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

az j must pe me TO NJ '4t 'A tIl'''
newspaper feIlers that can all
the time get passes" said the
Head Barber That guy that / just
turned out OF the chair Is newspaper
Teller and he gave me two seats TO the
Grand. 1t is pretty soft when you don't
have to kick in with two bucks seat
That kind Of a job beats shaving a
mile"
Il used TO think that way myself
said the Manicure Lady. because l had
many pass slipped TO me in my day by
them newspaper boys. I used 10 thlnK
that il had been a man I couldn't ask
for no better job than 10 be star on
big newspaper and make friends with
great men and press agents. Brother
Wilfred used TO have the same ambition
ana wrote verses like a beaver chewing
At a tree until he had had so many SON
nets and all them freak things he loved
10 write come back from the editors as
fast as Mattie's fast ball The poor boy
Is through with that now and Is spend
ing his time looking at the want al
mage and touching the old gent for an
occasional four bits.
"The way I came to change my MIND,
George. about the soft snap these news
,aner bows have was like this A young
t.Iler came in here the other day to have
his nails did. and he was sure some
smart kid. not one Of them fresh book
makers like Joe Blow, that used TO come
here and get fresh with me until they
stopped racing and ne had to use his
own scissors This Kid happened to
mention that ne was on newspaper.
and when ] asked him IL he knew any
nress agents he told me that ne knew
dozen regular ones.
He asked me what show ] wanted to
20 to. George. | told him ! would like
one cheap seat in some show, and the
dear bow told me that a big league girl
Ike me deserved better seals than that
He gave me two swell seats to a show
at the Lyric
',rhat was Just what meant" said
the Head Barber. when ] said 1t was
pretty soft to be a newspaper guy and
20 to all the shows free. and the ball
games and the prize lights
81 amt through, George" said the
Manicure Lady when ] made the
same remark to him about how nice 1t
must be 10 be working on 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 that you are talking about
I thought IL was myself when ] came
here from little paper down state. fig
uring on being another Henry w. era
dy. but after a few years on a big paper
a man has a 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"
Two thirds OF the scoops" he gets
mean a long tramp into some muddy
country that lasts I'll near press time
or a night under the white lights wait
ing for the scoop TO come by accident.
It's a tough game, kid, and it's a whole
lot swifter than II is soft That's what
he told me. George, and believed him
when seen all them gray hairs on his
temples. and him only young man"
7 suppose he ought to know a lot
more about II than do" said the Head
Barber "and don't suppose I'd ever
care very much for that kind OF job,
anyway. This proposition OF mine suits
me all right, and I guess I'll stick to
it,"
II the only other Job In the world
was being a newspaper man" said the
Manicure Lady, Its a cinch you would
be a barber. Let literature alone,
George, and keep on shaving"