The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-24

the Breyier Man and the Cub.

The reader will DO sorry for Addison
Wren. the >scub" reporter in Roy Rolfe
Gilson's story OF Katrina" Che Baker II
TAYLOR Company. Addison wrote a piece
OF singular eloquenoe and pathos concern
ing a thoroughly nice old gentleman who
had written a school history that had failed
to find favor with the Board Of Education.
The piece was long-some twenty ample
pages Of conscientious manuscript. We
wish we might say how long 1t was in print
but for reasons that will be OWNED by the
knowing h is not possible. The positive
excellence OF its style will be understood
when We says that it began: -ln an humbls
cottage with green blinds, on the outskirts
OF the town, dwells William June, with hi4
only child, a sweet faced. grave eyed lttla
girl who opens the door to you and bids you
welcome with maiden modesty and dainty
grace The little girl was Katrina, the
heroine OF this story, and the cub reporter
further offered to let it be known hat She
was not afraid OF newspaper men, but moth
ing could avert the ruthless consequence
that such a piece for some strange reason
or other invites. The blue pencil entered
sava9ely upon its travels, and the attenua-
ton Of the cub reporters piece. when it
unostentstiously appeared in a part Of the
paper than which no part was obscurerJ
was pitiful to see.
The cub reporter does not appear again.
In the tale; his humiliation was 80 profound
that it was merciful TO obliterate him; but
Larry McRae. the editorial writer. who is
the hero OF the story. will be found to be a
compensation. McRae delighted us. Hs
was a Warrington and a Pendennis in ons
person. grave n light. important and
delectable. He instructed g~overnments.
and when he had lone that he scintillated.
IL says in one place: After the Herald was
out. in its last edition for the day. il wal the
ancient custom for the youngsters 20 gather
cheerfully where the cheese raj free. and
where. over pipes and beer. they were won't
to prove (the more conclusively the mors
they sipped) that Literature was not yet
dead. or even sleeping. however paltry all
modern books might be. but had her abiding
place safely and happily enough in the
humber lodgings Of the daily press. What.
for example, could be better testing than
Cap and Bells? 1t was Ella himself como
back to life again. Larry McRae was a
better writer (cheese here) than any 100. 900
volume duffer Of he past decade! Here
beer.) What a novelistl-that is. IL he only
uoud-this lean Charles Lamb, this very
Dickens OF a fellow. with his knowledge Of
the street, the court room. the council
chamber. the prison cell. might be-"
Does the reader not like it7 If he does
not he is more dificult and less fortunate
than we are. Larry. to be sure. in only ono
character in the story. 1t is not TO be
supposed that everybody in the book could
be quite as interesting as he was, or even a.
interesting . the cub reporter. Katrina
herself was only a girl. IL is not TO he
thought, il realism was TO be applied to
her. that she could be quite a. remarkable
mentally as the people who make the after
noon newspapers. II is a matter OF honor
with us (as well as of space) not to divulgs
all the secrets of the story, but we will
say that Katrina, when she grew up, did
not marry Larry. She married a younger
man and asked Larry for his blessing;
and il this hurt him he was still not sur
prised by it, and he remained good and
amiable. We repeat that we found it a
pleasant thing to make his acquaintance,
and we were glad OF the cub reporter, though
to read OF his experience grieved us.