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About The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1893)
HIGGLES' SPEECH. Griggs was washing himself, und was hi a hurry. The telegraph had run heavy all uftornoon; unusually hoavy. "Nothing sturtling," Griggs nuid, whon Hie editor asked him bow the wires were working, "only the news seems to pour hi from all quartern." Griggs was glad when supper time came. He had an on gaguinent that evening and anticipated pleasure. Suddenly a oluuigo came ovor Griggs' face. His hands, dipped into the water to luve his face and neck, were with drawn suddenly and placed on the edge ef the huBiu, us he listened to the voice of tlio editor, who was standing at Urigg's desk. "Are yon there, Griggs? Here's a dis patch from Ground Bog's Glory. From Higgles. On his way to Pompoy Smash. Look here a moment, Griggs." Griggs matched at the towel, dried himself as he approached his room and faced the editor. "Griggs, tliis is of the very first im portance," Griggs' muimor indicated oarnest at tention. "1 may toll you in confidence. Griggs that Higgles' speech must go in to night. No matter what else is crowded out, on no account must .you permit Higgles' sieech to be abbreviated by bo much as a line. 1 would remain my self, but 1 buve an engagement that tan't be broken us iniportunt, in fact, as tills sieeoh of Higgles', which is the turning point in the cunvasB for tho dis trict. A change of forty or fifty votes yes, twenty at Pompoy Smash, will elect or defeat hini. Griggs, 1 predict It will make Higgles." "All right," said Griggs as the editor left his room. Be was putting on his coat whon Simmott returned. "Put a good bond on it. Griggs some thing that will catch the eye. " Simmott was moving away the second time when be halted, turned back, and dropping his voice said: "1 may as well tell yon. It will be known scum anyhow. Higgles' election means a good deal, a vast deal, tome. So keep a sharp lookout. See that the speech goes in all right no mis lakes or ridiculous errors." "All right," said Griggs. Be glanced at tlio dispatch Simmott had laid ou his desk as the editor aud proprietor of The Horning Stur hastened awuy. Then he whistled up to the composing room and inquired if Daggs was there. Duggs was thero, and hi answer to Griggs' request hurried down, as by previous agreement. "See here. Daggs; we've a dispatch from Higgles. Be has ordered us to print his speech the speech he will make at Pompoy Smash this evening. Hore it is." Griggs pulled a drawer out, brought out three proof Blips and banded them to Daggs. "Mow, as you re going to run this tiling tonight for me, 1 want you to be sine there are no errors in it. 1 guesa I'd best crock a head on it for you before 1 go the main thing is to see that it goes in. That is Bimmott's imperative orders. No mat ter what is left out if the president dies you mustn't leave Miggles' speech out. I'm sorry it so happens I must be off to night, but it's all plain sailing. You've nm my desk of ton enough to kuow just what to do. That's all, Duggs. I'll send the bead up tuke the speech and give it to the foreman to get in hand at once." When Daggs withdrew, Griggs sat down, dashed off a few lines, looked at tiem, wliirled them up the elevator and went out. He wus engaged; was to be .married in a fortnight, aud as a matter of course dismissed Tho Horning Stur, Higgles and hia speech from hia mind before he reached the corner. What young mun would not who was on his way to his supper, with the certainty of enjoying an evening with his aflianced at tlio theater? "See here, Burton," said Daggs, as he re-entered the composing room hastily, "Griggs gave me imperative orders bum Simmott to get this in hand at once. Boat run it out hint thing. Hind no matter what else is left out Mig les' speech goes in." "All right," answered fiurtou. The loreinan took the proof slips, clipped them up into twenty-one pieces, lit a fresh cigar, and inside of ten minutes Higgles' speech was in the hands of twenty-one printers. The foreman was tnjoying a minute's rest, when a whistle disturbed him. He rose and answered thecal). ' "That you, Burton?" "Yob what's wanted?" "It's me," said a voioe from the count ing room. "In a hurry going out of town a few miles unexpectedly won't be back. Get Griggs to look after things for me. Ta-tal "AU right," Burton answered, in bliss ful ignorance of the arrangement Griggs bad made with Daggs. Almost ut the same moment the night lark, who was in the rear of the busi ness office, was calling by the telephone; "Hello, there, Star office!" "Well," said the clerk, fumbling for his pencil, and making