The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-02-05
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
The Plugger.
~ VINCENT 9. PERRY
Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

4
~ MALCOLM McDoUGALL was off.
M ciAlly Known as the city editor
~ Of the News, but any title from
Office boy to managing editor could
have been applied to hihn-not that
the News was small ole-horse pa.
Per, but Malcolm was a fifty horse
power plugger IN the true sense Of the
word. Work. Why, s o'clock In the
morning to midnight we're easy hours
for him! Nothing was done right UNI
less he had q hand In it. No matter
how well 9 story was written Malcolm
could always find place that needed
attention. No wonder reporters didn't
stay long on the News. Although
Malcolm was a nice fellow personally,
he Absolutely wouldn't allow another
man to bring forth his individuality
or originality.
OF course, with man like Malcolm
at the head Of affairs the News got
along very we'll with full staff OF
cubs and one senior man. Larry Mont
rose was that senior-a senior on a
JUNIORS salary, 1t must be confessed.
Just why he put up with Malcolm and
refused the offers Of other papers was
hard to explain, but Larry smiled at
the world good.naturedly and wrote
columns for Malcolm to retouch every
day, even though sometimes the re.
touched stories were not as good as
the original ones.
There was one department that Nal.
COIN had not broken into-the WON.
ans page. It had long been the
prophesy at the News that that would
be the next domain he would besiege,
but no one had really believed such a
thing possible. Sure enough, when
Miss Lorene, the editor Of the page,
was taken i'll Malcolm threw aside the
editorial he was writing for the editor
and commenced to whip her page into
shape. When Larry came upon him
he was In the midst of pile of Lone
ly Wives and Longing Sweethearts"
letters.
eye fishes, man" Larry exclaimed,
what next will you be doing? Why
can't Miss Lewis do that?"
why, Miss Lewis has not had quite
q years experience" came coptemptu-
ously from Malcolm. rThis page is too
popular a feature Of the paper to have
spoiled by bungler. You'll have to
write your own heads and shoot that
copy right down to the composing
room. should go over it, but per-
haps 1t twill do"
Larry smiled. 1t was the first time
he had been permitted to have his or.
iginal story set up. AS he watched
Malcolm writing replies to silly letters
he smiled again. This time his smile
lasted.
Just an hour before the paper was
10 90 to press. two days later, Malcolm
remembered the womans page. There
was a whole stack Of letters waiting
TO be replied to and make ready for
publication. Again he had to o, X.
sheets Of Larry's copy without even
reading It. With his usual door-die
attitude he tackled the letters. About
the third one from the top interested
him, and he read 1t again, only to read
and ieread 1t, Every time he read II
stronger became his conviction that
he knew the writer. AS the feeling
and pathos in her appeal got under his
skin he blushed to the roots Of his
hair. His wife was the writer Of that
letter and he was the neglectful has.
band she was writing about. 1t was
Just as she said. he had neglected her
almost from the time Of their mar
riage, shametully. Night after night
he had gone back to work, leaving her
to the Gompanionship Of her young sis
ter Betty. How was he to know that
Nshe would be lonely Just with Betty!
Why. OF course he should have known.
But the last paragraph OF the letter
was tho startling enc.
There Is an old friend, q gentle.
man, who, realizing how neglected /
am by the man accepted in prefer.
epce to him, has tried persistently to
make my life happier by his compan-
! ionship and presents, but have refus.
5 ed then ull through my sense Of loyal
ty to my husband. But as the months
50 by and he still neglects me, feel
q car no longer endure 1t. and must
turn to this other friend for the com.
: palionship my husband denies me.
Dear Luzette, what do you adviser"
For q long time after Malcolm had
y MAIDS sure Of the contents OF the let.
ter, he sat back in his chair and
though it over. There lay the explain.
alton 10 lot Of mysteries he had
been trying to solve in halfhearted
eort OF way for a long time. So that
i was the writing Marion had been do.
ing in secret-letters to Wendell
Hughes, and q letter to "Luzette," the
name under which Miss Lorene con.
Quoted her column. Wendell Hughes
had wprmed his way into her aztec.
TONS after all. he, told himself angrily.
What was there TO do about It? Be.
fore h6 had ! working ont the prob
lem for fiys 'i!cs he had decided
an half a d. curses OF action--
most OF them .Sltn; ones. Then con.
d science got in its work He was to.
lame Tor It all. he admitted. finally.
Z Il VAS Ill his fault for neglectng Ma.
rlRp, the sweetest little wife in the
4 World, % he had done. OF course he
had been doing all his hard work for
hether happiness had never been out
lot his mind for an instant, but he had
mistaken what would be happiness to
Z her: His companionship and devoted
love meant more TO her than all the
wealth and prosperity in the world he
could rec that from the letter, and
somehow the thought thrilled him.
Take charge, I'm going home" Nal.
\ colin called out to Larry as the jumped
& I'M from his desk. "'There Ia not fnnch