s
favorite medicine.

"Who wouldn't be an editor?" said Harry.

"I notice," said Ferguson, "that pill-tenders and blacking
manufacturers are most liberal to the editorial profession. I only
wish jewellers and piano manufacturers were as free with their
manufactures. I would like a good gold watch, and I shall soon want
a piano for my daughter."

"You may depend upon it, Ferguson, when such gifts come in, that I
shall claim them as editorial perquisites."

"We won't quarrel about them till they come, Harry."

Our hero here opened a bulky communication.

"What is that?" asked Ferguson.

"An essay on 'The Immortality of the Soul,'--covers fifteen pages
foolscap. What shall I do with it?"

"Publish it in a supplement with Dr. Peabody's circular."

"I am not sure but the circular would be more interesting reading."

"From whom does the essay come?"

"It is signed 'L. S.'"

"Then it is by Lemuel Snodgrass, a retired schoolteacher, who fancies
himself a great writer."

"He'll be offended if I don't print it, won't he?"

"I'll tell you how to get over that. Say, in an editorial paragraph,
'We have received a thoughtful essay from 'L. S.', on 'The
Immortality of the Soul.' We regret that its length precludes our
publishing it in the 'Gazette.' We would suggest to the author to
print it in a pamphlet.' That suggestion will be regarded as
complimentary, and we may get the job of printing it."

"I see you are shrewd, Ferguson. I will follow your advice."

CHAPTER XXXIII.

AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL.

During his temporary editorship, Harry did not feel at liberty to
make any decided changes in the character or arrangement of the
paper; but he was ambitious to improve it, as far as he was able, in
its different departments. Mr. Anderson had become rather indolent
in the collection of local news, merely publishing such items as were
voluntarily contributed. Harry, after his day's work was over, made
a little tour of the village, gathering any news that he thought
would be of interest to the public. Moreover he made arrangements to
obtain news of a similar nature from neighboring villages, and the
result was, that in the course of a month he made the "Gazette" much
more readable.

"Really, the 'Gazette' gives a good deal more news than it used to,"
was a common remark.

It was probably in consequence of this improvement that new
subscriptions began to come in, not from Centreville alone, but from