ready for a now advertisement. "That you, Bakor?" "Yob, sir." It was the proprietor's voice. Be hod popped into a drug store to speak to the night editor. "Parker therel" "No, sir." "Well, tell him when he comes to see Griggs at once. Do you hear?" "Yes, sir." "Have given Griggs special orders. Tell him. Got that?" Yes. ir. To tell Hr. Parker you've given special orders to Hr. Griggs, and for Mr.i Purker to be B.ii'e and see Griggs." "That's all. The night clerk went to l is desk and was soon immersed in his l.Uors. In the upper story of The Star establishment the foreman was discussing in a desul tory way Bigger's chances against Hig gles' for the congressional plum." What sort of a place is Pompoy Smash, anyhow, Duggs? Ever been there?" No; but Griggs has. There's a lot of moss backed DomocratB over there the sort that vote for Jackson and Van Buron, and opposite there is another lot of Btraight laced, stiff backed Presbyte rions nosurrtmder writtei. all over em." "Anything in thiaspeeoh of MigglesT "Blest if I know." "What's the point what makes him go out to Pompey Smash to fire off?" Ohl Why, it s a mighty close vote. you know. As near as 1 can make out. the idea is to tickle the people there to honor them with the opening speech to have the people talk abont the speech Higgles made at Pompey Smash. A hundred votes, one wuy or the other, will settle it; everybody knows that" "1 see, said the foreman. Then he turned around, and lifting his voice said in tones that could be heard by all in the composing room: "Boys, pull out on Higgles speech. I want to got it in eurly." Then there was silence in the compos ing room. The wires worked well that night The night was a repetition of the day. DaggB was up to his eyes in nows from all quarters. "Nothing stunning," as he called up to the foreman: "just a steady glut of slush from all sources that could be chopped off any place and never be mimed. When a newspaper office is in order it's surprising how smoothly everything runs. The Horning Star was run on a sound system: so thorough that although the proprietor and editor, business man agor and telegraph editor were absent tbey did not seem to be missed. Along about 2 o'clock in the morning Daggs thought he would run up stairs once more and see how tho speech looked in type. "Looking for Miggles speech asked the foreman. "There it is three col- nms." Daggs glanced over the form. It was all right 'Yon read the proof 1 sent it down to you or, rather, the revise. '1 looked at it 1 guess it's all right,' and Daggs returned to hiB desk, whist ling. Just then a messenger laid a fresh dis patch on his table. Daggs glanced at the clock. "Two hfteon." He handed the boy back his book after acknowledg ing the receipt of the message, and be gan to whistle again as he tore it open. Daggs hps retained their position, but no sound escaped them. The message was from Pompey Smash, and contained four words: "Don't print Higgles' speech." Duggs was dumfounded. He rushed to the pipe: he was going to call to the foreman, when he bethought himself. He turned the dispatch up to the light. It was tiled at 8:30. What did it mean: There was an initial appended what it wait he could not make out. Possibly i, was a ruse a trick of the opposition. Be run up stairs aud kud the mysteri ous message down before the foreman. "What do you think of that, Burton?" "1 don't think anything. There's only one meaning it says plainly, 'Don't print Higgles' speech:' and here we are print ing it. "Well, but Griggs' orders were to print it. W hat made Simmott be so par ticular about this speech? Why, he must have suspected a triok. Anyhow my orders are imperative. "Take my advice no, I'll have to con sult Parker. He's night editor, and he is the man to decide. The foreman whistled to the counting room: "Mr. Parker there? Send him up at once. "Not here." "Where is her "Hasn't been here tonight. Thought he was up there. "Do you kuow anything about this speech of Higgles , Baker?" "No; never heard of it" "Look around see if there's a note or message there for me anybodyf" A minute elapsed. "Nothing here." , "Here's a pretty kettle of fish," said the foreman, turning to Daggs. "What am I to do. You've got precious little time to decide. In or out which is it? I can chuck the form full of miscellany and stuff lying over here in or out'r "Obey orders if we break the owner' said Daggs, with Napoleonlike decision. Ten minutes later the forms were in the cellar, and twenty minutes after that Miggles' speeches were thrown out on the folders by hundreds. Daggs went down to the pressroom, brought up a handful of papers, returned to the com posing room and laid them down before Burton. "Looks all right, Burton." The foreman picked the paper up, held it in hiB band a moment, glancing over it with a ontical eye, then laid it down. "A pretty good first page. The head looks first rate. You can pop a head on with Griggs, Duggs." I "It's Griggs'. 