THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB
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smiling and nodding first at the pen and then at the guests. The shouting in the sub-editor’s room continued. Persitsky brought in an article by Semashko, while the sub-editor was hastily crossing out the whole of the chess section, which had been put into the third column of the paper. The chess editor had to give up struggling for space and in the end was given a few lines at the expense of the ‘ Law and Life ’ section. The sub-editor then went on writing his leading article. He had just determined to read it through and had got to the middle of a sentence when he was inter rupted by a representative of the ‘ Law and Life ’ section. The sub-editor dehberately went on reading, making unnecessary alterations and ignored the man. ‘ Law and Life ’ walked round until he came to the side of the sub-editor’s chair and then said in an offended voice : ‘ I don’t see why. I don’t under stand----- ’ ‘ What’s that ? ’ said the sub-editor, trying to delay the attack. ‘ What’s the matter ? ’ ‘ The matter is that there was no “ Law and Life ” in the paper on Wednesday or Friday ; on Thursday there were only a few lines, and now on Saturday they are cutting out the case which is being written about in all the papers and yet we are the only ones to----- ’ ‘ Which papers are writing about it ? I’ve not seen anything,’ shouted the sub-editor. ‘ It’ll be in all the papers to-morrow. And again we’ll be the only ones not to give any news about it.’ After a long argument the sub-editor cut out the chess article altogether and inserted the copy for ‘ Law and Life ’. It was five o’clock, the busiest time in the newspaper office. The reporters were dictating to the steno graphers, and the head typist was shouting at some sneaks who were pushing their copy out of their turn.
