“Do you think so?”
“I am satisfied of it. I have helped Blakeley to make up the paper on more than one occasion, and there were times when stories bigger and more important than yours and which were in type were thrown aside for want of space. So don’t let a little thing like that trouble you. Persevere; do the best you can, and don’t permit yourself to be cast down by little incidents of this kind.”
Herbert thanked him for this friendly advice and promised to profit by it. The talk caused Tomlin to drift into a train of reminiscences.
“I’ll never forget my first experience in the newspaper business in this city,” he said musingly; “it satisfied me that enterprise, while quite valuable in itself, is not the most important thing in the gathering of news. I know that when I began I was eager to accomplish great things.
“One morning the city editor assigned me to a meeting of the Municipal League, and as I was leaving the room he called out:
“‘See here, I want you to put a little ginger in your articles. We want to brighten the paper up a bit.’
“It was a prosy gathering. Most of the members of the league were elderly or old men, and they made long winded speeches and accomplished little business. There did not seem to be much prospect of a bright article in the ordinary report of a meeting of this character. I decided to burlesque the meeting. The result was all that could be desired. The city editor was not ‘on’ and the story went straight to the copy desk.
“The next morning I was informed the proprietor wanted to see me. I felt at once that this summons had something to do with my article. When I entered the room, he looked at me curiously and in silence for some moments.
“‘Did you write the meeting of the Municipal League which appears in this morning’s paper?’
“‘I did,’ I answered, swelling up with pride.