Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-04-27

street. Iwould show Old Green Eye
shade I wasn't licked. Not only
that, but would scoop his paper.
A man was sorting letters and
showing them into boxes. My first
glimpse of want-ad answers.
''Where will I find the city edi-
tori" I asked professionally.
The city editor?'" he repeated.
"The city editor" said firmly.
Ellis office is upstairs"
I stared in establishment, when I
got there, for there were only two
persons in the office. No green eye
shade. But I didn't know whether
I wanted to work on such a small
paper, or not, for the other office had
been humming with activity.
IT want to speak to the city edi-
tor"
A man stopped running his type
writer and looked at me curiously.
"Do you want job?"
Eyes, sir"
"Come back at one-thirty."
I crept down the stairs, beginning
to get the hang of the thing. I
had known there were evening pa
pers and morning papers, but only
vaguely.
I wandered around the streets,
feeling lonely but confident. No one
spoke to anyone else. Hardly any
horses on the street.
| AT one-thirty I climbed the stairs
again. The place seemed alive with
| people. The man who had been rum
ming the typewriter silently pointed
a finger at man sitting at desk
and l marched over and told him I
wanted to 60 to work for him. Thank
God he could hear!
Finally, when l was through, he
said, How much money do you
want?"
said, "I'n leave that to you" In
Maryville that would have been a
challenge for the man to be gener-
Gus. But I was to find city ways
were different.
Il can pay you 50 week." I
told him I would take it. "When
can you 60 to work."
GAS soon as I can get a place to
live"
l found a rooming house and got
on streetcar and started for my
grocery store. The telescope was
there. l hadn't been in the city
long enough to realize Pa knew what
he was talking about.
| l was given run" of the under
takers and the YMCA which was
the first knew about that organiza-
ton. A place for young men. But
they were playing pool. I was be-
ginning to see Pa was right.
Ma wrote twice a week. Was I
sleeping well? Was I getting plen-
ty of good wholesome food? What
kind of bed did have? Was I being
good boy? Then she would tell
the family news. The price of eggs,
who was sick, Uncle Will Seweu had
come up in the cart because the
roads were muddy. The Kennedys
had hog cholera. Ma hoped it
wouldn't get down our way. They
Mas letters-always ended the same
way: "Your father sends regards"
One day, after I had been work.
ing about month, I came to my
desk and there, on my Oliver type
writer, was an envelope with my
name written in heavy pencil. In
side was a sheet of copy paper type
written with this sentence on it:
GAS of Thursday, the Gazette will
have to dispense with your serv-
ices"
The bitterness was almost over
whelming. went out on the street
to be alone.
| When I came back, I went to the
city editor and asked why. l found
then, that it had not been my work
after all. The star reporter had had
a better offer and to hold him they
would have to pay him more mon
ey and cut down elsewhere. 1 was
the elsewhere.
I went to the Press (now the St.
Joseph News-Press) and succeeded
in getting a job. I wrote home that
I was now working on another paper
and received letter from Ma which
said: "Pa says he is glad you could
better yourself"
One day I brought in a copy of
Puck with piece of mine in it, and
proudly showed it to the city editor.
He read it and said: well, I must
get around to writing one of those"
I looked at the girls tripping along
and wished knew one Sometimes
l tried to strike up acquaintance,
but was so shy I was usually put
off at the first rebuff.
At last the lonesome summer was
over, and got on the train. Faith
full Pa was at the depot, shook hands
with me and said, "I'n carry your
grip" and picked up the telescope
with the mouse hole in the corner.
AS we logged home, I told him
about my work; now and then he
hinted-was satisfied with that way
of earning a living? He had turned