Page:Lynch Williams--The stolen story and other newspaper stories.djvu/275

 Billy said he'd rather be a gentleman.

"It would be a good idea for you to get out of the newspaper life," said the managing editor at another time. "You've got a good all-around equipment now for"

"I could no more settle down to a roll-top-desk life than Cherokee Indians can run farms," said Billy, thanking him.

The only thing they could get him interested in was a certain foreign correspondent's place, which was about to be vacant. "You can speak French and German so well," they said. "You've lots of friends over there, and you're just about cynical and superior enough for a correspondent." Billy became quite enthusiastic and excited, but forgot to keep his appointment with the chief in regard to it, and the chief said he was getting tired of doing so much for a man that did so little for himself. Billy was not so very sorry.

"Little, old New York is good enough for me," he said, "even though they do make me read copy occasionally. I wonder why they do." Formerly they said he was too good for it.