Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-06

IL. I'm sorry to part with you. In
deed. my heart is almost broken. I'm
sorry you're so impractical II you
were content to come down to hard
! work we could remain together. We
could be frugal and saving while
young. which would insure us com
petence when we get old. But this
visionary disposition of yours renders
that impossible. You say you are go
ing TO seek your fortune. Do you sup
pose you can find a fortune anywhere
easier than right here? Indeed, you
will have more difficulty in attaining
II where you are not known and where
you have no one to give you lift
when you most need it than here"
So spoke Amy Tarrant to John Es-
Textbook the day he left her to go out
into the world, as he told her. to make
! his fortune. He was indeed of that
order we call visionary. He believed
he would succeed, but he had no def
mite idea of how he would succeed.
He had no aptitude for drudgery.
.'I'H admit, sweetheart" he said,
"that it looks pretty dark ahead-that
is. for me. You will doubtless make
I'D your mind to the practical, the in
evitable, and marry some man who
will be hard worker. He will pro-
vide the necessaries of life for his
family and make you comfortable. l
am of q different kind. 1 can't force
myself to do what | dislike to do, and
what ] like to do doesn't pay But
some day / may find some way OF
making what / like to do pay The
world requires other things besides
food. clothing and a place to live in.
There are persons whose business ii
is to instruct, others to amuse, others
| to excite the Imagination"
"Oh. John. there you go again! Such
persons have just as hard time as
usually harder time than-those who
buy and sell molasses or boots and
shoes"
Nevertheless l am one of that class
and must take my place with them.
II 1 find something whereby l can
make money that is a pleasure to mo
as well. you may hear from me. Till
then farewell
John Esterbrook was wrong in his
reckoning. Yet it is questionable if he
was wholly wrong. For ninety nine
persons in every hundred the only way
| to be comfortable and lay up COM
| petence is hard work, whether they
| like it or not. However, John look
ed for employment which might lead
| to work that he would enjoy. He had
literary taste and considered news
paper work a part of literature. That
led him to seek employment in an edi-
torial room, and he found an inferior
position in the service of the Spots
wood Eagle.
OF the first five years of Johns work
In the newspaper business little can
be said He drifted from one depart
ment to another, not because he was
too dull to do the work assigned him,
but because his heart was not in it.
BE was also careless, and carelessness
is fatal trait in making up material
for the press. He managed, however,
to keep in harness because he was
liked. his popularity coming from an
infinite good nature and a dry humor
with which he caused his and other
persons mishaps and shortcomings to
appear amusing. If taken to task for
a blunder he would soften it by joke
so apt that it assured his forgiveness.
Then. too. John had in him a keen ap-
probation of the foibles of human ma
to have the shortcomings of other per-
sons except themselves shown up in an
amusing way
One day one of Johns fellow work
men said to him, "Why don't you put
some of these funny things you say in
the paper?"
u have never thought they were
worth it." John replied. but it gave
HI
memoranda of what seemed to amuse !
others and, putting the best of them
in proper form, offered them for the |
humorous column. They were used, |
and more appeared the next week |
Then some one suggested to John that |
he put his name to them. The work /
did not appeal TO his ambition, so, in |
stead of using his own name, he chose |
n substitute-Uncle Bill. From thar |
time forward something funny appear !
ed in the Eagle every week signed |
Uncle Bill, after awhile these
bits of humor began to be copied in
other newspapers. Their reception
was slow at first, because there was
an especial zest in them that required
IN little time to percolate through the
skulls of those who read them. Their
author had been quite awhile In edu-
cnting his associates to catch on TO
them, and it would have required an
equal time to educate the public had
1t not been that they appealed to GER
tain persons who introduced them to
others and they grew in favor
One day John was asked how he
would like to devote himself TO the ex-
elusive work of writing humor for the
Eagle. He replied that he didn't think
he could write funny stun 70 order,f
bnt he would try it He found that
by injecting his humor into ordinary
items Which were going the rounds of
the newspapers he could greatly in
crease aia supply. He was given
column caIied Uncle Bills Sayings"