New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-04

them To- make something Of them
selves.
No, ~o with William ". Billings
The longer ae was with The Globe
the wor,c lc got: and from being treated with mild
diSian and pity by the older members Of the staff. he
came 20 D. loathcd and dcspised The more the city
editor re 70 polish of his knobs OF FRESHNESS ne more
they protr,lci. Nothing would chastcn ms -plrl.
At fr, e staff laughed at the habiIncnt 81 William
". Thcrr, his manner Of dressing down 10 his having
read book about reporters and supposed tna' ne "'Vd
shed them Hitl experience. Ihcy knew MN not III
stead Of sing their uStcr and cugcncc, the garment,
Of Wiha- IT, tool; on glamour with each successive
payday u,' it was q hard race between nm ana the
picture, iu e comic supplement as 70 which could hurt
the eye Of 'hc observer the more. And the betting
favored William W.
RUT. If .,. clothes offended what shall say Of his
- manr.r> II was intolcrablc. He would enter the
city room with his OvcrcOa wide open, his neck cdScd
IN high k. haring red waistcoat about M, OBJ
tuSlve c.., saucy little green felt nat on MS mead
heavy sWnging in one hand and a cigarette III
the othcr He would shove newspapers or anything
mat happened % be on his table oil 10 the ooI hang
his oyere,a' on top Of the clothing Of somebody esc'
drag chair his desk with great rattle, camp IN II
Mthhs patcd shoes on the desk, and look around
with lccr that made YOU want 70 hit nm over the
mead with 'lc city directory.
Then In q 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 il all. The more
sensible helrkcncd 10 him in wonder and silence; the
less wise tried 70 correct him when he was wrong
on any toiic-whch was always-only TO give up IN
disgust
Only Old man Tobcy the city editor, stood for him,
and his sole reason for doing that the rest Of the
stan would not. The old man was cranky that way.
Suspicion. no doubt Thought that if the staff all
Mated some particular man it must be jealousy; though
now there could have been any jealousy IN the OF
William W. Billings it would be hard to say. However,
when Ba Of the oldest and highest priced men ON
NE paper, went 10 him with a kick about William w.
LOBBY took the cubs part.
- Why don't YOU dump that insufferablc kid" said
Bass in heat; for coming in that day he had found
William W. az his desk. with his feet up, calmly reading
book which he had had the nerve to take out Of a
Pnvate drawer belonging to Bass. "IIc's good, is
ne And he's got the nerve TO sit at my desk read my
ys'HS, and never even give me thank you or get out
" my chair when | come I'M
, Oh' don't be hard on the kid said Tobcy. with
mat queer, high pitched drawl Of his; "give him
olance He doesn't know yet | think there's some
good in him"
:. All night if you want 70 squandcr the chief money
Nyihg 70 ind t. it. mp 10 YOU Bass rcioindcr
=; and worse than all this William w, instead Of max
;.g good, was always falling down. Even on the small
consequential assignments, the only kind they ever
HeSed him With, he was sure 10 let us get sCoOpcd.
In time and again and yet old Iobcy chung him.
gas hard % understand, except, as have said YOU
spiaied II by the old mans contrarincss. Maybe if
II"leDody had praised William W. once or twice, he'd
WSy hred him But nobody could say good word for
"'''il !" even under those conditions.
AND then came the affair Of Cyrus X. Cummings.
ve,; Ieier 70 the time when the Government was in