City and town life -- Fiction; Didactic fiction; Indiana -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction
When the policemen scattered the crowd Mickey's substitute had not a
paper remaining. With his pocket full of change he was running to the
nearest stand for a fresh supply. Mickey went with him and watched with
critical eye while the boy tried a reproduction of what he called "a
daily scream!" The first time it was rather flat.
"You ain't going at it right!" explained Mickey. "'Fore you can make
anybody laugh on this job, you must see the fun of life yourself.
Beauty parlours have always been for the Swell Dames and the theatre
ladies, who pink up, while their gents hump to pay the bill. You ought
always take one paper home, and _read_ it, so you know what's going on
in the world. Now from what I've read, I know that the get-a-way of the
beauty parlours is cold cream. And one of the show ladies the boys are
always wild over told the papers long ago 'bout how she used icicles on
her face to pink it up. Now if you'd a-knowed this like you should, the
minute you clapped your peepers on that, 'Chasing Wrinkles,' you'd
a-knowed where your laugh came in today, like I've told you over and
over you _must_ get it. Bet Chaffner put that there on purpose for me.
Which same gives me an idea. You been calling the Hoc de Geezer war,
and the light-weight champeen of Mexico, and 'the psychological panic'
something fine; but did you sell out on them? Not on your topknot! You
lost your load on the scream. _Get the joke of life soaked in your
system good_. On this, you make yourself see the plutes, and the
magnates, and the city officials leaving their jobs, and hiking to the
beauty parlours, to beat the dames at their daily stunt of being
creamed and icicled and--it's funny! When it's so funny to you that you
just howl about it, why it's catching! Didn't you see me catch them
with it? Now go on and do it again, and get the _scream_ in."
The boy began the cry with tears of laughter in his eyes. He kept it up
as he handed out papers and took in change. Satisfied, Mickey called to
him: "Tell your sire it's all over but polishing the silver."
He started down the street glancing at clocks he was passing, with
nimble feet threading the crowds until he reached the _Herald_ office;
there he dodged in and making his way to the editorial desk he waited
his chance. When he saw an instant of pause in the work of the busy
man, he started his cry: "Morning papers! I _like_ to sell them!" and
so on to the "Chasing Wrinkles." There because he was excited, for he
knew that his reception would depend on how good a laugh he gave them,
Mickey outdid himself. Reporters waiting assignments crowded around
him; Mr. Chaffner beckoned, and Mickey stepped to him.
"Found it all right, did you, young man?"
"The scream lifted the load!" cried Mickey. "War, and waste, and
wickedness, didn't get a look in."
"I thought you'd like that!" laughed the editor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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