El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-27
The Herald's
Daily Shert Stery
The Editor and the Devil

IMP following at his heels. he mounted
! the stairs until he reached the top
floor cf the lofty building.
The long composing room, with its
array of forms and galIeys looked
gloomy and spectral with but a single
electric light switched on, and the
search of the editor among the files Of
copy" and proofs on the desks Of the
readers proved Intellectual.
ST can't find that article-perhaps it
has been left in the linotype machine
room" he said.
Cant get in, sir; the cage is locked"
laconicalIy replied the Devil.
The cage was a door composed of a
description Of trellis work in stout wire
, covering the entrance to the linotype
room. Not without good reason were
would-be intruders, who might be mex
2erlenced in the latent power and dan
ger contained in the room. restrained
from entering.
i have ley said the editor and,
selecting a small one of peculiar make
from these on a burch. he opened the
cage. The lcDg rows of machines in
the semi dalLness somewhat resembled
groups Of the Old-fashioned upright
pianos of a bygone generation.
Just switch on a light, will you?"
he said. cropping about among the
numerous files Of proofs hanging from
a shelf
The Devil turned to the wall at his
side, and. whether from the original
sin with which he was imbued, or by
mere mistake, he gave a twist to a
small knob projecting from a board
which he had been strongly cautioned
against even approaching.
Immediately the midnight silence
was broken by rush and a roar The
broad leather belts with which the roof
was intersected began to revolve, and
in an instant the twelve linotype ma
chimes were in motion, rafting away
as If anxious to bring out a midnight
edition Of the paper. Instead of the
light, the Devil had switched on 900
volts Of electric power.
Here, stop that, you young idiot!
Switch 1t off again-no; better let me
do it" shouted the editor, and, in
haste and Impotence, confused as well
by the poor light, incautiously he rails
ed his hand to the switchboard.
Instantly, with a scream resembling
that of woman in agony though
he was strong, powerfully built man
he was lifted bodily from his feet
and flung across the floor until he
struck the opposite wall, Is feet away.
Then, dropping heavily on the boards.
he twisted in gyrations like those of a
snake, rolling over and over and
clutching Intellectually at the wood
with his nails. Then, after rolling
across the entire width of the room, he
lay on his back, rigid, and with hor-
ribly distended eyes
inadvertently he had touched a brass
knob on the switchboard containing a
current so powerful that an iron bar,
accidentally dropped on it some weeks
1rc1x~ 4
ing to the floor in a liquid stream
For the first few minutes the Devil
stood as if paralyzed, and with his own
optics staring in a manner not at all
unlike those of the stricken man on
the floor. Then, for the space of half
a minute. he executed a sort of war
dance round the PROSTATE figure,
paused, scratched his head and after a
prolonged stare fled down the stairs
At the bottom his egress was barred
by the door which he had closed ten
minutes previously and against which
he now kicked and hammered in vain.
Again he mounted the stairs. and
half way up paused as though
thought had struck him Into the tele
phone chamber he flew and rushed to
the instrument which he knew to be
that most in use.
Hullox, exchange! Put me on to
some DOCTOR, VIII yer? Ny editors gone
and trollycuted hisself." he yelled, be-
fore the man at the other end had
time to get to his instrument
Who are you?" same the cry.
I'm the Devil"
"Who?"
The Devil at the Evening Meteor
office"
"Oh, go to your native place." replied
the man at the exchange, and shut him
off, thinking that someone was guy
ing" him. Messages in plenty he got
all night from the "dailies," but the
Meteor was an evening paper. with
which the night staff at the exchange !
had little to do.
The Devil paused irresolutely for a