The Washington herald., 1910-11-27

in the late japanese unpleasantness.
When found exclusively by a representa-
tive OF this paper she was perishing. ana
the thermometer. the last BIT of furni-
ture in her howell registered 30 below"
After tapping on nearly column about
this, l remember thinking what a sem
sation this was going 10 make and Won
dering If l would have TO carry con-
tributlons 10 the old lady from numerous
sympathetic subscribers. SO I rushed
with the typewriter copy into the Office
Of the editor. who was a large man In
uniform with brass buttons and had
large red ear with a quill pen tucked
away behind H.
Heading AFOuses Editor.
He took one look at the heading and
turned quite red with irritation. AS the
quill pen had been dipped in red ink and
as the facings OF his Uniform were red,
this gave him quite a nightmarish look.
and I was horribly afraid all OF sud
den.
"Carramba!" he cried (the Russians
really are linguists, you know. What
sort OF drivel is this? Look here, young
man, you don't seem to realize that
sent you out TO get news-news. There
is no point 10 this stuff. News is any
thing unsual. If a baby swallowed a CO.
pek. for instance, that would be news
But this is just driver. THERE" and he
threw my fine story on the floor. Go
out and try again. See If you can't get
us something extraordinary. Get away
from the commonplace. If you don't
can see you being sent on an assign
ment as correspondent in farther ST.
IBERIA
Out / went. very much ashamed and
cast down, / remember. Ii was not so
plain that there were no news in per-
sons starving to death in Russia But
l would do better next time. / made the
best resolves. and then around the next
corner 1 came upon a wild, solitary sort
Of place, where there were a thousand
persons standing out In the cold. They
looked queer and doleful and / scented
news right away. i hurried up 10 one
of the thousand, engaged him in CONVEX
sation, offered him a cigar, and asked
him what the trouble was
Sensation Seemed Certain.
He was very kind. and told me that
they had all been driven away from
their homes and their homes taken for
taxes. They had herded together, he
said, simply TO keep warm. ! didn't wait
to hear any more. Here was a sensa-
ton 10 wiring the Russian heart We
would get out an extra. ran at my
best pace, in fear that a man from a
rural newspaper might get the news, too.
But just as / stepped inside the door
several soldiers jumped forward, turned
their bayOnets against me, and forced
me against the entry wall. The editor
appeared.
Take him out and do TO him-you
know what he told the soldiers stolidly.
Then, turning 10 me, he was so good as
to explain: Il had police agent shadow
you this time, and he telephoned In TO
the Office and told US just how you had
been wasting your time. You ought TO
have been interviewing the governor OF
Tomsk, who is just back from his vaca-
ton on the Riviera Through your neg
ligence we are beaten by our rivals.
But, your excellency." / protested, Il
have important news; a thousand per-
sons found wandering homeless, stripped
by the taxgatherers.'
Waugh yawned the editor. Yes,
1 know Take him away, men,"
And / awoke with the harassing feeling
that several husky Russian soldiers were
standing around my bed in the dark,
making ready to perforate me with their
bayonets The soldiers did not go away
for fully half a minute after l seemed
otherwise awake Ii was a terrifying
Dream, but in many ways an interesting
one. The situations were so intensely
logical.