The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1920-06-24
OLD TIME PRINTER.
Curious Relic of the Past Who Has
Disappeared.


Champion suggests that he has turn
ed to selling prunes and crackers or
else has chosen the more remunera-
tive employment Of preaching, poll
tics or law, ''preferring the pie count
er to pi for the hell box.
Last week we mentioned that Mus
kogeen Red, in these piping times OF
coca-cola, had settled down to the
humdrum life of country job shop.
The one-armed printer, Seth Barnum,
no longer comes to southern Kansas
with the coming of the apple Dlos-
SONS. Jersey Marrs, who used TO
make Topeka frequently, comes no
moro II has been several autumns
since Weary Willie Waterhouse, OF
Walla Walla, Wash, drifted around.
True to the traditions, there are
vet country print shops where the
side door is never locked. The coun-
trv editor trusts the outside world IN
more than one sense. With this hg-
urative latch string always out, the
night-blooming tourist printer was
NOT infreouently an unobtrusive noe
turnal guest.
When the 'devil' went down to
build the office fire and sweep the
floor of a morning, he would some
times find the tramp printer sleeping
the sleep of the just on the long work
table, his mattress multiple layers
of papers and his pillow bundle OF
exchanges. The unlimited guest
would waken at the slamming of the
door or the rattling of the stove
crate. rise to one elbow, yaWn, ana
proceed to curse the boy gently and
fuently for disturbing his slumbers.
His orison finished he would ask,
"When does the old man get down.!
When the editor put in appearance
he would greet him with single
ouestion. 'sHow's work." which, be it
explained to the casual reader, is the
mystic phrase which tells the editor
the questioner is a printer, has
union card and the world is his home.
The editor resounds to the grand
hailing sign with, Have you had
breakfast" and writes an order on
the local restaurant. In half an hour
the tourist is back and opens nego-
tiations with, ''They make pretty
good coffee at that joint He looks
at the boss expectantly. The boss
mods his head in a general way toward
the back shop. The tourist passes
into the gloom and shadows of the
icombined composing and press room.
He goes into the room and looks
about the shop as if it had been his
home for years. He instinctively sees
what is to be done. He throws in
dead jobs, cleans the stones, sorts
the leads, scours the brass plea rule
= until it looks like new, and comments
in a wickedly unfavorable way on the
ill usage the hair-line brass rule has
received He offers to sell the
tsdevil" hump-back rule he has car
ried for twenty years at the low price
of two bits. When everything is ship
shape he. begins sticking type on
straight matter. Click, click-click-
the types fall into the line in the
news stick in metallic monotone. The
''devil" at the next case is fascinated
by the tourists deft manipulation of
the types, watches him furtively and
admiringly, and drops one of his
types to the floor. The visitor gives
the boy a swift glance over
the top of his spectacles. Presently
the boy drops another type and makes
no move to recover it. The tourist
turns and impales the boy on the
javelins of his wrath: IF the old
man keeps you hangin' round here
year this shop will go broke. Git
down and pick up them type!" And
the boy obeys.
The boss, being The Boss, which
means editor and owner, works for
ten hours. The tourist, though
union man, does the same ungrudg-
ingly. At quitting time he does not
ask for his pay. He would like to
stay a day or two. Wise in his gen.
Grafton, he feels the boss out by ask
ing for the price of a shave and some
tobacco, gets another order on the
commissary department and it is the
end of a perfect day.
The editor goes to his humble YES
per meal and returns, may hap, to his
den for a bundle of exchanges. And
this scene greets his eyes, as he peeps
into the back of the shop: On the
back of chair hangs pair of fresh