Evening star., 1924-09-14

L was IN the late nlnelicS ti0>
Potiphar Buss came to us-a
seedy little man. as bald as an
reg. Tramp printer though ne
may ASve been. he became q
hx.y.,s in ouf country print shop: and,
wilb tAe happy combination OF Potf-
pha$ RGsx ana the old drum press,
we c0zsS always be sure of getting
cs,t paper.
Tho years hA.~e come and gone with
1Duphar Boss sitting on a high stool
in our ad alley. cob pipe upside
down in hts toothless gums, his vest
Ies,lttoneS. his cracked spectacles
neAs t7e &C.: of a caulif.Ower nose
and k:z right hand swinging detly
over the case with cuff stud loosed
and wristband dragging.
"WeH." he commented the first
night as he washed with the rest OF
,.s around the battered corner sink.
this looks like q good place and
] guess TIL stick. All the same, some
day I'm goin' to take trip around
the woridr'
He said 1t in 1898: he said it in
1908: he said it in 1918. But some
thing always prevented him from
realizing that great ambition.
One day, in the spring of 1919. we
returned from dinner to find waiting
around our Office a young man who
looked as though he had contracted
a!t,ha hrSnds OF hard luck loosed on
& x@-i& The Robbins boys face
was pitiful because. aside from the
lines OF anxiety and wistfulness
whNr should never show on the fea-
lures e. q boy his right eye was al
most whrte-going bad from cataract.
The lads clothes looked as though
they Dad nren slept in for thousand
nights; he needed shaving: his hair
was unkem7t and curled down over
a soil~d coiar from beneath a rusty
cap. TITS age coulcn't have been 90;
his face was tnat of an old. old man.
Say. now, please can I have work.
he implo.ed US. I'll do anything If
you'll pay me money. Please can l
have work."
Sam Hod. the proprietor, looked the
boy over keenly. Drink wasn't re-
sponsible for such a condition.
Where you from he demanded.
II. nov. come from Maryland. !
been wo king on and off
faithful / promise | will.
I'll try my hardest to stick to a steady
sob"
Sam said to Fred Osgood. the local
real estate man-who was in the
office to advertise for bunch of lost
keys:
Something wrong with that boy.
Fred: screw loose somewhere He
turned back to the lad DO you know
the printers trade: Can you set
eyes. SIR the boy responded
eagerly.
"All right. Well see. Take him
into the back room, Bill. Turn him
over to Potiphar Buss."
And now the wages?' asked the
boy. How much money can you let
me have?"
Nine dollars a week ought to be
pretty good pay for a lad of your
years-not worth much more than an
apprentice"
The lads disappointment was pa
thetic.
You. now. couldn't make it
twelve
Why" exclaimed Sam. Il can get
half the boys in town for nine dollars
A week to start. Why do you want
twelve"
"I-now-well, never mind. I'd
rather have nine than nothing. But
if l work hard l wish you'd make it
twelve"
well see how well you know
your business first. Here's this ad
for the classified columns Mr.. Os-
goods just written. Old Potiphar
will show you the case Of six-point.
Tell him l said to put you setting the
classiheds for today's paper"
= <
THE boy went out: was duly pre-
L sented to Potiphar and loaned one
Of the latters black aprons. He
climbed upon a stool and started set
ting the cIassifeds. 1t was only a
little four-line advertisement, saying
that Fred Osgood had lost keyring
with a metal tag marked Il. c. Stew
ems" But he required the balance OF
the afternoon to finish it.
While the last forms were being
locked and we were standing around
watching the paper go to press, he
said to old man Buss:
"HSw does it happen a man named
Osgoe@ is advertising for keys
marksa Stevens?"
They probably belong to the old
Stevens property out on the North
"Fred's caretaker for the property
winters. The Stevenses go to New
York durin' snow times"
'And leave 1t furnished?"
yeah returned the other fmpa-
tiently. He was intent on clothing
ad that refused to lift"
That night as we were washing uI
the pressman asked the new boy:
where you Iivin'. sonny
"Nowhere-yet" the boy replied
Come over with me t Mis-
Mathers-she'll take you in," sai6
Potiphar Buss. The papers got ar
arrangement with her to board its
help. II they don't have t price. the
widder takes 1t out in advertisin'"
1t was Friday morning that Blink