Show t I E r ter j J1 i r r r yJ4iA p rl x T110 Condenser A NEWS AlPER MAN9S 1VACATWN inn A HARD LUCK STORY 1 Dick Grady had been a reporter on the Iornfng Mercury for nsvoral year lie had started as a raw cub on leaving l leav-ing the high school and had worked steadily until now he was reckoned 1 one of the bent allaiound newspaper men In the State He earned a comfortable salary stood well with the city editor edi-tor was liked by the rest of the boys I and deservedly popular on the outside Three yemi ago he had married a pretty classmate and 1 was the proud 1 father of two bright healthy children His snug little cottage with its vines and shade trees and tidy 1 lawn was the admiration of his friends who wore always glad to enjoy the cordial hospitality hos-pitality of Big Dick and iris wife at pleasint little Sunday evening dinners and suppers Jt will thus I be soon that Dick had many things to make him happy but I as a matter of fact he was feeling decidedly de-cidedly dhuonlontcd one tam 1try afternoon after-noon in the middle of summer lie had been working pretty hard it la I true had attended an unusual number of Ires fights t riots and 1 races and turned In some exit a line stories Then he had helped out on the railroad and mining reporters runs when those worthies were off on a vacation and on octi m Mon had even be en trusted to hold down the night editorr desk Anyhow Pick was feHIng tired and a little blue the result of ton much sun and overstrained over-strained nerves On this art loirinm afternoon af-ternoon he sat OP a able and kicked 1 his heels savagcly1t last he muttered mut-tered Ill strike for It he cant refuse It was a modrrt weeks vacation I and It was cheorfully granted Ai Dick started for home that night the city editor said N > ll ro long old man I i try = and forget the oflloe and enjoy youij If all you cir by the way I where do you oport to go I harlot thought much of that but i I ratter Guests Ill nutty home most of th time and visit mywlfo 1 and bublos Ive been a good deal 1 of a si ranger to I lluin of laic Hood nigh I boyar Next morning beheld Dick comfortably I comfort-ably ensconced In an easy chair under Limo shade of a large tree one baby on i his knee the 1 other charing hutunlks 1 on the lawn The girdcn hose was 1 run i nlng and Its cool murmurous sound I teas soothing to tired nerves Presently a neighbor sauntered by on his way to the car and slopped to offer ron gratulatlony Then as he moved off a thought struck him Kay Dick what did your folks mean by saying this morning that thotesi I nothing in the report of a strike in the Hull Consolidated Dont they know thats calculated to hurt us Wlnh youd straighten It out for us Dont sec what 1 can do about it growled Dick Im not going near UK Joint for a week and Its In Wllkinss department anyway Cant you see him t All right I will Goodbye Dick puffed his cigar placidly arid stroked the babys silky curls lie was beginning to get a trifle drowsy when the telephone bell rang Someone to speak to you Dick called his wife from the library window win-dow ll f onfound It1 I Say Dolly cant you find out what si wanted Jts old Mrs Murphy and she Insists on speaking to you personally Dick sighed set down the baby and 1 strolled Into the house Hello Mrs Murphy this Is Grad good mornitiR Oh Mr Grady I jut wanted to say to you that me and my daughter were real surprised that the Sunday Mercury never sold one word about the lawn party we gave last J week nor yet about the Kensington at my daughterin laws Vell It cant he helped 1 now but I want to niy I the Sclng circle will meet with us and 1 Hut excuse me Mrs Murphy all this belongs to the Society = department with which J have nothing to do and besides Tm away from the office on leave 1 Suppose you call up Mr Berry hell he lad to fix It for youth you-th r thought being a neighbor woll all light ami the recelvcr snapped viciously I Dick I had 1 Just got back to his trc > can c-an I cigar when a wellappointed surrey tipped at the gale lie recognized the wil of a well known railroad official atl 1 started forward hat In hand So jnrry to trouble yon III uradv but my iuband Is III and ho asked mr I to call at the Mercury office and leave IL note for your = railroad editor It Is about that new construction and I believe it in something your people wanted very much to get If you will kindly lake charge of It It will nave mea me-a drive In the hot sun Dick looked over the general managers man-agers mlaslvc and saw once it meant a scoop on the other papers and besides be-sides he did not see how he could well I offer any objections when a Indy proffered prof-fered the request so he once more approached the phone and called up the olllce The communication was duly read and taken down for proper action ac-tion Then the city editors voice was heard How are you making out old man TNlcely thanks i having an elegant lime Well Dick I hate like everything to bother you you know I wouldnt do It if I could help It but the fact Is weve Just had word ofL shooting scrap orsulcldo or something on Thir tyninth ISasl just a block l or two for you and as thore Isnt a man in the olllce that I I can send would It he too much to ask you to run over there and 111 send a boy up to get your story Of course Dick assented although It may as well be confessed that he did some mild swearing all to himself This Is what comes he said of having hav-ing a telephone In the house Ill have the blasted thing taken out list thIng In the morning Then he titrirted to fill I his irregular assignment i The tragedy proved to be nothing much out of the common and was soon done jtutlcs to The locality was on a street railway Hue near the top of n pretty steep hill and just as DIcl turned to go home ho saw something which greatly aroused his newspaper instincts It was the old comblnatloi of a downgrade power shut off and Invikoi refusing to act The car tore down the hill nt a lively gait and mIl m-Il struck the curve at the bottom turned neatly over Dick rushed down and found the usual state of confusion incidental I to such occurrences Women teamed and the conductor wrung hi hl ndnanQ looked dazed The motorman motor-man had l Jumped and was crawllnpf out of the ditch bemoaning a spnilnei I ankle Fortunately no one war seriously seri-ously hurt but as there were no mea among the passengers Dick bad to render ren-der what assistance he could Then It was a u story and could not well ho shifted I because while there were none killed or badly I wounded it happencc that the accident occurred at a point on the line long deemed dUngeious to = J 1 which the Mercury had often attention Ami so It happens crllM pick missed hln luncheon th > k nt Instead rode lo town on th hOtnl ay car with to stories an lhe rMb his fJrHt rrsrl l tny fti bourn rafts tr I Next mOil lag he holllrrld I and wont lifthhlJ beyond thl Ib rt j telephones street airs and rtlrh o litlbscrihcls nlwflI > 1j < J j CII9 I |