The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-10-13
HIS MOVING EDITORIAL.


Blast" Learns of Its Effects.
" A typographical craftsman on a
professional tour of the country af-
ter the manner of his kind" said
the ex-editor of the Geeville Trum-
pet Blast of Freedom, struck Gee
vile one day and simultaneously
struck the Trumpet Blast Office for
the price of two beers, not neces-
sarily to be charged on account, but
as an evidence of the Offices good
faith in the promise of the tourist
to come back after while and may
be set some type. The Geeville
beer seemed to hit his palate with
favor, for he actually came back
and said he would stay with me a
day or so, provided the resources of
the Office warranted it being worth
his while, and Il too much service
wasn't required.
"All the service I required just
then from anybody was the setting
up of half a column or so OF read
ing matter for that weeks issue of
the Trumpet Blast, as the Kidding
myself from that stunt would let
me loose long enough to go down
the river ten miles and get the
$3.50 that was coming from sure
pay but tardy patron of mine, and
let me come back in funds sufficient
to lift the G. o. d. off of the bundle
of paper then in the custody of the
express office, an embargo which
present financial depression had
somewhat delayed the lifting Of,
and on the lifting of which the
promise of that weeks Trumpet
Blasts coming out largely depend
ed. The touring printer allowed
that he could take the chances on
me to the extent of that half col
umn, and good old Deacon Pipher
offering me the use of his horse l
cut loose.
"A couple of hours later ! pulled
up at the house of my patron.
lis Hiram homer l asked his
wife-Hiram Westcott being his
name.
"'Well, no, said his wife. Hiram
amt to home jest now. He druy to
Geeville this morning by the hill
road. If you're ridin' up the river
road, though, you'll more'n likely
meet him comm back
81 headed for the river road to
waylay Hiram or get back to Gee
vile while he was still there. | met
him before l had gone two miles up
the road. l pulled up my horse and
hailed him. He recognized me and
without stopping his team shouted
to me:
- How de do? Settled that air
$3.50 with your pardner this
mornin'.'
"On he went. My partner?
Huh, huh And 1 couldn't help but
think that it behooved me to get
back to Geeville without tarrying
along the road to admire the seem
cry and listen to the warbling of
the birds, as there was tolerably
good presumptive evidence that my
tourist substitute had been acting
in a certain fiduciary capacity dur
ing my absence, and there was dan
ger that he might be moved to in
vest unduly of that $3.50 in Geeville
beer. l drove as fast as the Dea-
cons horse could take me.
"The Trumpet Blast Office was va
cent when / got there. Feeling
that activities had simply been re-
moved from there to the Geeville
beershop l was about to hurry over
there when an envelope lying on my
table addressed to me caught my
eye. l opened it. 1t contained a
note from the craftsman l had left
in charge. Pinned to it was an edi-
torial I had written on The Ties of
Home and which had left on the
copy hook for him to put in type:
Reverend Sir: When l send you
the word how my poor old father
and mother welcomed their long
truant and prodigal son with tears
and sobs of joy and how grateful
they were when I told them it was
this piece of yours, The Ties of
Home that turned me with irresis-
tible longing back to the old farm,
l think can see you overcome with
thankfulness that you let your gen.
ius loose in writing it and with re-
gret that the old gent from down
the river was only shy $3.50 on his
paper to speed me on my way back
to mother and the old home. The
piece broke me all up and moved
me so that l couldn't even wait for
the stage. And now at last l know
who wrote Where is My Wandering
Boy To-night?' and Beautiful
Snow 1t was you, bless you! If
we do not meet again on earth, shall
we meet in-but let that pass. 1t
is too sad for this occasion.
Not au revoir, but fare you well!
"Thine,
John Shakespeare.
There are people in Geeville to
this day who do not know why the
Trumpet Blast of Freedom failed to
come out that week. Press of
outside work. I said in the next
issue: and that was no lie either {"