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

kkT T 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 ch9r is a newspaper
Teller and he gave me two seats to the
Grand. II is pretty soft when you don't
have to kick i'm with two bucks seat
That hnd of a job beats shaving a
mile"
q used to think that way myself
said the Manicure Lady, because had
many pass slipped 10 me in my day by
them newspaper boys. 7 used TO think
that if had beer a man | couldn't ask
for no better job than 70 he a star on a
big newspaper and make friends with
great men and press agents. Brother
WTfred used to have the same ambition
ana wrote verses like a beaver chewing
at tree until he had had 50 many son
nets and all them freak things he loved
10 write come back from the editors as
fast as AIattic's fast ball The poor boy
* through with that now and is spend
ing his time looking at the want al
page and touching the old gent for an
occasional four bits.
tine way ! came 30 change my MIND,
George. abou. tho soft snap these news
paper boys have was ike this; young
teller 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 Ike Joe Blow, that used to come
here and get fresh with me until they
STONED racing and ne had TO use his
own scissors This Kid happened TO
mention that he was on a newspaper.
and when ] asked him If he knew any
press agents he told me that he knew a
dozen regular ones.
He asked me what show ] wanted to
20 to. George / told him ! would like
one cheap seat I'm 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
at the Lyric.
"That was Just what ! meant said
the Head Barber, when ] said it was
pretty soft to be a newspaper guy and
20 to all the shows free, and the bah
games and the prize fights.
IT amt through. George said the
mdlltuit iad'N f'''N i''NAN~
same remark To him about how nice it
must be TO be working on a 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
| thought it was myself when ! came
here from a little paper down state, fig
uring on being another Henry w. era
dv, but after few years on big paper
a man has a lot OF his illusions shat
tered. for every free ticket he gets he
gives 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 watt
ing for the scoop to come by accident.
It's tough game, kid. and It's n whole
lot swifter than II is soft That's what
he told me. George. and I believed him
when ! seen all them gray hairs on his
temples, and him only n young man"
Il suppose he ought TO know a lot
more about it 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 ] guess I'll stick TO
It,"
"If the only other Job in the world |
was being q newspaper man." said the |
Manicure Lady, ITS a oinch you would |
he barber Let literature alone, !
George, and keep on shaving"
Realism.