The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Page #2

I spilled some blood on it...

while self-stitching

a gun wound to my abdomen...

but number 25 is my best ever.

The quintessence

of life, I think.

I trust you'll get it

where it needs to go...

you always do.

What did you get?

It's a wallet.

With LIFE's motto on it.

Here you go.

Where's 25?

It's not there.

Hey, we need negative 25.

Sean O'Connell sent a telegram.

An actual telegram.

A 100-year-old dude

came in a little hat.

So there's a floor meeting.

Bring 25.

It's here somewhere.

We'll find it.

Okay, make a contact sheet of

these frames as soon as you can.

And don't say anything to anyone.

Yeah.

I just wanted to inform you

all reluctantly, that...

I guess, just start back

from the beginning.

Okay. I just wanted to inform

you all reluctantly...

that this month's issue

will be our last.

What?

Yeah. What?

This is some bull!

It's sad...

...news, for sure.

Now, you're all valued employees.

But as we undergo this

transition to LIFE online...

we wanted to be candid with you...

that some of you will be

determined non-vital employees...

to the new partnership.

And we'll be deciding

which of those positions...

will be remaining with us over

the course of the next week.

Also, we feel sad about

that, as you can see.

Now for some good news.

We are very excited...

All right, Don.

Ted Hendricks. Managing

director of the transition.

Never fun, this stage.

But we do have ahead of us

the privilege of publishing...

what will be the very last

issue of LIFE magazine.

And for the final issue,

we just received a telegram.

Come on.

From Sean O'Connell...

who has never,

I'm told, been willing...

to speak with the executives here.

Well, he broke his long silence

and shared his thoughts with us...

through that old man.

Sean O'Connell.

"I expect full consideration

of negative 25 for cover.

"My most grand.

"The quintessence of life. "

What is that?

It means like the

fullest and most rich.

Okay. So our cover will probably

be the most famous ever...

because it really will have the

big quintessence of all time.

Very full and so rich.

So let's see this thing. Huh?

Let's see it.

Can we... What am I doing up here?

What's going on?

We'll receive it now

from Negative Assets.

This gentleman.

The last man in.

Negative Assets.

What's that?

Ah, Major Tom.

Can I get that?

It's being processed.

All right. Well, let's do it.

Let's process some quintessence.

Come on.

Go.

Now.

That's why I'm clapping.

When do we go to press?

Two and a half weeks.

Hi.

Hi.

I'm Walter.

Cheryl. Melhoff.

Mitty.

Yes.

You work in Photo Accounts, right?

I do.

Negative Assets.

Yes. I am.

You're processing the last cover photo.

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