Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-09-28
IT'S SAD.
\ Strange Stnry-Tho Unfinished Manu-
script The story of Fate an Arkansas
Man Told.

\ Strange Stnry--The Unfinished Manu-
script The story of Fate an Arkan-a,
Man Told.
Some time ago the writer visited
Prof. Gailnet. of Little Rock, Ark
and while sitting in tie library, en-
gagged in conversation with the enter
tanning gentleman. observed a roll of
manuscript tied with n strip Of black
cloth. We asked him if it We're some
thing designed for publication.
1T will never be published,' he
said. and began to unroll it. See
how it ends" and glancing at the
bottom of the last page We read the
following: while he sat alone,
deeply musing. hearse passed the
house. and here the sentence broke
off Requesting, almost imploring.
the Professor to tell us the history of
the curious manu- script, he finally
consented.
Il came to Arkansas when | was a
young man. One night | sat Ill my
library writing story for la
zine. l was in good health and had
cause to feel elated over the success
l had just attained by the publication
of a snail volume of sketches, but
still felt the heavy weight of melan
choly depression. l arose and
walked out, but soon returned, not
experiencing any change. l bent
myself to the work of writing dreary
story and worked with surprising
rapidity until l wrote, "A hearse
passed the house and Here l
stopped. A strange presentiment
told me that l would never finish the
sentence. Next day | took up my
pen to finish it, but had not touched
the paper with the pen when pierre
ing shrek caused me to spring to my
feet and rush from the room just in
time to see horse, attached to a
buggy, dashing wildly toward my
gate. A frightened woman was in
the buggy and | rescued her l put
the manuscript away and devoted
myself to my new acquaintance; our
friendship grew into love and finally
we married. Then followed ten
years of happiness. l did not tell
my wife of the unfinished manu-
script, but one day she found it and
begged me to finish it. l did not like
to confess my foolish fears. and final
ly l told her that 1 would The next
night, after my wife had gone to bed.
l took down the story and read it
over. l wonld finish it for her sake.
l took up the pen and was just in the
act of touching the paper when my
wife called me. 1 ran to her and
found Der in dying condition. hay
ing been a. tackled by rheumatism of
the heart.
Have You ever attempted since to
finish it?'
Yes After my wife had been dead
for several years | determined one
night to finish the story. | went to
the desk, but had no sooner dipped
my pen in the ink when a noise in
an adjoining room attracted my at
tention. Hurrying into the room l
found my son lying on the floor dead.
He had always been in wretched
health and had committed suicide"
'Do you ever expect to finish the
story7"
Il expect to try again. 1t is i'm
possible for me to remain supersti-
tious, even though l may have a
powerful cause for doing so. OF
course, all this would have happened
even if l had not begun the story
I think that next Tuesday night, if l
feel like it, 1 shall devote myself to
the completion of the work, for /
desire to see it in print. Come up
and see me start eff"
We we've busy when Tuesday night
came, and-cowardly confession
were not sorry that something kept
lis away. Early Wednesday morn
ing we hurried to the house where
for years the professor had lived.
The horrible thought seized us that
he had taken up his pen to finish the
story and had fallen dead. Some
time elapsed before we had the cour-
age to knock at the door. At last
we raped.
No answer,
Another rap.
No answer.
With blood almost at freezing
point, and with hair standing erect,
we showed open the door. The old
man sat leaning back in his chair.
eating pie.
"Come in" he said cheerfully.
"You see 1 have just finished that
story, and it gave me an appetite for
pie. Pies good thing to eat after
you finish up story, but you want
to wait until you are through writing"
Did You hear any strange noises?''
we asked, "when you began to write. "
"Well. yes. A calf over in the al
joining yard bawled for while. Oh.
yes, you are thinking about that
story l told you some time ago. Why,
my dear fellow, you should not have
been so foolish as to have believed
me. l never was married, you know
Have some pie Arkansaw Trav
eler.