Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1888 — THE DELINQUENT SUBSCRIBERS [ARTICLE]

THE DELINQUENT SUBSCRIBERS

■ ' ... Worn and weary, seedy and aad, and editor tet him down, . ; Mid work and rubbish, paper and dust, with many a wrinkle and frown. He sifhea when he .thought of his paper bills, bis rent, and boird, and wood, And groaned whin the copy fiend yelled out as he 'here in the doorway stood. ‘What <?o people fancy," he said, “an editor lives upon? Air and w«ter. glory and debt, till his tolls ome life is done? ’ll stop t ieir |fcp»r, every one. til) their honest And mark their nfSTOI jaff Tfer-mitiUnif booh for ever and for are! -- . t - Take this copy, double-lead, and mark with a pencil blue. And send to all who are in arrears, from ten years down to two.” And then to the eopy.-nugry boy he handed a penciled scrawl Of hieroglyphics, straggling, wild, all tangled, and loan and tall. When scaroea fortnight had dragged its length of tired-out hours away.There came to the heart of the editor of gladsome joy one day: > ’TWaa only a letter from Gordon’s MUl.in a band both weak and old; But out of it fell a treasured coin, of solid, beautiful gold! The letter clairncd bis int. rest, then, and so ne . slowiy read , The scrawigd. but simple and honest words, and thiaia what they said; •'Dear Editor-1. read the lines you marked .and p sent to me, sol rend this piece of gold and-ask .if you will agree.

To send my paper right along, and forget the debt I owed, For I've taken your paper for twenty year, and to fir as e'er I knowed, 1 never owed no man a Qent till about four years ago, When tny po' wile died and the cropu was bid, and the Ever tail mo low. And timet bain’t never been the same to little Liz and mo— For we are all that's left behiud -.aud since my eyes can’t Mje ' . • She always reads the paper, and it’s beep our only cheer, > brought us fell the-news and fun we’ve had - for many a year. - . I'm getting old and feeble, now, and down with the rheumatiz, And there's the paper left to me; just, that and little Liz. We couldn’t bear to lose it uow, it’s been with us so long, ' Till it’s very name is music,'Tike an old-time happy song. This twtnty.-dollar piece of gold will pay for all I owes And what is over and above, jus keep, and let ' r it go Toward paying for the till a brighter, better day; And send to Liz, she'll need it then, when I am called away." Glad and thankful the editor. Wai, as he knew tnat there was onb Who loved and could appreciate the’ work that he had done. Hefeltthat life was not in vain, and smiled through h ippy tears; Then on the mailing-book hp wrote; "Paid up for twenty years." , • ---Marga-et Andrews Oldham, in New YcrkSun