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Show The Law of the Game By Raymond A. Hill , OtTTSIDE ths warm rata pattered on the metal gutters. Tha atmosphere In tha kuge local room waa kumld, and few thinge can make a newspaper office more dull snd thoroughly monotonous thsa a raia Saturday Satur-day Bight after the editions are running on tha presses. The Transcript's local staff lolled about, Immeneely bored, waiting wait-ing for the welcome "Good-night !" that inevitably in-evitably wlnda up the grind. Suddenly Charlie Bteese, one of the deek-men, deek-men, took a keen Interest la ths sheet he bed been casually reading. "Good Lord !" he exclaimed, turning to B1U Johnson, "old Mike McCarthy la deed." "What?" asked Bill, astonished. "Ton aren't kidding me, are you?" "No." waa Charile'a answer. "Poor old Mike! He wee the beet city editor I ever knew. It waa a rare occasion when he fell down on a etory." "Tea,', agreed Bill, "be rarely fell down on a etory. He could get 100 per cent work . out of every one In kis dertment. When -he sent sftrr- n story he gut It. Or, if hs didn't, ths reporter got ths sir snd another msn waa put ea tba Job." "He alwaya held tha etory flirt and tha reporter second," Chsrlls remarked. "But I knew when the exact opposite waa the case," BUI said alowly. "Tee, I remember when thirteen words, aald in a hurry and without thought of the man to whom be waa apeeklng, made old McCarthy Mc-Carthy worry himself sick for sa hour." "When?" Chsrlls Inquired. "The time young Mike McCsrthy got the story of the msrrlsgs of ths dsoghtcr ef John Courtney, the coal king, to her chauffeur. I think it waa about nva or six years ago," waa BlU'a reply. "I never beard tha yarn," Charlie answered. an-swered. Johnson knocked ths sahes from hia desd pip. "Of course, you know, young Mike McCsrthy." Mc-Csrthy." he begen, "snd you know hs waa wasn't going to take any chances. Bo h went straight to a phone booth and called tha Independent office. He wanted hi dad'a advice on the matter. "But whils young Mlks wss trying to get his father that Individual waa extremely busy. Cleary had landed hla story, and . It was a clean beat. Old Mike waa handling han-dling It himself. He waa working bard for the next edition when the phone bussed. " 'Hello !' the old man bawled through the transmitter. " 'This you, dad?' came over the wire. Thea, without waiting for a reply, young Mike continued : 'Say, dad, Courtney won't give me that statement. And ha aaya if I come back again he'U shoot me. ' "(Hd Mike, thinking only of the edition snd forgetting bis vow never to eend l ie eon Into danger, was furious. 'Go back and tell him he can't ere re us,' he yelled, 'and get that story !' He then alammed down tha, receiver. "After the edition was sent to press old Mike remembered hie son's phons call. Suddenly he grew while: he remembered . .. the kid had said Cnnstaesvwsvld shew Man- w-v-p--'" ft he returned; he remembered Courtney's reputation for keening his word; he remem- " ' " r bered the enter hs had unconsciously gives hie son snd ths consequences that probably would follow. And thea he slipped far dowa into hla chair to worry for eixty minutes." A T THIS point Chsrlls interrupted John.' son. "Did the kid get the .story?" hs ssked. "Don't be In a hurry," Bill replied ; "I'm coming to that. At the end of an hour old McCsrthy wss somewhat relieved when he aaw hla son come swinging through ths door of the local room. He looked the kid over rsrefully snd decided nothing wsi wrong. Thes he reverted to bis old manner snd bawled 'Did yon get that etory r Re- . eelvlng as affirms ties reply, he want eat 'Well, how la heU did you get It?' "Toung McCarthy eat down at hla deek and glanced ever kla notes. Then, Just before be-fore be began to writs, be replied la a drawl " 'I bought a gua and when Courtney came to the door I stuck kirn ap before ha could get me.' " his father's pride. Old Mike wanted kla eon to be a newspaperman. So when the kid finished school he waa placed ea the Independent hla father's paper as a district dis-trict man. "Now old McCarthy had one fear: he waa afraid the kid would get Into trouble while on a district. So he gave him only easy assignments; the kind that carried no danger. But the youngster couldn't b held down. He wss soon one of the beet reporters re-porters In ths city. And In seven month he waa the second -best manlon tba Independent. Inde-pendent. ' "About title time John Courtney's daugh. ter ran away with her chauffeur. But although al-though everybody knew of the elopement, old Courtney denied It vigorously. And hie deniala only served to mak tha elory better for a page 1 blase. "Aa soon ss ths story broke 11:30 P. M. e young army of reportera besieged Courtney's mansion. All were from morning morn-ing pepere. They tried every method known to get the yarn, but failed. Then they kidded him, trying to get a statement while he wse riled i but. in .(bat, too, . they Sopped. . Finally they gave up the Job. - "When the evening sheets got a chance, old. Mike cent his star Clesry sftrr tba yarn. Then a -bigger etory broke, and Cleary had to be yanked and cent on ths other Job. So, sa young McCarthy waa tha next to line, he waa taken from City Hall and chased after Courtney. "The kid went sfler the etory In his usual way with the Idea of getting it, regardless re-gardless of costs. But Courtney, by this ' time, wss tired of having reporters hanging hang-ing ground hie place. And he decided: to put aa end to the intruelona. "When tha kid reached the door ef the coal king'e meneion he wee greeted by Courtney himself. The king had a shotgun shot-gun banging neatly over bis right srm. And hs bad a deadly look la hia eye. 'WeU,' ke said, sftrr whet seemed to be sn eternity of silence, 'what can I de foe you?" "His sppesrancs and manner failed to throw a scare into the kid. 'I'm from ths Independent,' young Mike explained, 'snd I came to get a atatement In regard to your - daughter'a marriage.' " 'So you're soother reporter,' Courtney Court-ney exploded. 'Haven't I ssld mors than a thousand times that June Isn't married? Isn't my word sumdent?" " 'Certainly,' ths kid answered. 'But, Mr. Courtney, now do you explain your daughter's presence In Boston with Jsek Pslmerson, her eh cbsnffeur?" " 'Shs Isn't there,' Courtney screamed. 'Besides, I don't have to de any explaining.' explain-ing.' "Toung Mike paid no attention te the excited auan, but continued: 'And why do the press sssoclstions say shs is hspplly married and "Thia waa toe much for Cwrtney. 8be Isn't married,' hs cried, 'snd ths next reporter re-porter thet comes around here Is going te get a warm reception. I'U give yon Ive minutea to get off these grounds, ssd If I see yon around kern agala I'U shoot to kill." , "There waa nothing left for the kid to do but beat It. Courtney bad a reputa-tloa reputa-tloa for keeplag kla word, and tha hoy |
