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Show HOW KING SECURED HIS FIRST SCOOP King was a quiet sort of fellow and as a newspaper man ho had met with little or no success. However, when ou occasions wilh a few friends he met for a smoke and a talk he would then for a timo unburden himself. As a reporter re-porter he had worked in almost all tho largo cities of the country, had interviewed in-terviewed famous people both of the Old World and tho new, and this with his experiences as n soldier in the Philippines Phil-ippines made him a fount for rare yarns. So it happened that one morning to a few friends he related the following yarn: "'Well," he said, "1 havo told you fellows about all my interesting talcs, but there is one yarn L have J never related. I had a little romance once, away back iu the days when T was a cub reporter. If you care to hear it, 1 will tell you the story of the 'Cub and the Girl.' "One morning, the morning of my day oil, J decided to get up early nnd lake a walk in the park. It was one of those mornings in lato spring when one feels how good it ia to bc alive. With a whole free day ahead of me, I strolled about the grounds taking in tho good, pure air. glad to get away from tho office and its excitements for j a day. " In my walk I chanced by a lake and I there, In and behold! sitting on a bench by the wnter's side, 1 saw a girl. (And say, what a girl! But the worst of it was. she was crying. Well, I did not know what to do. Anyhow, here was a young and pretty girl evidently in distress, dis-tress, so what could I do but offer 1113 assistance? Going through wilh tho usual formal methods of lifting my hat and a few stumbling questions, I awkwardly awk-wardly asked her what the trouble was and if I could be of assistance. "Well, the gist of it was, as near as I could learn, she was weeping from 5hcor joy from the fact that sho was able to get away from her friends for a time. It seems that for the past few weeks she had been the guest at numberless num-berless social functions nnd from her remarks I judged that she was the pampered daughter of one of the city's wealthiest citizens. Wo talked for a time and then strolled through the park, and say. how I did enjoy that morning.1 Tho strangeness of the meeting and the fact that wc had not been introduced did not seem to bother her at all. Afternoon Aft-ernoon and lunch time came, taking from 1110 my lady of the park. Before wo parted by ono of those peculiar feminine ways she had learned my uamo and business. "Right, hero tho sentimental feature of the thing entered on the scene. Tho girl suggested thai she would like to have some memento of the freest day she had spent for a long time. There was nn.1, with the reporter's usual uniount of wealth in 1113" pocket, asked to buv something for a millionaire's daughter. Well, tho upshot of it was we wont into a littlo curio shop and I purchased for her a cheap locket. "That done, wo parted, the girl without with-out telling mo her name and making me promise that 1 would not follow her, walked up the stroet and out of my sight. Of course, being a young fellow, I haunted that park for several weeks and then the di'Hire lo see her wore oil' and I forgot all about her. "One nfternoon, about three months after the incident, the oflice was all astir. Tho daughter of a prominent and woalthj' judge of the city was to be married the following day. So great was the judge's reputation that presents from all purls' of the countrj' and abroad had been showered upon his daughter. Of course, our paper wanted II description of those presents. Earlier in tho (lav the aocietv editor had been sent to the house and had been curtly dismissed ami one after nnother of tho stall' had received tho same assignmont and in each instance failed. "Well, along about 0 o'clock that night a messenger boy came into tho office with a note for the city editor. After scanning the missive, T was called to the desk and without a word tho chief handed 1110 the note, and hero wan what I read: 'City Editor : If you send Mr. King to my home this evening T will give him the story you desire.' It was all a mystery to me, but out I j went on the story. ' "Arriving at the house. I was ushered ush-ered 111, and handing my card to tho servant, waited in the hall. Soon there was a rustle of skirts and who should appear but my ladv of tho park. Of , course, explanations followed, and I i learned that she was the daughter of the judge and I hat the morning I had I met her. wearied . from constant entertainments enter-tainments in houor of her approaching I marriage, she had Hod from her friends. "Bid I sec the presents? Yes; and say, there was a layout fit for a queen, and in the midst of it all, what do you think? There on a big table among all those .levels MU other beautiful things, reposed my poor littlo locket. Well, that was how we scooped the town on the wedding of Judge ... 's daughter." Pittsburg Gazette-Times. |
