| Show the story that was never printed BY GEORGE BRONSON HOWARD copyright 1906 by joeeph bowles somewhere bach in his ultra child ish days young carroll had found a copy of morte d arthur in his fa library ana from it he created a world of romance of his very own his uncle an ardent churchman had chosen to forget young carroll a existence when the latter chose news paper work in preference to a high erool in the avuncular bank other folk follow ed this relative s example young carroll realized that he had given up a great many things worth while tor a beggarly pittance and 12 hours labor each day not to the unspeakable klunk klunk was the city editor he was a small mean man with ferret eyes behind steel rimmed spectacles his stature was miniature and so was bis mind but he had served on the morn ing transcript in every capacity from copy boy to his present position no new york newspaper was this morning transcript but one ot the leading dailies in a city not miles south of mason and dixon s line the city editor had treated carroll rather decently at first under the mis apprehension that the youth was do ing this work more as a freak than anything else when klunk realized that carroll was without means 0 subsistence except the wretched sal ary that the transcript paid him his hatred tor the man who was what he was not broke out and he chose to make carroll the office scapegoat and butt the chivalry that was inborn a part ot the man would not permit car roll to di siegard the mute appeal of the woman who had toppled and fallen in a heap before the house where he had his cheap rooms in the light of the gas lamp he saw that she was dirty and broft sy he spent some time trying to rouse her but found it un availing there was no policeman in sight with a sigh of disgust he picked up the limp b indie and carried the woman into the house and up the three flights of stairs then he roused his housekeeper and told her about it this busy woman had a vast amount of respect for young carroll while ehe went upstairs to look after the woman carroll went for the doctor who having now arrived pronounced it a clear case of alcoholic exhaustion and said that to move the woman might prove fatal so carroll gave over his room to her and took another one next day he found her crying softly why are you so good to me she sobbed he was vaguely embarrassed oh I 1 say now he protested he looked at her with more care and noted that she had been pretty once she told him her story of having been married to a man who had grown tired of her and who abused and beat her dis and weakened sie became dissipated her husband forced her from her home and threat her against the use of his name frightened sus il n bobev his wishes after that she never saw him again she had gone down down until oh I 1 want to live she said just to do things for you mr car roll I 1 want to do something for you to show you how grateful I 1 am she did not know then that she would never recover but finally she learned it realizing Keal izing that she was about to die she wanted to speak to barroll and in doing so she put a lit tie package into his hand him he got money now he II 11 give you money II 11 you give him those ke can pay make him pay the brute he beat me be dont want people to know that I 1 belong to afan she choked spasmodically his name barroll bent over her and heard the whispered syllable when he realized what ehe had said the papers dropped from his band and he clutched the bed he looked at the woman and zaw that she had died quite peace fully carroll left the house and returned to the office well snarled klunk why dian didn t you get here before there s a big story that youve got to get seea one of your fine friends has made a fool out of himself married a chorus girl secretly and the things just got out been married secretly tor nearly a year hie name lester middleton you know him well carroll knew him entirely too well As a matter of fact essie middleton leater s sister was much more to him than he liked to believe it things had been different he had often thought if I 1 had anything As tor essie she looked on carroll as the best of all men the quintes sence of manliness I 1 dont want the assignment said carroll you 11 take it or you 11 hand in your resignation snapped klunk carroll looked dt him his hand clenched he had no great opinion of himself this young carroll but to be at the beck and call of such a little toad as klunk called up all the loath ing in his nature he went out of the office and took a car up charles street he got off at chase and walked a block west and rang the bell of a great house of ante bellum architecture he asked for essie as he gave bis card to the footman and was shown upstairs and into the library where a slim clear eyed girl arose and gave him her hands impulsively oh charlie charlie I 1 wanted to see you I 1 ve been wishing to see you ever bince morning I 1 telephoned your office and lett word for you he seated himself essie be began haltingly about this wretched affair she interrupted why I 1 wanted to see ou I 1 want your ad vice ou see it s quite dreadful and tier is 0 o uncompromising was waxen valta he said you austn t tell bedont you know that im on a newspaper she laughed a little but im not talking to a newspaper man now I 1 m talking to you charlie and I 1 want your advice of course I 1 know perfectly well that you won t put a line of it in the paper he got back to the office about an hour later and hesitated at the city editor s door well well called klunk from within have you written the quick the city editor was alone carrol took a cigarette trim his case and rolled t between his fingers no sir he said the cigarette trembled mr klunk said carroll in a low tone these people are personal friends of mine I 1 cant write that story more than that I 1 can t let it go in the paper at all I 1 went there and they chose to forget I 1 was a newspaper man I 1 was asked for advice with the understanding that the story would not appear in the paper I 1 promised that it should not and it shall not carroll went out without another word and returned to his desk presently he took a packet of pa pers from his pocket he hesitated he had promised there was to be for gods sake don t give it away nothing in the transcript nor could he afford to be discharged in the packet were several docu ments and some letters he read them he carroll read them he knew he should not do this later on he pulled a sheaf of copy paper toward him and took out his lead pencil carroll desk came in stentor lan tones from klunk s direction young carroll gathered up his sheets and went into the city editor s room klunk ferret like eyes lighted up n triumph ah a long di awn sigh I 1 thought loud see your way clear to doing what ou were told give me story it s not that story mr klunk purred carroll softly its another story a better one from a news stand point it s a beat too I 1 was think ing of giving it to the sun carroll laid the sheaf of paper be tore klunk who was looking masti fled growling he turned to the story and began to read presently his eyes got big with horror and his face went a sickly whitish green he groaned like a cur dog with an injury for god s sake don t give it away klunk almost grovelled grovel led it would ruin me think of my church I 1 m a deacon there and you know engaged what do you want say how much carroll s teeth came together with a snap his hands clenched take that back he breathed what am ia a thief a blackmailer 9 id have given you your papers do you think I 1 would have done this for myself klunk looked abject after all carroll continued 1 suppose ive laid myself open to that I 1 ve got a price yes I 1 don t want a line in the paper about the middle ton affair you promise there wont be yes yes not a line not a line asserted klunk feverishly take your word A thud tol lowed the remark carroll had tossed the packet of papers on the desk klunk clawed them open yes yes he breathed I 1 thought she was dead before she s dead now and its all right you cad said young carroll and he went out of the office and clofed the door behind him |
