The Portland daily press., 1883-03-05

"A tall. thin gentleman, with wayy hair and
a gray coat, OF course | did not know but
that he was friend of yours. He came
and glanced coolly over the desk, and then
took away the papers,
Should you know him again, if you saw
him?' / asked, eagerly
'Oh, yes! am sure should she replied.
The suggestion of the gentleman on the
other side was more to the point: I should
give information to the superintendent of
the room, and also ask the attendants at the
doors If they have noticed any one dressed
as described, go cut recently
did as he suggested, and very soon no.
tiee was fixed to the glass door of the room,
apprsing the public of my loss, and offering
a reward for information which would lead
to the conviction of the offender; meanwhile,
| had questioned the attendant. who remem-
bered perfectly the tall man in the gray coat,
and said that he had gone out about quar-
ter of an hour since. A quarter of an hour!
Time enough for him to have got completely
beyond my power of search.
That was all could discover, and in great
anxiety l returned to my seat. As did so,
l remember now how the starry eyes of my
new found friend glanced shyly and sympa-
thizingly at me.
| must have appeared very detected, for
she said presently, in tone of deep solicitude;
L all Truly oOTI1 lOf 1Ou3 Oub OooiA 9Oo INV
make up for lost time by working quickly.
That is just the difficulty, replied; this
MS. is wan ed at once. / have already been
too long over it, 1t is a cruel loss to me-.
To my ardent imagination was now as com
pletely ruined as previously | had thought
my fortune made. Thereafter will notice that
my temperament is very mercuria, and apt
to rise very high or descend very low at the
slightest provocation. But even allowing
Co x,iov tho eli cnf.
ficiently serious; for the loss of the MS.
would seriously initiate against my success
in the immediate future.
In few words l explained this to my
newly found friend, who at once saw the
difficulty of my position and the reason of
my anxiety. But what was to be done?
Could nothing be done to retrieve my loss?
AT that moment an old gentleman came
up and spoke to the young lady near me,
and even now l can recall that pang OF
jealousy shot through my heart. At the
first glance could see that he was what
some persons contemptuousy term "a litera-
ry hack but for all that he seemed perfect
ly happy and contented.
But these thoughts were interrupted by
the old gentleman turning TO me and saying,
in that whisper which is the regulation voice
in the reading-room:
Miss Miller tells me you have had an
Important uduuSCIlpb SbOicL3 WHdt was III
mentioned the name and detailed the
work&on which l was engaged, which, for
obvious reasons, is here suppressed.
He repeated it over to himself two or three
times, with his forefnger placed on his FORE
head, as though he was thinking deeply.
Then he said:
why, Hartopp & Co. announce a new
and carefully edited edition of that work.
1t is to be ready early next week.
YES / said, lit was for them was doing
it. Now you see the reason of my anxiety.
They cannot possibly publish it at the time.
promised some of the MS. last night. |
am ruined. in their estimation at least
They will never forgive me for so bungling
the matter.
yes, it is sefious,' he replied thoughtfully.
At that moment one of the courteous at
| tendants came to me.
sMr. Egerton% he asked, looking at me.
'Yes,' replied.
"A note just left for you, sir, at the read
| ing-room door. The bearer waits
| tore it open with feverisl eagerness,
although guessed too well what its con-
tents were.
read it over with throbbing temples and
burning brain. This was the gist of it:
| Please give bearer any copy you may have
ready, if only page. We are surprised at
not having yet received any from you.-
Hartopp & Co..
Without word I showed it to my com
panion, and sighed heavily.
ooh, come! don't give way like that, he
cried. Write back thus
ssI much regret that at present | have
no copy ready; the search has necessarily
been long and arduous. But have found
the requisite information at last, and hope
to send you large batch of copy soon."
Mechanically wrote the words as they
were dictated, and then folding up the pa
per, directed it and took it to the door and
gave it to the messenger from Hartopp q
Co.
When returned to my seat, the old gen
tlemau aud the young lady were eagerly
scanning the columns of last weeks Athen-
oeuna, and as I approached be cried in an
excited whisper:
Here it is, here it Isl thought saw 1t
| the other day.
| glanced over his shoulder to where his
| trembling finger pointed, and saw the an
nouncement of the publication, by another
house, of cheap edition of the very work
upon which was engaged.
Well? said inquiriDgly, what them? |
was sure another firm Was about to issue it;
hence the haste.
sYes, but you did not know what firm.
Now we can tell from this announcement;
ii is s'Matson & Co.." you see, smart,
pushing house,
We'll, but what then?'
Go and tell them what has occurred, and
say that your copy has been stolen by the
writer they employed, and ask to look at the
MS
what that is a difficult job,' replied.
Difficult of course it is difficult. But
you will have to do great many difficult
and delicate things before you have finished
your literary csreer, my young friend. Be
off at once. Miss Miller and | will see what
we can do to help you for an hour or so, if
| you will show us what you have done and
| what is to be done?'
With beating heart and whirling brain
| hurried from the reading-room. Was ever
| mortal engaged upon such an extraordinary
| errand before
In. due thine 1 reached the publishing
| house of Matson d Co. Without waiting to
| think, pushed hastily forward and asked
the first person / saw, who happentd to be a
mere boy, for Mr.. Matson.
| L fear he is out, sir, but will see.'
| Anxiously waited the boys return. At
| last he came. Mr.. Matson is not in his
room, sir just now, but believe ne is in the
| house. Would you wait awhile?
| l nodded assent | was too impatient to
| speak. had endeavored to prepare myself
for an unpleasant interview, but not for a
time of weary waiting.
As stood there, one of those extraordi-
nary coincidencies occurred which, in novels,
| are always voted improbable, and yet which
are frequently happening III real life, for
fact is stranger than fiction. AS l stood
there, say, printers boy passed me. He
appeared to have come for copy, for he ask
| ed, in the usual uncouth manner in which
| those gentle individuals, converse sif there
| was anything for Meaningless,
Mop exclaimed one of the young men,
| while the other as speedily corrected him,
and exclaimed in tones that thrilled through
me, There's the first batch of Baldwn's
copy for. If you forget that, Matson
would go raving mad
My temples throbbed and ached more
than ever. Here, then, was the discovery.
Baldwin, no doubt, was the man who had
stolen my MS. Matson was TO publish it,
and Manning was to print it.
l could scarcely control myself as I saw
the boy clutch the roll of MS. handed him
by one of the young men, and slip it into
his leather bag.
That, felt sure, was my lost manuscript,
but how was to regain ii?
III.
l looked at my watch. Half an hour only