The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-12-01
Fiction
Ills LAST ASSIGNMENT.
BY CHARLES E. VAN LOAN.

Tue TOOIA OI NeWSpupef row, COluuln
of flame shot into the night, and tho
clnng Of hurrying engines rose sharp
ly from the clatterlng streets below.
Great Jehoshaphatl That's a big
fire, Chester; close too sWllo's got itV'
The city editor came to the window,
copy in hand, and 1attened his nose
against the pane.
DShe Is roarer, isn't she? sent
young Stanley out on that. l didn't
know It was going TO he a big thing or
I'D have sent some one else. Looks like
more than he can handle, I'm afraid"
The sporting editor ceased his tap
ping ON the window aud turned to the
speaker.
Say, Ches. what's the matter with
the youngstcr anyway From the way
he shaped UP at FIRST thought he was
going to make a top nOtcher, but Eddy
Rice aud the News aud Tim Barnes of
the Reporter skin him alive whenever
they're out on the same assignments.
! don't understand II. And he was
such big help to me last winter with
that football stuff, too; knew all the
team like book; played on one of 'em
year before last II you remember.
He's as steady as a clock and as Will
ing as a boy can be, yet every time
he gets u, chance to do something big
he goes up in the air" .rr. a..
IL know thut," said the city editor.
This 10 strictly ON the q. T., but the
old man sent for me only last night to
talk to me about that very thing. He
says the boy hasn't shown any nat
ural aptitude for newspaper work and
unless he makes good he'll have to be
dropped" And the city editor went
back to his blue pencil again.
From down the smoky street came
the mufIled roar of human voices. The
sporting editor threw up the window
and leaned out
Cheering, by George! Hear 'em,
Chester? There must be something
doing down there; fireman making Il
grand stand play most likely. | can
see your scare head tomorrow, our
Brave Fire Ladies' Hey?"
Ten minutes later one of the office
boys dashed in breathless and excited.
Say, Mr.. Chester, you otter been
down tn street. There's three women
up on tn top floor of tn building
what's ailre. an everybody thinks
they're goners, cause tn streets IL tore
up wit sewers, an tn Gremen can't
get in there wit tn towers. A man
gets through tn ropes an runs across
tn street wit his coat over his hend,
an before they could nab him In he
goes at tn front door. Tn next we
saw of him he was up on tn roof
a-lettin' down n piece OF rope to tn
window where tn women was. TIL
rope was only short one, an so he
hauls 'em up on tn roof where he Is,
an then we sees what he Is goin' to
do. You know tn three story bricl;
what's next door? Well, thcy's wire
runs from tn top OF tn big bulldin'
down TO tn brick on slant. about
So" And here Bobby indicated an
angle of about forty-hve degrees. Gle
bitches tn littlest woman on to this
wire wit n piece of rope an cuts l?f
loose. didn't watch because | was
scared 1t wouldn't hold her. but It did,
an she got down all right. Then he
sends tn next one down Nobody said
word, We was Just holdin' our
breath While he was tyln' on tn last
woman tn whole insides Of tn build.
| In caves In, an | thought they was
both gone for sure, but when tn smoke
| clears away there he Is way on tn
edge OF tha wall, wi fire all around
him. an tn last woman is halfway
down. tn rest of til rope he was
| snvln for. himself must have went
/ down into III fire, for he looks around
for 1t just once an then swings out an
comes down that wire hand over hand
like a circus actor. When tn crowd
saw that he was a-goin' to make II al
right they cut loose. an bet you
could have heard 'em over In Jersey
! They swarms around tn brick bulldln
TO meet him when he comes down. but
somehow he makes clean getaway
an there don't nobody know who ht
Is nor nothin"
And Bobby paused for breath, mucl
abashed TO find that every one haC
drawn near TO listen.
The city editor threw up his hands
and groaned.
"Now, isn't II Just my luck to sent
Stanley out on story like that? Why
Billy Himball would have got three
columns out of that, besides Il slgnel
interview with this unknown person
and maybe II picture of him thrown In
Dexter, you go out ana get what yoi
can Of this, will your"
An hour afterward a tall, broat
shouldered young fellow came quietly
into the room and laid n bunch o.
copy on the city editors desk. Ches
ter looked up and nodded greeting
his practlced fingers already sortinl
the penclled sheets. Ia.
t"Looks little sloppy, don't it," sale
he. whats this blood r. ,N.,
The young man diyed his hand int
his coat pocket and replied hurriedly
"Yes. I'm afraid 1t does look a llttl'
that way, but | cut my hand dowl
there, and | haven't had time yet 4
have Il fixed up"
Chester had reached the bottom
sheet. aud when he spoke again hi