The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-12-11


leisure to follow her inclination.
| So, almost ia fear and trembling
Mrs. Chessom had looked over a Iii.
tie pile of manuscript she bad writ
ten in those early days. and copied
it, correcting and improving. and
eliminating and adding. and then.
with prayer in her heart, sent it of
TO popular paper. sa.t4-
And two weeks later came back a
cheque for sum that TO her seemed
gloriously munifcent, and short,
teFse permission to send others of
the same style and degree OF. excel
lence. -as. nsasfass
After that they were so happy and
eare-free. Dora sang over her daily
tasks and lived her idle hours in the
lovely old garden, and grew into
fair, dainty girl OF seYenteen-one
of those sweet, pure. charming girls.
who redeem their sex from the repu-
tation-of boldness, .heartlessness and
frivolity it so generally merits.
And Mrs. Chessom settled down
to her new life of literary labor, and
her stories pleased. and the cheques
come regularly as Monday morn
ing's mail could bring them. Until
very suddenly, she was taken ILL
alarmingly, dangerously i'll, and the
doctor peremptorily forbade even
thought Of writing for long. long
time. -.--+.-.-s- Fr.s-.s.-rsas
There were costly tonics to bay,
and dainty food, TO keep the feeble
strength in the poor. worn body.
There were medicines to get, and
the doctors bills to pay-all out
goes--and the supply of money sud-
denly stopped, so that it was no won
der Mrs. Chessom worried, and grew
daily very feverish, and Dora's
languishing eyes grew grave and
thoughtful,
eff only knew what to do?''
And Dora went from one duty to
another with that thought puzzling
her brains. until, after a while, she
began to grow pale and pitiful.
But the question remained unsolv.
ed, and the little hoard of money
got so low that Dora could count the
sum total on her fingers, and she
grew desperate in proportion as Mrs.
Chessom grew disheartened.
Something must be done and
shall be donel Here's mamma sick
and helpless, and not ten pounds in
the world between US and starva.
tion. Why can't I take her place
and earn some money!
And a sudden thought went tear
ing through her brain, and her breath
came in little gasps,
"Why nots Why not write nam.
mas stories and send them in her
name? Oh, oh! wonder if I could
! do wander if can't write a story u
And all that day Dora was un-
usually grave and thoughtful, and
her mother never suspected the Wild
ly audaeious thoughts that were
throbbing in her brain, or knew how
the brave, desperate little heart was
beating With unnatural excitement.
That night. after Mrs. Chessom
was com fortably settled for a sever
al hours sleep, Dora crept almost
stealthily down to the room below,
where the desk was, with it's sheets
of fair white paper, its ink. and its
pens, and she wrote-eagerly. al.
NEST fnsanely, In her desperation
pages and pages, to read them. and
tear them almost angrily to pieces.
Then try again and again, urged
by very anguish of conflicting hope
and fear, now actually laughing at
her insane presumption. then trem.
bling with some faint thrill of CON.
fidence in her ability.
At last, when the faint summer
dawn began to pale the lamp-light
Dora laid down her pen, weak, ex
hausted. but with a story written
and the accompany note explaining
she had copied it in consideration ol
her mothers sickness.
Later she posted it. and then
well, it was the girls first experience
of that suspense which is almost
worse than the certainly of disaster
She waited and went about heI
daily tolls, and went daily to the
post Office, until the postmistress be
gan to tease her about her pale
cheeks and bistre.circled eyes, anC
tell her she thought the lover heart
less fellow to keep her waiting 81
long. daa
! Then the letter came. and Dori
hid herself under lock and key be
fore she dared open it, and when sh
did open tt aa
4 x x n
i A week before that Afternoon
there had been quite little flute
of excitement in the editorial room