Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25

yet seven o'clock as Jimmy, after
hastily eating the breakfast that he had pre-
pared for himself, hurried down the steps OF the
gray wooden building which housed three other
families in addition to the Ryans, and made for
the business street a block distant. He was just
a few minutes later than usual this morning,
and he would have to hurry to get Ponds store
swept out before he went downtown for his
regular" job.
For some months Jimmy had been holding
two jobs, which was something new for him,
although working was certainly far from a
novelty. Jimmy's wages were the only income
Of the Ryan family with the exception of a
small pension that came to them each month
because Jimmy;s father had been a fireman.
One night three years before MIR. Ryan had
helped fight the blaze that destroyed the Mar
borough Hotel. The brave man had carried
two trapped guests to safety, but when he went
back for a third a floor fell beneath him.
Jimmy still was conscious Of a lump in his
throat as he remembered the days that followed
when they had taken his father away. Jimmy
had had to give up his fine plans to get an
education, leave school and 60 to work.
He had given up school willingly, but he had
not given up the ambition that he held closest
to his heart, which was to be a newspaper man.
Even during the time he worked in the box
factory near his nome he dreamed of the day
when he could work on a paper, and for two
years he had attended night school, getting
some of the education that was denied him dur
ing the day.
Then came his glorious opportunity. He had
had his name on file in every newspaper Office
in the city, and finally some months ago he
had been offered a job as a copy boy. The
wages he would earn were less than those
offered in the box factory, and Jimmy felt that
he was a little old for the job, but he took it
Wjfh0lH hesitation Then tn Ynako m IN hiS
mother for the lowered income Of his new
position, he got the job CT sweeping out Ponds
store in the mornings before he went downtown
to the Office of the Evening Express for his
eight hours there.
Jimmy swept the store out with speed to
make up those few minutes he was late, SO
that he was perspiring freely when he finished.
He pulled the door behind him and hurried
toward the elevated station. He bought his
paper, caught a train, and hung skillfully to q
strap while he scanned the mornings news.
If he were going to be a newspaper man it was
important that he become acquainted with the
city's dailieS.
THE local room Of the Evening Express was
already a busy place when he reached it.
Reporters and rewrise men at their desks were
clicking ava at typewriters, the assistant city
editor was busy at his telephones, and across
from him Mr.. Jones, the city editor, was hastily
scanning the short sheets of paper that the
copy boys rushed to him from the reporters.
No sooner had he hung up his hat than
Jimmy saw Mr. Jones raise his head, and the
familiar cry of "Boy!" doomed above the clatter.
Jimmy was Immediately at the city desk, where
he picked up the copy indicated by MIR. Jones
and placed it before the man who sat in the
center Of the circular copy desk. There it was
passed to one Of the copyTeaders for editing, a
headline was written for it, and it was returned
to the head copyread2r. tbs nan passed
Jimmy a bundle of edited copy, which he rolled
up and placed in a pneumatic tube. This
rushed it to the composing room to be set in
type on the busy linotype machines.
The rushing routine Of the Office was familiar
to Jimmy and he worked busily and surely.
Once Ed Gable, star reporter of the staff,
glanced around the room, spotted Jimmy and
beckoned to him. The reporter wanted some
clippings from the "nlorgue," where all old
material was kept on file, and Jimmy was
pleased that Gable had expressly picked him to
bring them. Jimmy admired Gable, and he
had noticed with pleasure that the reporter
gave him whatever tasks he wanted done
quickly and well.
AAS ioAAAHS "a puS!' UUj ~ ulIGTeLlG ITOm
any other morning in the Office. AS the day
wore on the heat grew more intense, and the
tempers of the men in the Office became frayed,
50 that orders were barked in irritable voices,
and the slightest delay or mistake by any one
and worst of all, by a copy boy-brought
forth a storm Of condemnation
Shortly after lunch, however, things slowed
Gown for a bit. and it was then that Jimmy
got in his daily practice at writing stories.
Taking a clipping from one of the papers that
were strewn about on the desk and floor, he sat
down at one Of the idle typewriters, studied
the story in his hand, and then tried to write
CT the same incident himself, improving on the
original in any way possible. He was so en-
gagged when he heard a Step behind him. and