From Office Boy to Reporter; Or, The First Step in JournalismGaris, Howard Roger
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From Office Boy to Reporter; Or, The First Step in Journalism
Garis, Howard Roger
Journalists -- Juvenile fiction
There were few prouder boys in the big city of New York than Larry
when, at the end of his first week, he carried home his wages. The five
dollars seemed a small gold mine to him, and he handed the cash to his
mother with the remark that some day it would be more.
“You’re doing very well,” said Mrs. Dexter. “I shall not worry now.”
“I’m goin’ to work to-morrow,” spoke James. “I can sell papers. I seen
littler boys than me sellin’ ’em.”
“I guess we will not have to start you in right away,” spoke Larry.
“There’s time enough.”
“Couldn’t you get me some work to do?” asked Lucy with a smile, as
she sat propped up in the big chair. “I could direct envelopes or
something.”
“You just get well and strong and maybe we’ll talk about work,” said
Larry, for he could not bear to think of his sister suffering.
“I’m afraid I’ll never be any better,” said the girl a little sadly.
“Yes, you will!” exclaimed Larry, turning away to hide the tears in
his eyes. “I read in our paper to-day of a big doctor that’s coming
from Europe to cure people that have the same kind of spinal disease
you have.”
“But it costs an awful lot of money,” sighed Lucy.
“I’ll earn it!” said Larry determinedly.
During those days came a letter for Mrs. Dexter which had been sent
to Campton from New York and then returned to the metropolis. The
communication was from her sister and told about Mrs. Ralston’s
bereavement and stated that the widow had decided to pay an extended
visit to some of her husband’s folks who lived in another state.
“I hope she finds a good home,” said Larry’s mother, and that evening
penned a letter to Mrs. Ralston, telling of the changes that had
occurred in the Dexter household.
Larry began his second week of work with better spirits than he had the
first. He began to feel confidence in himself. Another boy had been
hired to take Peter’s place and Larry lost some of the feeling of being
the “cub” copy boy, as the newest arrival on a paper is called.
He was rapidly learning many things that were destined to be useful to
him. He could go after proofs now and make no errors, for he had come
to distinguish the different kinds of type in which the headings of the
stories were printed. There were the big “horse heads,” with three
lines of very black type. Then there were the ordinary “display heads,”
of two lines, of not quite such heavy letters. Then came “lap” heads,
smaller still, “twelve points,” or type about half an inch high, and so
on down to the small single-line heads, that were put on only the least
important articles.
Larry began to have some idea of the necessity of being quick and
accurate. He saw that, even near last-edition time, when everything was
on the rush, the reporters and editors kept cool, and, though they had
to work fast, they made every motion count.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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