The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-05-08
AN AUTHORIZES.

ADOPTING AN AUTHORIZES.
ssThe girl mas TALENT" said DR.. Duns-
combe, with some heat, sand she ought
to have opportunity"
sBah!" calculated a voice from the
duskiness of q near corner, where the
glow of his pipe-bowl alone betrayed
the owners proximity. "You are
always finding sea-serpents, Duns-
combe, that turn out very ordinary
water-snakes after ALL"
All but Dunscombe laughed.
.'It is just as well, all the same" he
said, a little irritably, apparently seeing
nothing funny in the matter, s'to make
sure that they are water-snakes first;
and not run the risk of leaving a sea-
serpent to die unnoticed and unappre-
ciated for the lack of a little encourage
ment."
sit has been my experience that when
q sea-serpent is the veritable article, he
-or she would be better in this case, 1
suppose-has the power of command
ing notice and appreciation from even
the most unwilling public"
"Granted; butthe appreciation comes
in nine cases out of ten, when the sea-
Dol Dcub. 10 pdSb
"All the better for the public, then"
pursued the even voice. sit has the
pleasure and self-glorification of the
discovery without the expense of the
encouragement"
"You are more than usually antago-
nistic tonight, Bruce" observed a
quiet little man on the other side of the
store. "Do stop arguing the matter
and let us hear where Dunscombe ran
across his last rarG GUis."
tsShe isn't a rarG GDis," rising to his
feet in an offended and begin
ming to button his coat. 81 don't lay
claim to any startling brilliancy on her
part. She is simply ambitious and tai
ented, and her writings are entirely
too good for the little one-horse country
newspaper which is her only medium
for publication. Thought some of you
fellows might be generous and chival-
GUS enough to join me in assisting her
TO something better. 1 didn't introduce
the subject with the intention of having
her laughed at"
Nonsense, Dunscombe-nobody has
laughed at her nor intended tor' cried
several voices, while a friendly hand
stretched itself out from the dark cor.
ner and pulled him down into his chair
again.
sBruce was only chatting. Of course
we will assist you in helping her if we
can; but youhaven't told US yet whats
her name an where's her home,' u
again put in a small quiet man, whom,
to save further Inconvenience, we will
at once introduce as Garry De Whit.
"Her name is Stratton-Edwins
Stratton, :" answered the doctor, tipping
his chair comfortably back on its hind
legs and speaking in a somewhat mol
lifted tone; ''and she lives in one Of
those bare-looking little cottages down
On River street. l was called there
couple of weeks ago to prescribe fol-
her mother, who is down with rheumatic
fever. There are only two of them
and the daughter supports them boil
by teaching through the day ant
writing at night. 1 should never hav,
found it out from Miss Stratton, who i
rather reserved and stand-offish in he
manner, but her mother proved NOR,
communicative n morning when
was alone with her for a few min
utes."
"a hint to you to be moderate il
your charges, probably" put in Bruce
POSSIBLY; but she is very anxious
too, about her daughters health.
think she is ~overworking herself, an,
all that sort of thing, and yet can d,
nothing to relieve her. 1 can tell you
boys, it was quite a pitiful story-th
way she told it."
you're too soft-hearted for the pro
fession, Doc.," criticised Hal Mclean
noting mentally, the while, the head
of vigorous editorial in favor of an in
creased rate of payment for femal
labor, which he meant to write up fo
the morning Courier.
any one of you would have been as ba
as 1, if you had been there. To max
matters worse, now, the girl had bee
out of school during her mother
illness, thereby losing a part of he
salary, and, of course, the writing ha
had to be stopped. They must hav
hard times getting along. 1 shoul
think"
All the men were silent for a time
apparently resolving the last knott
point.
"What do you propose doingp" s
last inquired Harry Swift, the energet
curate of st. Catherine's,' who, havin
a comfortable private fortune, invari
ably spent his salary in charities.
"Well, you see, she ought to give u
dribbling her brains away on that tw,
penny paper and turn them to som
thing that will give her a start as
writer. A novel would be the be-
thing. That gives one a settled position
and an open sesame to the better ella!
of periodicals"
always providing it makes a hit,
again struck in Bruce.
go, that goes without telling. 81
has talent, as 1 said, and a rather Ill
usual and interesting way of putin
things. She would write somethin
quite worth reading, I haven't a doub
The greatest difficulty is what the
would live on while she is doing it, fl
she would have to give up her scho
and settle regularly to work"
"What is their income now; have yo
any idea?" queried Swift.
"About $500, 1 should Judge fro,
what the mother said"
Three or four of the mustache
mouths gave q soft, prolonged whistl
"How long do you suppose it woul
take her to write the novelP"
80, six months, probably; not mo-
than that. You see it needn't be an,
thing very deep, but only bright an
readable; like one-half the novels OF
pioks up new.s-dayz."