Part 4 (1/2)

This was surprising Archie couldn't i about his daily life, but he sat down and succeeded in writing a very interesting two columns about it He was much surprised that he should be able to write so easily and so well Of course he knew that coest studies at school, but he had never realised before that he had any great talent for writing When he had finished this article, the editor looked it over, and said, ”That's great You're all right, reat journalist of you yet,” and of course this made Archie very happy ”Wait until this story is set up,” said Mr Jennings, the editor, ”and I'll see what you can do in the way of correcting proofs”

When the proofs came, in a very short ti them he discovered several s said that he had done very well indeed ”Now you can spend the day in doing what you please

I would suggest that you go about New York and have as e experiences as possible, so that to-morrow you can write theo out to Coney Island, which is a different place from any you have seen before You are sure to see so , Archie was asked if he needed any money ”You mustn't hesitate to ask for it, because you can have it as well to-day as on Saturday” But as he had left several dollars of the thirty he had received the day before, Archie didn't draw any ht it most remarkable that the editor should have soa trolley-car to Coney Island, and, after an hour's riding through Brooklyn streets, he found hiinable, It was a queer-looking toith great wheels in the air, high towers, with elevators and innuo-rounds, and other sources of aans, street-pianos, and Ger at the same time, while people hurried about froa the various scenic railways and carrousels Archie stood ht at it all, but before five minutes had passed he had shot the chutes, and had ridden over a steeplechase which took hilared at hih the air It was all so new, so different fro he had seen before, that he was si near a theatre, when a short, darkame of all”

CHAPTER XI

A DAY AND A NIGHT IN CONEY ISLAND--RAIDING A GAMBLING DEN

ARCHIE was at first too much surprised to answer the man at all, but in a few moments he remembered that he was now a reporter, and that it was his duty to see all that he could, and have all the new experiences possible So he decided to follow theof all” in Coney Island was like He was taken through several narrow alleyways, and finally he found himself in front of a tumble-down structure, built out directly over the water It was veryseemed quiet about the place The shades were carefully drawn, and the dark man had to knock three times before the door was opened and they were permitted to enter Inside, Archie found hireatly in appearance fro There was a rich velvet carpet,about the room The place was filled with a wheels with nua to realise that he had been steered into a ga den of the worst kind, and he was immediately on the alert for future developments He watched every movement of his new friend, and noticed that he found it necessary to speak to several of those present in a low undertone This didn't worry Archie, because he knew that he was in no danger except of losing money, and he felt that he could afford to lose so about the experience for the newspaper

So he carefully observed all that was going on,mental notes of the peculiarities of the place and the people When at last the dark man came up and inquired if he wouldn't like a chance to earn some money easily, he very readily answered yes, and thea victim Then, of course, Archie was introduced to the mysteries of the famous roulette wheel, of which he had read so , and didn'tsoahen he had lost this su back all he had lost, and er Archie was firain, feeling that he had learned a great deal through a very sradually found his way back into the crowded Surf Avenue, where there were hundreds of things, evidently, which he had not yet seen The crowds, too, seereater even than before, and there see every hour from New York and Brooklyn, over the various street-car and railway lines, and by the excursion boats landing at the great iron pier The noise was still deafening, and every one see a splendid time in every way ”Surely,” said Archie to himself, ”no one can feel blue or despondent in such a place as this, where every one is full of fun, and apparently deterood tier, but he knew he should go back again to the city, so that heabout what he had seen and done

So again he rode over the great Brooklyn bridge, and stopped on the other side at the handso of the Enterprise It made Archie very happy to feel that he was now a reporter on such a great paper, and he found it hard to realise that so ood fortune had come to him in such a short time He met reporters in the various hallways, and all of thean to feel that he had never been throith such pleasantthe editor this time, and found him a ready listener to the story of his Coney Island experiences He insisted on Archie's describing all theden, and then asked him if he could identify them, if necessary, and also if he would be able to find the place again Archie gave good descriptions of most of the men, and said that he could take any one to the place at any tiht for a fewfor a copy-boy ”Ring for a er boy,” he said, ”and when he arrives come for a note which I want him to take to Mr Pultzer's house” Archie stared with as, and waited for further infor to be done

He knew that Mr Pultzer owned the newspaper, and he knew that it s wanted to write hi left in the dark, and he felt very proud that Mr Jennings should have confidence enough in him to tell hi which will prove very important to the paper and the public,” he said to Archie ”We have suspected for a long ti in Coney Island, but up to noe have not been able to locate any of them Now that you have found one, we hope to arouse public opinion to the danger there is in such places, and we hope to inspire a reforh to wipe them out entirely I will hear froo down to the Island with some plain-clothes detectives and two other reporters And I don't ood su any of the leaders of this gang You can be excused for an hour now, if there's anything you want to do”

Full of enthusias adventure and his part in it, Archie hurried out to a quick-lunch counter and bought hiht meal, for he feared that he would have to re Then, when he had finished, he returned to the newspaper office, where he spent so acquainted with so Enterprise He found thereat s froive his that he should, and should not, do While he was in the office of the Morning Enterprise Mr Jennings ca into the private roo, as the editorial head of the s told of the new schehly that before an hour three detectives, two reporters, and Archie were on their way to the Island

