The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-08

at is weak. certainly" admitted Dr.
Dunscombe. considerably crestfallen,
+ ''but think you are hasty in calling it
trashy. There are passages in it which
would be no disgrace TO Marian Evans
/ herself"
But they are the exceptions. while
the weakness and freshness are the
rule; you can't get over that fact
Apparently DR.. Dunscombe saw the
impossibility, for he relapsei into
silence.
"Well, what are we TO do with it?''
asked Swift, carefully squaring the pile
of manuscript as it lay before him with
gentle touches of his hands at the OPP
posite sides.
"Why not send it to some publisher,
anyway" suggested the Optimist. "We
have expected so much that we are not
fair judges, probably, and may be un-
reasonably disappointed. 1t can do no
harm to find out what other people
think of it,
As nobody made any objection, ex-
cept Bruce, who objected to everything
on principle, the suggestion was carried
out, and the manuscript lay on the
table all ready for the express Office,
inclosed in sealed wrapper, and adj
dressed to leading firm OF publishers,
before the friends went out into the dim
morning light. and separated, in some
what detected spirits, for their severaa
homes.
In fortnight the manuscript had
come back, with courteous little note:
! - Il 81
''Send it again to some one else,
advised the undaunted De Whit. and
again it was put in fresh wrapper
and started OF on its travels.
In the meantime Donald Bruce was
working secretly and on his own re,
sponsibility. With great deal of pa
tent industry and intricate wire-pulling
he finally succeeded in obtaining for
Miss StrattOn permanent and fairly
lucrative position as contributor to a
lively little weekly periodical, devoting
itself entirely TO fiction, and fiction in
an abridged form, its Immaculate pages
presenting themselves virtuously Tree
from those serial stories which tend to
rouse the hid len Adam in poor, weak
human nature by invariably stopping
at thdsmost thrilling and CRITICAL point
in the narrative. Not a word of this,
however, came to the ears of his fell
demonstrators, and in wretched ig
norance that there was no need for
present anxiety. they worried them
| selves considerably over Miss StrattOa
and Miss StrattOn' S financial affairs.
They authorized Bruce to deliver the
weekly allowance over to her as usual,
with the explanation that there was
some unavoidable delay in the publica-
ton of the book, and the money now
advanced would be deducted from har
one-fOurth share of the profits when
they began to come in. But this decep-
t!oa could not be kept up forever, end
the fathers began to ask themselves
blankly what they should do when de
cep;ion was no longer possible. Their
adoption was beginning to take turn
that at least four of them had never
foreseen. On assembling as usual one
August evening. the well-known brown
parcel was discovered on its customary
corner of the Office table, sent back for
the fifth time. Even lie Whit looked
completely discouraged.
]
Me- can. picking up and glancing over
the reg lar cOurteOusly-worded note oil
rejection. al move that we burn the
thing"
You will do nothing of the kind
contradicted Bruce. II have grown SC
accustomed to seeing it on my table
that should feel completely at loss
without it. 1t will do for paper
weight"
at has proved a veritable paper.
weight to u.s." said DunscOmbe, meek
ly, too miserable to laugh even at his
own Joke Il feel that owe you fell
lows an apology for getting you into
this scrape. 1t has ce .tainly turned out
more seriously than any of us expect
ed"
80, nonsense answered Harry
Swift, good-naturedly; 1--WE needn't
have undertaken the thing unless we
had chosen to. What | would like
though. would be to have some ,one
show me decent way out of it,
IL don't see anything for it but to &C
in body and make a clean breast Of
it to the young lady," said De Whit
mo one of us. of course, would want
to do it alone. and it won't be al
over-delightful job to do it to
gether; but there is strength
IN Numbers, we are told. l hope il
means moral, as well as physical,
strength. We can delicately hint
YOU know, that we consider it our pleas
ure. aswen as our bounden duty, to care
for herself and her myther until she il
in a position to do it herself"
''She will be much more apt to show
us the door than accept our aid. com
mented DR.. Dunscombe. forlornly.
During the. colo iuy Bruce had beer
sitting buried, apparently, in a brown
study. Now he looied up, with ma
licious twinkle in his eyes, but in hi;
manner all the energy of sudden anc
brilliant inspiration.
I'll tell you, boys" he exclaimed
'sI'll marry her"
And that is what he did. 1t is quite
safe to assume, however. that he had
obtained Miss >tratton's sanction to sc
extreme a measure before he ventured
to propose it as a means of escape from
their unpleasant predicament.
On the day Of the wedding the f0ul
ushers received each little packet,
done up neatly in satin paper, and tied
with white ribbon; and with each packet
was note containing Mrs. Daniel
Bruce's warm thanks and acknowledge.
ments. for favors received.
Its hardly necessary to add that each
IA ,ket contained the exact sixty mine
dollars and twenty cents contributed by
the usher when he was playing lathe,
to an authOress.
On DIR. Dunscombe's package, writ
ten across in Bruce handwriting, were
the words: "A sea-serpent, after all