New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-08
Winner Of SIS Prize
GOMEZ SION OF A BEGINNER
Nv Herbert /. Baker Of New York City

I'VE morning. wears and years ago. sat at my
J desk in a wholesale printers supply house III
Minneapolis. had not been there week. ana
realized that what did not know about craftsmanship
would fill book
The head Of the house. called The Major, sent a
letter 10 nv desk from Samuel Gundcrson, Molla
Dakota in which Samuel expressed his desire to start
weekly paper asking fcc estimate and prices on the
necessary type machinery, &C. good many new
papers were starting in Dakota about that timc ana
this looked like good chance for fine order. sur
mi ing that the inquiry had probably gone to other
,,ppIv houses as we'll said to myself, ~Icrcs the time
for little Willy Quick to jump the first train Tor Moua
and get that order before anyone else wakes up
went into the private Office and said as much to the
Major
~Sovou think you'd better go after that order on the
first train do YOU said he as he looked up quzzcaly'
~Wcn, | don't; but if YOU think best 60 ahead you
must get your experience sometime.
Il was long trip southwest and about the middle OF
the next forenoon jumped off at NIola with heavy
ripfl of catalogues, order blanks and other paraph
MALTA.
The station was the only building in sight Neither
was there ANYTHING else tree, not shrub, not
hill nothing but the far rim Of a boundess prairie
shut in bv the horizon bowl. This sole building was
station posolice general store, and the Pooh-bah OF
the ~cjty~ lived upstairs 1t simply one OF those
numerous, places where two railroads crossed on their
way to somewhere else
finally asked the sole human being in sight if he
knew Samuel Gunderson He opened door at the loot
Of the stairs and called out:
"Oh. Mary do YOU know any Samuel GunderSon that
gets mail here" and a female voice replied:
Samuel Gundcrson? oh, yes, that must be Old John
Gundersons little boy Sammy
The agent pointed out a window, and told me John
Gunderson was a farmer living twelve miles away IN
that direction.
Ibad come several hundred miles to sell printing
plant to a little boy living in a desert twelve miles
beyond nowhere! And the Major was snickerlng IN
Minneapolis
sauntered out with as fine an imitation OF noncha-
lance as could muster and down on the edge OF the
platform TO think What should do next? What an
-ine specimen Of the know it all" brotherhood had
shown myself to be! How could face the Majors Sar
castle remarks? For one wild moment thought OF
throwing up my job by telegraph, getting work some
where at my trade printer, and never going back.
Jumped up and asked the agent which direction the
next train went, and when.
East FOURTEEN, was his reply.
"Where will that train be at seven o clock tomorrow
morning"
"Slvania, Illinois.
Silvania proved to be a sleepy little rose-bowered
brick village, with two printshops. found that
dngy rckety pair Of stairs led up to the nearest print
ing office and another pair still more rckey had to be
climbed to reach the editors sanctum.
arrived out Of breath, and Of everything else Never
had gone into strangers office to sell him anything,
and did not know how. The editor had apparently
been there all night and gave such "cussing out
as had never heard. He finished by rushing at me like
wild bull and threatening to throw me downstairs.
saved him the trouble by a sudden scared scuttle