Paralyse shivilized world"
Wilson turned fiercely to the lamp
post. Twined around it in an impos-
sible curl was Ray Walsh, the good
work that Levy had commenced earlier
in the evening in a state of elegant
completion. Before Yves" could speak
the redheaded messenger boy was
upon him.
Say" cried that excited worthy, the
wires are hot about the great seal of
China. Here's twenty messages for
you"
Yves" grabbed the fistful and read
them all. Those from his own paper
were the saddest. They began with
the statement that the first page had
been reserved for the story" Another
wanted to know If the STORY" would
be exclusive" Then came inquiries
about the fling of the story"
Later the series began to grow i'm
patient. finally abusive. and the last
demanded in so many words, fateful
words, Are you throwing us down on
the 'story'?'
ives" answered that last telegram,
smiling grimly as he pictured the emo
tions that the answer. would inspire
Tat the Courier office. "Am not throw
ing you down." he answered. Every
drunken man in town knows all about
seal; but no sober man seems to. The
secret path to it lies along the cocktail
route. and I am now going out to take
1t. If I can get drunk enough in an
hour to get story will send it in, If 7
am not too drunk to write it,
Not in the least had Wilson over es-
timated the sensation that such an an
swer, on such an occasion, would cre-
ers despaired The managing editor
wrote out "Wes's" discharge on the
spot. In the act of fling it, his hand
was stayed by his telegraph editor.
Don't wire It," pleaded the worthy.
Don't wire 1t. Wait till morning.
This man, Ray Walsh, evidently has
the story; but he pays no attention to
| our wires. lneT6 is out one explanation
| for it, Walsh has sold the exclusive
story to some other paper. If you
wire Wilson's discharge. we certainly
| won't get it. We can't get a special
train to San Jose before press time. If
we get the story at all it will be
| through Wilson. Don't fire him to-
night Wait till morning. and then
and there was pleading in the telegraph
editors voice. "let me go to San Jose
/ to do it in person.
| The discharge was not wired. Other
messages were sent, however, plenty
of them, pleading messages entreating
the correspondent to do his best; mes
sages expressive Of every confidence in
the young mans tact and ability
but for Gods sake" one ratified edi-
] tor wired, Keep sober until o'clock
Wilson at "his end of the story
had in the meantime, with no gentle
hand, unwound Walsh from the lamp
post If Walsh was full of whisky, he
was fuller of the story. and his pockets
fairly bulged with kilograms and cable
grams from all parts of the world
/ The experienced Wilson realized that
none of those wires had been an
swered. But, a STORY" known to a
drunken man, several drunken men is
leverybody's story" On the other