Once arrived in the resort, which was as noisy and bright as in the afternoon, they allden, headed by Archie, who surprised the others with his certainty and confidence as to which was the right direction In a very few minutes they all stood in front of the dilapidated structure built out over tide-water, and Archie heard one of the detectives say that the place looked ”ave three knocks just as the dark man had done in the afternoon, and in a few minutes the door was cautiously opened and a head made its appearance The detectives lost no tireat confusion and cries of fear, and it seemed only a few seconds until all the inmates were huddled in a corner, covered with pistols, and wailing in fear, when they weren't cursing through anger

Then they were all arrested and taken to the police station, where they were all refused bail, and placed in cells overnight Then the reporters returned to the office of the Enterprise, where Archie was told by Mr

Van Bunting to write the story of his experience for theedition, and he took great pains to make his descriptions as complete as possible, and the details as accurate as he kne to make them And his hard as rewarded by words of praise fro

Tired from his hard day's work, Archie then went up-town to the quiet square in which he had his hoet to bed He had been nervous and excited all day, and found it difficult to sleep, but finally the tired eyelids lay quietly over the tired eyes, and Archie was drearapes at ho there to devise ways and uished fellow reat success in the city

Notwithstanding his tired feeling, Archie was up early the next , and out at the corner to buy an Enterprise He hastily turned the pages, trying to find the story of his Coney Island adventures, but he looked in vain It wasn't visible anywhere He was about to think that it had not been thought worth while printing when he noticed on the front page, in large letters, ”The Boy Reporter's Great Discovery,” and then followed the complete account, just as he had written it This was the best thing yet Just to think that his story had been considered ie! He could hardly believe it Surely he had an to realise that it is not experience that isto write about ”I have sis,” he said, to hiht breakfast in a quaint Italian restaurant around the corner, he hurried don to the office of the newspaper

Archie was beginning to feel, by now, that he had worked for a long time upon the paper, and as he had become acquainted with ale feeling for him to have And it was evident, too, that the editors intended to keep him busy for some time to come, and Archie realised that he was in newspaper work to stay, for a time, at least And he was overjoyed at the prospect, for he found the whole business as fascinating and as interesting as he had expected it would be

Mr Jennings, of the evening edition, was at the office when Archie arrived, and sent for him to come in ”Here is fifty dollars,” he said, ”for your work of yesterday, and you will have ratulate you on what you have done so far Co will have a new plan for you”

CHAPTER XII

A SUCCESSFUL REPORTER--THE EDITOR DECIDES TO SEND HIM AS CORRESPONDENT TO THE PHILIPPINES--LEAVING NEW YORK--IN CHICAGO

AT three o'clock in the afternoon Archie was seated in Mr Van Bunting's office, together with Mr Jennings and several of the chief members of the editorial staffs of both editions of the paper The editors had spread out before thee table, severalnotes on little paper pads All the ti carried on, for some editors wanted Archie to proceed to the Philippines one way, and soo by some other route

But the i to be sent to the Philippines as a war correspondent, and that he was going to start very shortly He had called on Mr Van Bunting early in the afternoon, and had then learned for the first ti editor asked hio to the Philippines, Archie could scarcely reply, so delighted was he with the brilliant prospect before hih, in spite of his surprise ”I always thought war correspondents were selected from the most experienced hed ”That's e have already done, uished correspondents have sent us a thing worth printing that we didn't already know You see they can't send any et froton, andout of the ordinary line of war correspondence Noe want is for you to go over there and have so which will be different fro you, because you have had no experience at such work, and will be sure to send us so unusual, and that is ant If you can only do as well in the tropics as you have done here in New York, we shall be more than satisfied with your work I aive you very complete instructions, but perhaps it will be as well And now so outside to come in and talk this matter over, so we'll have them in now”

And Archie found hi whichlasted more than two hours, and finally it was decided that Archie should travel froo from there to Manila on the army transport which was to sail on the twenty-fifth of the month This meant that he would have to leave the city in two days' ti to do this, as he had few preparations to ave him many instructions about hoas to address his correspondence, and how he should proceed in the event of finding it necessary to send despatches by cable And at the end of the conference he felt that he knew all that he would need to know, so that he could start off without fear of not being able to fulfil his mission As far as Archie could understand it, his chief instructions as to duty were to the effect that he must have as many experiences as possible of as many different kinds, and that he must write about the a letter to the folks at hoht, of course, that this would be very easy to do

Mr Van Bunting gave him a letter of credit for six hundred dollars, which amount, he said, would probably be sufficient to pay his expenses while he was in the Philippines, and he also gave him a cheque for three hundred dollars, which was intended to pay the expense of getting to Manila ”Of course,” said Mr Van Bunting, ”you can spend as much or as little of this as you please, and if you needus, ill send it on dee that he possessed nine hundred dollars, that he could hardly thank the editor enough, and he made up his mind that he would spend as little as possible of the su upon his return He couldn't iine hoould be possible for him to spend so much money, and he felt that, after soht to be able to economise in many here other reporters wouldn't kno to save at all