Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-09-26
a BLUFF


w. l1O1io PRi lbStA WV - -o
He was a sprightly young fellow. who
did not propose to walt for affairs to
take their natural ourse He did pro
pose to be up and doing, with a view
to forcing circumstances to turn In his
favor. Raymond's best girl was one
of the same kind. She had taught
school long enough to save a thousand
dollars, and Raymond, who had risen
from typesetter to reporter-if that is
to be considered a rise-had as much
more. They had many a sitting with
their ''heads together" and sometimes
their lips, trying to figure out a plan
to better themselves by using their cap
ltal jointly. They finally decided to be
married, go west and start a paper.
The result of this unlon-of capital
was the Annunciator, a lively newspa-
per, In the town of Tuckerton, a grow
ing place where there was but one 9TH
er paper. the Wasp, owned by a man
by the name Of Snarley. 1t never
stung any one. Indeed it better de-
served the name Of Drone, though the
manager was as soul as a vinegar
cruet.
Springer and his wife started In to
compete with this drowsy sheet. Their
paper was bound to distance the other
in time, but 1t requires time and ex-
penditure to start a paper, and the
question of ultimate success hung on
whether the funds would hold out.
The Springers used every economy, the
editor setting much of his type himself
and breaking his wife In to do the
same. New subscribers came steadily.
Every one praised the sprightliness of
the paper, and there were a few ad-
vertisements offered, though these
must be accepted for little or nothing,
because Snarley on the starting of the
Annunciator had put his own prices to
a point which was sure to kill competi-
ton and the rival paper.
Every one knows who knows any
thing about the newspaper business
that 1t Is the advertisements that pay.
The S%prlngers had everything else de-
sirable for a newspaper. They were
both good writer's and Mrs. Springer
introduced features that were especi-
ally captivating to women. But the
cost of material, notwithstanding their
own-and incldentals was an outgoing
stream that was not sufficiently coun-
teracted by the inflow. Consequently
the pool was slowly drying up. Snar-
ley kept himself posted as to the finan-
cial condition of the A~nnunciator by
learning how long people found 1t
necessary to walt for the payment of
their bills. And as that time increased
the sour expression on his face turned
into q smile that children were afraid of.
Then Snarley heard that his Compel
itors were trying to get In some capital.
His paper Immediately began to pour
forth walls as to the unsatisfactory
condition of business generally and the
newspaper business in particular. In
this way he headed off the Sprlngers,
who had very nearly secured what
they required to set their paper on Its
feet and tide 1t over the shoals between
them and success. But now they were
checkmated. Their money was all
gone, and II they continued the bust
ness they would be swamped.
They held a parley and decided to
run the paper a week longer. n
morning after this decision an item
In an inconspicuous part Of the edi-
torial page gave a hint that there was
a possibility of new blood being In
fused into the veins of the Annunci-
ator. A few days later another BRIEF
item-the first In the column-stated
that negotiations for new capital were
In progress with great hopes OF sue
cess. If a contract was made the An
nunciator would appear In a new dress
and add two more pages. Snarley
read these announcements and was
troubled. He poked his nose every
where to smell out where the new cap
ital was to come from, but failed to
find any trace Of IT.
One morning the A~nnunciator an
nounced that the financial suspense
that had lowered over the paper SO
long like a buzzard over a dying Hon
was ended. The future of the paper
was no longer problematical. Nor was
1t. The end was at hand.
At 10 o'clock Allan Lake, a nephew
Of Snarley, entered Springer's office
and asked If the negotiations had gone
so far as to prevent a plan to amalga-
mate the Wasp and the Annunciator.
If not his uncle would turn over his In
terest to him, put in new capital and the
united papers would be run by Spring
er and Lake Jointly. Springer said the
papers would not pass till II m. and
till then he would consider a PROPOSE
ton, whereupon Lake pulled a writ
ten proposition from his pocket, which
was accepted after consideration, and
the Wasp and the A~nnunciator became
one.
The night before Springer and his
wife had been up till dawn getting out
what they supposed to be the last issue
of the paper. They had intended 1t for
d bluff to give their enemy a scare,
though hoping that 1t would frighten