'Taint mine,'' A footstep sounded near. It was flit-f i. "1, -in fact, l-was dotainod later than expected, Daggs, so just stepped around to see how you were getting on. That lontounded speech of Miggles has run in my mind all night." "Nothing elsef Burton and Daggs laughed. "Oh, 1 see it's in all right" "What's that, Griggs?" It was the night editor. I got back earlier than I expected, and run up to see if everything is right What's this?" Higgles' speech, delivered over at Pompey Smash. Mr. Simmott gave me spocial orders to get it in tonight" Griggs hold a paper np and read: 5JIPI ZtPII ZIPIII rtOBT BALL Or TBS CON0RK8S1ONAL OAMPAfOS BUT IN MOTION SV TUB HANI) OF ALONiSO ADOI.PHU8 MIQG1,E& POMPSV SMASH IN A BLAHR OP tTNPAflAL LKLICD KNTHUSt ASM. A Masterly aud Lucid Analysis of the Momen tous Question involved in the Issue of the Seventy-seventh District "Beads all right, Griggs." said Parker, but if 1 had been hore I'd have left that 'and' out. If it was masterly, of course it must have been 'lucid' seer "No, 1 don't see," said Griggs. IVe" What Griggs was going to say is lost to the world, for at that moment Editor Simmott looked over their shoulders. "What is it. Parker?" His gaze was riveted double riveted, in fact on The Horning Star. His eyes were held by the type as the poor bird is said to be fascinated by the snake before it devours it. Then he slowly lifted Mb hands. His mouth opened but no words came from it. His emotions overpowered him, rendered him speechless. Then there was a sound like the cracking of heavy paper, and the torrent came. For at least two minutes and a half possi bly a second more not one of his auditors knew what Simmott said. Then the blizzard of adjectives les sened to a gale, from a gale to a spank ing breeze, from a steady breeze to the gust that tosses the leaves between the fitful raindrops. DidnT; you get my message, Parkerr 1 was not here; was away all night" You yon got it, Griggs?" 'No, sir. -1 was off, too I got Daggs to run my desk." Simmott groaned. DaggB looked like a boy caught in the act of stealing a melon. "Did you get my message. Daggs?" "Yes, sir: but" "Stopl I won't hear a word." said Sim mott YeB, you will, Mr. Simmott." Baid Griggs, with a white face but resolute eye. "Your orders were imperative. I told Daggs so. No matter what came, he was to print Miggles' Bpeech." The calm that ensued was much more impressive and disagreeable than the buzzard that preceded it "Let me see the message." Daggs brought it out, and Simmott turned it over in an ahsentminded way in his hand. "What is wrong, Mr. Simmott?" The editor gave the night editor one glance. It spoke volumes. 'Nothing nothing only Miggles was delayed; did not get to Pompey Smash at all. Consequently he did not make a speech. His cousin, Bill Carruthers, met me and told me he telegraphed us not to print. This will defeat him. The papers will never let up on it The peo ple at Pompey Smash will never forgive Miggles tor making them ridiculous. Us bad enough to assume that his bal derdash could influence them or turn a vote. It's worse to palm off a Bpeech on the public he uever made at Pompey Smash or anywhere else. Miggles is ruined now and forever." It was true. A hundred Horning Stars were flying to Pompey Smash with Higgles great effort as the editor spoke. There was war along the line for thrice ten days. Not a man in Pompey Smash voted for Miggles. There was war in The Morning Star office, but peace came over it speedily and calmed the disturbed elements like a dose of soothing sirup. The editor. Parker, Gnggs every body had the good sense to see and ac knowledge it was a concatenation of circumstances unavoidable in the best regulated families, and today, when anything whimsical or humorous stirs The Star, Simmott or Parker or Griggs, his partners, will refer to "Miggles' Great Effort." David Lowry in Pitts burg Bulletin. One Form of Marriage Ceremony. The following is a southwestern Mis souri form qf marriage ceremony: "By the authority vested in me as a squire in the state of Missouri; by the golden fields of corn aud wheat that wave to and from the gentle summer breeze; by the great droves of stock that are continually find ing their way to the different markets of the world; by the monotonous song of the cat on the backyard fence, and by the pumpkin vine whose climbing ten drils