Page:History of the newspapers of Beaver County, Pennsylvania.djvu/165

 THE BEAVER TIMES. there were some bright fellows. Seatmg themselves at ease in the sanctum, they would write up some squib of experience on the road, or some local matter that fell under their eyes, and hand in for publication which was generally accepted. Some of them were regular callers, though their visits might be one or more years apart, and were always welcome as a part of the business. Recoimt- ing anecdotes of their trips and bits of adventure, they were often pleasant callers, but it was only for a day or two at the most. A few hours at the case, an inter- change with the "boys" in the composing room and office, they would gather up a supply of papers, and pass on to New Castle, Wheeling or Pittsburg, as fancy directed, care free and apparently as happy as larks. Mr. Weyand relates the following two interesting incidents, typical of the class, and two only out of many others: One a very brilliant but erratic genius, Abijah Baker, by name, but who passed as "Bije" for short. Aftfr one of his calls here,, drifted to Canton, Ohio, where some of the prominent citizens of that place became so impressed with his more than ordinary ability, that they bought him a complete newspaper outfit, and guaranteed him a liberal salary, if he would abide with them. After staying there a few months, and giving that section of Ohio some of the brightest editorials they had ever been accustomed to, he tired of the restraint that was on him, took to the road again and that was the last ever heard of him in this section. There was another, whose genius ran chiefly to poetry, or doggerel rather, and who always timed his periodical visits so as to get into the Saint's Eest on a Saturday night, in order to be with the festive printers over Sunday. His first query, on facing the boys was,, if they had anything to drink stronger than water; and when a weU filled flask was handed him, he would drain it to the bottom, and handing back the empty fl^sk, would