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Show looking lady, ain't she? She's boas of the Sunday school in Kokuk, has two schokir? frotn her own fuiniiy to send to it, and when any of the printers goon the tramp she bui-ih-s into The banner oliice and tosst-s uieL'l with thy Let of tliein. 11 there's a nick family in Kokuk or the contiguous territory that net-ds help, you bet Nan will Ije there. "Say, mister, I'm not well posted on religion, but when the saints take their places in line in heaven I'll bet Nan will fc not far from the head," New York Evening Sun. SLUG NUMBER ELEVEN J "Never been in a printingofHce before, ! I suppose. What woman's picture is that over that case, you ask? Why, that's Nan. She was Slug 11. Oh, no. Slug 11 wasn't her nickname. 'Twaa her nnaibttr. See! here is a slug eleven. Printers use their slug numbers to mark : their matter; else how could they make up their strings? A string? Oh, we paste all our dupes together, and that makes a string Uiat shows what we've done. Hero's my string for the day regular rope, ain't it? "Want to know about Nan, eh? Well, i she was the only female typesetter we hail, and she was a hummer. She could talk longer, and on occasions louder, and truth compels me to say broader, than well, than some girls. Pretty! Not exactly, just so so. Slender, lively, hair the color of canned salmon, teeth pretty well justified, and eyes that were usually blue, but liable to turn green if she got mad. Boys used to say that if Nan was going to Paradise she'd be late getting there; hut I never saw nothing bad about her except, once in a while, her tongue. Mister, don't you get it into your head that because a girl sets type or works in a factory among a lot of men she can't be good. "To resume my yarn. One day there camo along a hnndsome young fellow that we dubbed Jlr, Kokuk, because he came from the town of Kokuk. Nan took quite a fancy to him. He and The Rat were about the only persons in the ofiice that Nan did notice. We called him The Itat because ho went back on out of pity, but no one loved him. Lank, cadaverous, pock marked, thin lipped fellow, with eyes like two holes burnt in a blanket. "Well, Nan and Mr. Kokuk went to two or three dances and a circus or two we used to get plenty of comps to such things then und first we knew they were engaged. Tho very next week we went on a strike again, all except Nan and Tho Rat. He said his wife was dying, and ho had to earn what he could. It wasn't much, because he was a regular regu-lar blacksmith. Wo call a poor printer a blacksmith. Nan's eves turned green as she said she wouhlnt go hecauso she didn't want to, 'so there!' About a week after the strike began Mr. Kokuk and I wero in a snloon opposite tho block whero The Rat's folks roomed, and we saw Nan come in at the family entrance and buy a finsk of whisky. We were in there- celebrating tho end of the strike. All went back next day, and lato in the evening, when only Mr. Kokuk, Nan and I were left in the oliice, I heard him go over iind tell Nan ho must break off the engagement because- she had gone back on tho strikers, but more particularly particu-larly for the reason that ho would never marry a woman that bought whisky by tho flask at a saloon. Mr. Kokuk was a kind of goody goody fellow, you sec. Nan wheeled about on her stool, her eyes snapped till tho lashee fairly cracked, and slie said: 'You are u little plaster of txiris god, ain't you ? Ee careful you don t tip over or you'll break in two. Yon ought to go us a missionary to tho cannibals. You wouldn't bo good eating, but they ain't very particular.' Mr. Kokuk put on his coat and went away, but alter ho had gone I went to lift a handful of tyK3 out of a form that stood near Nan's case, and I saw that her eyes were sweating. Tears as big as rain drops fell down over her case. She kept on throwing in type. She tossed 'a's' into the 'o' box and commas over among tho periods and 'caps' down among the lower ctiso letters in a reckless reck-less uianner. Every stickful of typo slio seL up next day was so lousy tho foreman threatened to dischargo her. What do I mcran by lousy ' Why, full of mistakes, to bo sure. I know the reason and corrected some of her galleys to help her out. At tho next meeting of our union some one suit! it had been proposed to raiso a fund to bury Tho Rat's two children that had just died that day of scarlet fever, both on the saino (lay, mind you. He had buried his wife tho week before, 'lie ought to be ablo to bury his own dead; he's been at work right along,' said somo one, and nearly all growled assent. " 'Who started tho movement to raiso '. the fundV nt-ked I, I " 'Nan,' answered tho fellow who had 1 proposed the matter. 'Sho bonded the I List. SIic'h about tho only friend tho family had. fcJut up nights to help tako caro of Rul'a wife, who waa a mighty sweet little woman." bought whisky for her when that waa all that would keep tho poor woman nlivo,' "Von ouglit to have seen tho expression expres-sion of Mr. Kukuk'a faco when ho heard this explanation as to why Nun went to tho saloon in get a bottlo of whisky. 'And when Kat'n wife died,' continued tho speaker, 'and hia two children fell eiek, tdie cared for them. "Worked all day and sat up nearly nil night with them. ! tell you, boys, printing otlicca have their devils, but now mid then angels drop down into them, nnd' "Lief ore he could say any moro Mr. Kokult sprang up ami moved that each nieiuber bo fisse.sf-ed to defy the funeral fu-neral expenses of lint's children, and that a:t many uf tho Un-a nn could hire nubs should at I end the funeral. Did wo carry tho motion';1 Well, rather. "Nan was tho only woman mourner, and'ulie looked hnndsomo on a cheap i dress of black blie had got for tho oeca- ! sion. Next day sho was back nt her case, i und at evening, w bile she was dlst ribut ing type, Mr. lvukuk crept up to her ca.so looking like a whipped spaniel, nnd said: 'Nan, do you know what I think of your' " 'Xo; and what's more, I don't care!' snapped Nan. "Well, I tldnU you area saint upon earth.' " To you know what I think of you?" said Nan, knocking nl-ottt half a handful of matter into pi. '1 don't think any-thin?.' any-thin?.' "Then how Mr. Kohul: did plead for j forgiveness! Nun said not a word for a j longtime, but liually she turned about with a half sneer on her face ami said: 'I'll jell to see who pays for the tickets to the theatre to-night.' To jelT is to phv n game with Ivk Mr. Kukuk got stuck for the lii'Uets. and 1 tell you he was tickled. Tlu v went: hut they only saw part of the plav. As they were walking along to the ihentri' they pnod a par- . nonage. 'Isn't that the man that preac.ied the funeral sermon for Thy Kat's cliil-' dren?' asked Mr. Kokuk. " 'Yes.' nnswered Nan. 'Let's go in and see him, said Mr. Kokuk. "In thev went, and Nan, who Is usually usu-ally surprised nt nothing, was much astonished when Mr. Kokuk asked the minister to marry them, but she consented and thev were mnrri.Hi. and n hen tin minister Had rea4 tiei ineenu vi mo t-fonnance t-fonnance and Mr. Kokuk tMk Nan in hi? arms and kissed her. what did she do but drop her head on his shoulder and cry! Sho said it was beeause nho was wuti out watchitu; with Tho Hat's folks. but 1 reckon those tears were tinctured with the compound essence of joy. "Say, di3 you peo that kind of countrified countri-fied looking fellow wjth a slouch hat standing over there by one of tho foruu talkiug to the foreman? That's Mr. K kuk. lie's now alitor and nroprietor of The Kokuk lianner. tleta all the county printing nnd is making a barrel of monev. lie's here on a visit and telling tho bovs about Nan. Gave mo her pic-(uro pic-(uro aa alio new looks. Ovnle, roued |