shade the entrance of a summer kitchen; by the whole earth and sea and all that is in them, I pronounce you man and wife, and may the Lord have mercy on your souls." Yankee Blade. A Whit Ifegr. One of the strangest wonders in the way of a man that we have been per mitted to see was in town recently, and is a citizen of this county. He is Eb enezer Long, and was born, black, in Georgia sixty years ago. He is now per fectly fair, except a few dark spots that may be discovered by looking at htm floeelv. Hananua (Flu.) Times. THE THREE WISHES. Once to a man a goblin came And said to him: "If yon will name Three wishes, whauwe'er they be, They shall bo granted instantly. Think of three things you deem the best Express your wish 'we do tlie rest.' " "O goblin!" oriod the man, "Indeed You're just the kind of friend I need. Hunger and want I've known thus far. 1 fain would learn what riohes are." "Then," cried the goblin, "learn it well Kiches are title deeds to hell . Now wish again." "Alaokadayt" Exclaimed the man. "I've thrown away, And ail for naught, a chance immense. 1 only wish 1 had some sense!" The goblin waved his wandthe dunce To his surprise was wise for once. And being wise, he laughed and said. "I am a fool would I were dead!" "Granted!" the goblin yelled. "It's plain You'll never be so wise again." Oliver Herf ord in Life. Verdi's Lack of Self Assertion. On the occasion of the first presen tation of his last opera so devoid was Verdi of all self assertion that he even expressed his regret that so vast a concourse of strangers should have taken the trouble to come from all parts of Europe for the premiere and declared that he preferred the days of his earlier career, when his operas were accepted or rejected on their merits alone, and when the test was independent of any consider ations of personal popularity. A glance at his honest eyes was enough to satisfy the hearer that these were his true convictions and no affecta tions of humility. Such men are at all times rare, but living as Verdi does at a moment when the younger Italian school, which he has so long fostered almost single handed, is rapidly coming to the fore and is reaching an impor tant crisis of its development his in fluence for good cannot possibly be overrated, nor can it fail to be pro ductive of the highest results. Fort nightly Review. Detecting Guilt In Liberia. The brown skins of the natives in Liberia are often daubed with red and white clay, the effect of the latter being rather startling. This is called dressing. Sometimes a vertical blue mark is seen across the forehand. This is a sign of freedom. The Kroo men have it more than others. They are largely employed as extra hands on the steamers. When a man is suspected of murder, theft, etc., he is made to drink "sasce wood." This being deadly poison, his innocence ib declared by the draft not prov ing fatal. I am told, however, that this is only a form. When the fatal moment arrives, some expedient is generally adopted, or else it is con sidered that only an innocent man would be willing to approach the deadly draft Cor. Goldthwaite's Magazine. A Hint to the Ladle, A real estate gentleman, who is also a Sunday school superintendent, was trying to sell a lady a lot in town, notwithstanding she wanted to buy one in the suburbs. But, my dear madam," he urged, "a woman is practically forbidden by the Scriptures from owning subur ban property. "1 don't see what the Scripture. have to do with it," she protested. That s because you are not con versant with them," he said. "Don't you know of the lady who had a Lot in Sodom and as soon as she went in to the suburbs was changed into a pillar of salt?" Detroit Free Press. .All He Gould Do. A man noted for his quarrelsome disposition and love for the ardent came into the postoffiee a few days ago and said, "Ed, have you any of the new Columbian stamps? Yep. Want any?" "Yep." He looked at them a few minutes and threw them back, saying, "Don't want 'em." "Why?" "W-e-1-1, 'twixt the old woman, boys and sohoolteacher, I've got about all I can lick." Billings Gazette. Andrew Carnegie's Shooting Ground. The shootings at Ouny castle, which Andrew Carnegie hag rented from ClunyMacpherson, extend over 12, 000 acres and afford excellent sport. The old castle, in which Sir Robert Peel lived at the beginning of the century, has been altered and en larged. Chicago Herald. Near Liskeard in Cornwall is a strange natural phenomenon. A pile of rock 32 feet high, shaped like a top, is balanced on the smaller end. It is quite immovable, though appar ently a very slight effort would! upset its equilibrium. It is said that when Benjamin