The Glenwood post., 1912-05-04
A REALLY REAL EDITOR

and was badly in need of a rest. So /
weeks, and get as close to nature as !!
could within two or three hours of the
city, and recuperate.
Some of your western readers may
not be aware of the fact that one can
get practically out of the modern
world within fifty miles of Gotham.
but such is the. case. | can take you
to little towns not two hours distant
and show you specimens of the hey
rube, weary willie, the hobo, and the
"gol dern' and ''by gum yahoos
that cannot be found in all the west.
If | were a bunco artist and wanted t.
sell gold bricks | would devote my
time and talents to the rural communi-
ties in northern New Jersey. southern
New York, western Connecticut and
eastern Pennsylvania. You can find
hundreds and thousands of the most
unsophisticated people there that claim
to be alive.
l took the Pennsylvania railroad, or
rather | took a train, not the entire
road, and rode two hours, getting off
at a little station in the-well on a
river, and not over a thousand miles
from Lock Haven.
files up the side of mountain and
seven miles down the other side. Only
l walked the most of the way and bea5
the stage by thirty minutes.
i landed in a little valley which IS
about seven miles long and three miles
wide, hemmed in by mountains ON ev-
cry side. 1 think they call it Heaven
ly Valley. 1t is a mighty pretty and
productive bit of country, with as fine
farms as you will ever see. But the
residents live as much to themselves
as though they were out of the world
Very little of any sort of grain, pro-
duce or anything else is hauled ous
over the mountains. Almost all bust
ness is "A matter of barter and trade
among themselves.
l had previously written to the ed
itor and publisher of the newspaper
published in the little town at which
| landed. His name might be d. Henry
X. Stevens, only it is not. But that IS
the way he parted his cognomen. Whcl
] arrived at the hotel ! was shown to Il
room, and rested up little until the
stage arrived with my baggage. Their
l changed some of my clothing AMI
went down and asked the landlord if
there were a gentleman living in tha
town by the name of d. Henry X.
Stevens, and he quickly replied, "Why
sure, he is the editor of our paper
| inquired where he might be found.
and the bOniface replied: "Eou 90
straight down the street. on the other
side, and you will meet him before you
get to the postot1ice.'' "But,' ! said
81 do not know this editor man. -
"Well,' he retorted, "you will know
him when you meet him.
| concluded that the landlord was
bnghouse, and suggested that perhaps
d. Henry did not carry sign or ban
ner to make himself known to strang
ers.
"Oh,'' he said, ''you will know him
all right, all right, when you meet up
with him. And to prove my belief |
will bet you the drinks that you both
meet him and know hm-if you start
at once'
That bet was a cinch, If | did not
know him, | won; if | did meet him
and knew him, l could ''pass by on the
other side' and still win. So | a.
cepted the proposition of the landlord
that we take the drink then, and after
imbibing a little rum and gum I start
ed off toward the postotlice
About block down | met d. Henry
and | knew him! Sure! Anybody
could tell he was an editor. He was in
his bare feet, had on calico shirt,
pair of blue denim overalls, one sus'
pender, pencil behind each ear, an
other suspended by string from his
shirt pocket, and fastened by clothes
pin attached to the same pocket were
about fifty sheets of 6x9 news paper,
cut Jagged as if hacked off with shoe
knife.
Know him ! guess yes; anybody
would have known that he was the
editor
Then l went back and paid for the
drinks-several of them-and the Il
itor man joined us. I think for the
next hour he had the best time he
ever had in his life, for he was hollow
clear down to the stone bruise on his
off heel.
After a while the supper bell rang