Evening star., 1911-06-04

after month or two of the legwork H 4
city editor always gives newcomers AA
to his flock. Then the good points
of them begin to show and if they 0RV
show plainly enough the city editor
starts them real work and helps
them to make something OF them
selves
Not so with William w Billings.
The longer he was with "The Globe"
the he got; and, from being treated with mild
dsdain and pity by the older members OF the staff he
to be loathed and despised. The more the city
editor tried polish off his knobs of freshness the
they protruded Nothing would chasten his spirit
At first the staff laughed at the hablments OF William
w. They put his of dressing down to his having
read books about reporters and supposed that he would
shed them with experience. They knew him not In
stead of losing their luster and eugence the garments
of William W took on glamour with each successive
payday, until it hard race between him and the
pictures the comic supplement to which could hurt
the eye of the observer the And the betting
favored William W.
PUT, if his clothes offended, what shall l say of his
l. manner? 1t ntolerable! He would enter the
CITY room with his overcoat wide open his neck ncased
in high STOCK faring red waistcoat about his OBJ
trusive chest saucy little green felt hat on his head,
heavy swinging in one hand and cigarette in
the other. He would shove newspapers or anything
that happened to be his table off to the floor, hang
his overcoat top of the clothing of somebody else
drag chair to his desk with great rattle. camp in it
with his whtespated shoes the desk and look around
with eer that made you want to hit him over the
head with the city directory.
Then, in a loud tone of voice. he would start in to
discuss the events of the day with anybody who would
listen to him. He did all the talking, and his point of
view decidedly original He knew it all! The more
sensible hearkened to him in wonder and silence; the
less wise tried to correct him when he wrong
any topic-which always-ony to give up in
disgust.
Only old man Tobey the city editor, stood for him,
and his sole for doing that the of the
staff would not. The old man cranky that way.
Suspicious, doubt. Thought that if the staff all
hated some particular it must be jealousy though
how there could have been any jealousy in the of
William w. Billings it would be hard say. However,
when Bass of the oldest and highest priced
the paper went to him with kick about William W.,
Tobey took the cubs part
"Why don't you dump that insufferable kid?" said
Bass in heat for on coming in that day he had found
William w. at his desk with his feet up calmly reading
book which he had had the to take out of a
private drawer belonging to Bass. "Hes no good is
he? And he's got the to sit my desk read my
books, and never give thank you or get out
of my chair when come in'
"Oh, don't be hard on the kid" said Tobey with
that queer, high pitched drawl of his; "gve him a
chance He doesn't know yet. l think there's some
good in him."
@All right if you want to squander the chiefs money
trying to find It, it S up to you, Bass reoinder.
And, than all this, William W., instead of max
ing good, always falling down. Even the small
inconsequential assignments, the only kind they
trusted him with, he to let get scooped.
Did it time and again. and yet old Tobey clung him.
1t hard to understand except, have said, you
somebody had praised William w. once or twice he'd
have fired him. But nobody could say good word for
William w.. under those conditions.
A ND then came the affair of Cyrus K. Cummings
= | refer to the time when the Government in
vestigatng the gigantic trust of which the esteemed Mr.
Cummings the head center, handspring. progenitor,