Franklin proposed to start a news paper his mother tried to dissuade him from it because she said there were already two papers in America, and there was no room for another. A vocabulary is not gained in a day or a week. It is the slow accretion of many days, the development of many weeks. , SUNDAY MORNINQ OCCUPATION. What Some Girls Do to While Away MM Time on til Seventh Day. What do girls do Sunday morn ings! Mow do they spend their time? In church? Yes, they go to church if they have nice gowns and are feel ing in the mood or if they are nat urally good. But I went around the other Sunday morning to see some of my girl friends, and I had my eyes opened to a thing or two. The first place I stopped was Madge's board ing house. She is the head stenogra pher for Brown jones & Co., you know, and when I reached the inner vestibule I heard her call: "Is that you, Mag? I thought I recognized your voice. Come right up, dear. I'm busy." So up I went to her lit tle 4 by 6 room, with its folding bed, Japanese screen and other conceal ing, folding and adjustable articles common only to a boarding house hall bedroom. A strong odor of gaso line and Madge in a faded Mother Hubbard wrapper greeted me. The room was so full of fumes that I gasped. "I'm cleaning my gloves," ex plained Margaret, and her appear ance showed it Her brown curls were all on edge "tousled" would be the right word. White gloves, tan gloves, gray gloves, mauve gloves, all were spread out on the chairs and bureau in various stages of wet and dry cleaning. A pair of white gloves, full length mousquetaires, covered her hands and plump arms, and she was manipulating a tin basin of gas oline, several rags and a nailbrush to clean them. Her roommate, Grace, was perched on a stool sewing but tons on her shoes and interspersing that occupation with stirring and beating a jar of cold cream which , had been brought up from the kitch en a few moments before. Grace said pathetically, "It simply will not get white, no matter how hard I stir it I must have got too much sperm aceti in it. J "Grace thinks it's going to cure her freckles." sniffed Madge scorn- fully, and she opened the window a little wider, observing that I was al most overcome by gasoline fumes. "Young ladies," said I sternly, "this is a wicked way to spend the Sabbath." "Well," responded Madge, "Sun day is the only day I have to repair my wardrobe. ,1 can't afford the time any week day. I have to work then, and if 1 stay home in the even ing I'm too tired to clean and mend and sew. When I've been at work -J all day, I don't feel like coming home and goiug to work again after dinner, so I must fix my clothes Sun days." i When I left, Madge had finished the gloves and had dumped the en tire contents of her top bureau drawer out on the floor preparatory to a good "straightening up." I know what that means, sol nod. . Chicago News-Record. The Growth of th Canning Industry. Less than 50 years ago a man in Pennsylvania began putting up toma toes in cans at 50 cents a can. Iu 1887 the total output reached 72,000. 000 cans, and today it is 82,808,000 cans, of which considerably over half are put up in the south, Maryland be ing the largest producer. The pro duction of canned corn has reached 84.000,000 cans, but in this branch the south is not so large a producer as it should be, New York ranking first in production and Maine second. Tomatoes aud corn lead, but nearly everything else eatable is canned. and not only is the home demand of the United States supplied, but we exported in 1892 over $17,000,000 of canned goods. New Orleans Times Democrat. Counting Gold Coin. The counting of the money in the vaults of the treasury at Washington is not so troublesome or tedious a task as might be imagined. In counting (20 gold pieces experience has shown them to be so uniform that only one pile is counted, and the rest of the money is stacked and measured by this pile until the last pile is reached, when that also is counted. In this way the counting proceeds rapidly. Gold in smaller denominations is al ways counted or weighed. Silver is much more troublesome to count than gold. New York Tribune. Taking th Circus Seriously. If the circus is to be taken serious ly, what an era of dullness will fol low. In a certain southern state bill has been introduced into the leg islature by the provisions of which circus companies are to be forbidden in that state to exhibit pictures of feats which they do not perform. New York Ledger. ; The rain is playing its soft, pleas ant tune fitfully on the skylight, and the shade of the fast flying clouds passes with delicate change across my book. -N. P. Willis.