I'm  only  staying  on  until  I
can  get  something  better. It 's  a  dog 's  life. There 's  nothing
in  it. I  worked  here  all  last  week,  and  what  do  you  think  I
made?  Twelve  dollars  and  seventy -five  cents  for  the  whole
week,  time  included. Twelve  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents!
It's  an  outrage!"

I  agreed  with  him. "What  is  this  time  they  allow?"  I
asked. "How  do  they  figure — expenses  and  all?"

"Sure,  they  allow  expenses,  and  I'm  going  to  figure  mine
more  liberally  from  now  on. It's  a  little  bonus  they  allow
you  for  the  time  you  work,  but  you  don't  get  anything  any-
how. I'll  double  any  railroad  fare  I  pay. If  they  don't  like
it  they  can  get  somebody  else. But  they  won't  let  you  do  too
much  of  it,  and  if  you  can 't  make  a  little  salary  on  small  stuff
they  won't  keep  you  even  then."  He  grinned. "Anything
big  goes  to  the  boys  on  a  salary,  and  if  it's  real  big  the  space-
men, who  are  on  salary  and  space  also,  get  the  cream. I  went
out  on  a  story  the  other  afternoon  and  tramped  around  in  the
rain  and  got  all  the  facts,  and  just  as  I  was  going  to  sit  down
and  write  it — well,  I  hadn't  really  got  started — one  of  the


478  A  BOOK  ABOUT  MYSELF

managing  editors — there  are  about  twenty  around  here —
came  up  and  took  it  away  from  me  and  gave  it  to  somebody  else
to  write. All  I  got  was  'time.'  Gee,  I  was  sore !  But  I  don't
care,"  he  added  with  a  chuckle. "I'll  be  getting  out  of  here
one  of  these  days."

Being  handed  this  dose  of  inspiring  information,  I  was  in
no  mood  for  what  followed ;  although  I  decided  that  this  series
of  ills  that  were  now  befalling  him  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he
was  older  than  myself  and  maybe  not  very  efScient,  whereas
in  my  case,  beiag  young,  efficient,  etc.,  etc. — the  usual  mental
bonus  youth  hands  itself— I  should  do  better. But  when  it
came  to  my  assignments  this  day  and  the  next  and  the  next,
and  in  addition  I  was  "handed"  the  late  watch,  my  cock  sure-
ness  began  to  evaporate. Each  day  I  was  given  unimpor-
tant rumors  or  verification  tales,  which  came  to  nothing. 