Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-22
The Manicure
Lady
By WILLIAM F. KIRK.

MT must be fine to be one of them
newspaper feIlers that can all
the time get passes" said the
Head Barber, That guy that l just
turned out of the chair is a newspaper
feller and he gave me two seats to the
Grand. II is pretty soft when you don't
have to kick in with two bucks seat
That kind Of a job beats shaving
mile"
'T used to think that way myself
said the Manicure Lady. because had
many a pass slipped to me in my day by
them newspaper boys. l used to think
that if 1 had been a man l couldn't ask
for no better job than to be a star on
big newspaper and make friends with
great men and press agents. Brother
Wflfred used TO have the same ambition
and wrote verses like beaver chewing
at a. tree until ne had had so many SON
nets and all them freak things he loved
70 write come back from the editors as
fast as Nattie's fast ball. The poor boy
IL through with that now and rs spend
ing his time looking at the want ad
nare and touching the old gent for an
occasional four bits.
s"The way / came to change my MIND
George. about the soft snap these news
naper boys have was like this: a young
4efIar came in here tho other day 10 nave
his mans dad and he was sure some
smart kid not one Of them fresh book
Ynalxsrs like Joe Blow, that used to come
here and get fresh with me until they
.Aouped racing and ne had TO use his
own scissors This kid happened to
uneukfou that he was on a newspaper,
and when asked him II he knew any
uress agents he told me that he knew
donen regular ones.
~He asked me what show wanted to
wn 10, George. told him I would like
| one cheap seat IN some show, and the
dear boy told me that big league girl
IKE me deserved better seats than that.
He gave me two swell seats to show
a. the Lyric"
THAT was just what ] meant" said
rhe Head Barber, when ] said II was
pretty soft to be a newspaper guy and
70 to all the shows free, and the ball
games and the prize fights"
Il amt through, George" said the
Manicure Lady. when / made the
same remark to him about how nice il
must be to be working on n newspaper.
where everything is free TO journalists,
he looked at me kinda sad and said:
kid. this isn't any cinch, this news
paper game chat you are talking about
| thought ii was myself when ] came
here from a little paper down state. fig
uring ON being another Henry W. era
dv. hut after few years ON big paper
man has q lot Of his Illusions shat
tered. for every free ticket he gets he
gives a few hours Of sleep. hours he
spent with those same press agents
hours that much better had been spent
In bed"
1.-Two thirds OF the scoops" he gets
mean a long tramp into some muddy
country that lasts til near press time
or a night under the white lights, wait
ing for the scoop to come by accident.
It's tough game. kid. and it's a whole |
lot swifter than il is soft That's what
he told me. George, and believed him |
when seen all them gray hairs on his |
temples. and him only a young man"
II suppose he ought to know a lot
more about It than do" said the Head |
Barber, land / don't suppose I'd ever |
care very much for that kind of lob, 2
anyway This proposition of mine suits |
me all right, and 7 guess TT stick to |
t."
IF the only other JOB IN the world |
was being q Newspaper man." said the |
Manicure Lady, '1Fs a cinch you would |
be a baroes Let literature alone, |
! GVcNsS, and Gsep on shaving"