Part 3 (1/2)

”My friend,” said Tec.u.mseh, ”your view is narrow, not to say biased. I have read the volumes you praise. Without doubt there is merit in them.

Oh, without doubt. But as compared to that marvelous book, Izaak Walton's _Compleat Angler_, it is the nickering of a match to the s.h.i.+ning of the noonday sun.”

”_Angler_,” says Mr. Tidd, disgusted as could be.

”Yes, _Angler_,” says Tec.u.mseh.

”Huh!” says Mr. Tidd.

”Do not snort at Izaak Walton,” roared Tec.u.mseh. ”I will not stand by to see it done.”

”Then don't go belittlin' Gibbon,” says Mr. Tidd.

”Have you read _The Compleat Angler_?” shouted Tec.u.mseh.

”No,” says Mr. Tidd, more warlike than I thought he had it in him to be, ”nor I hain't read the Compleat Fly-catcher, nor the Compleat Cold-catcher, nor-?”

”Sir!” yelled Tec.u.mseh, reaching as if to take off his coat and finding it was off. It sort of surprised him, I guess, but he got over it and shook his fist under Mr. Tidd's nose. He quit talking educated and careful, too-just for that minute.

”Your Gibbon wasn't nothin' but a flea on Walton's collar,” says he.

It looked like there was going to be a regular rumpus, so I sort of stepped up and says:

”How's the printin'-press gettin' along, Mr. Tidd?”

”Eh?” says he. ”Printin'-press. What printin'-press?”

”This one,” says I.

”Um!” says he, rubbing his chin. ”Calc'late I plum' forgot it. What's matter with it, Binney?”

”You was goin' to find out,” says I.

”So I was.... So I was,” says he.

”And you,” says I to Tec.u.mseh Androcles, ”you quit botherin' him. He's busy. See if it hain't catchin'.”

Well, sir, you should have seen Tec.u.mseh go to work. He could work, too, and knew just what he was doing. He set every one of us doing something, and it didn't seem like ten minutes, though it must have been an hour or so, when Mark came out with some paper in his hand.

”Here's the hand-bill,” says he. ”Tec.u.mseh Androcles, can you s-s-set this up so's it'll look strikin'?”

”Give it to me, young man, and you shall see. Ah, you shall see.”

So Tec.u.mseh went to work and in no time had the thing set up. He fixed it so it would go on the job press and then we began printing it. Just let me tell you it was a jim-dandy. This is how it went:

THE WICKSVILLE ”TRUMPET”

IS GOING TO TOOT

New Editor, New Management New Policy, New Everything

First Toot Thursday