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

10 Uoll H0r, VI COuIoCs % uihO ShoooAy:
..If 1 had supposed 1 should be called
upon to give an exhaustive OF
the interview, I should nave taken
notes of the conversation, and let you
read them for yourselves"
"And she really believed all that
trashI" calculated Mclean, wonder
ingly:
was equal to anythingP"
How did you arrange about the
money matterpS' asked Swift.
"She is to be paid ten dollars weekly
while the novel is in progress; in addi-
ton to which she is to receive one
fourth of the profit from the sale ct the
book"
a nod, expressive of satisfaction with
this arrangement, a round the circle,
until Harry Swift inquired with sudden
energy:
.'Of course she thinks you, as a pub
Usher, are to have the other three
fourths; but what is to become of it in
realityP"
"Idon't imagine" answered Bruce,
slowly and satirically, ''that all the
profit will amount to a sum that she
will not accept in perfect good faith IS
the one-fourth I promised her,"
Sand she expressed no surprise nor
suspicion at your unheard-of interest
and proposition?" asked Mclean, ejac-
ulatory and dazed.
"She was decidedly surprised" an
swered Bruce, gravely; ''but very quiet
and dignifed through it all, with a
great and underlying gladness very
plainly to be seen. She asked me if it
was customary for publishers to make
such an offer, and I told her it was the
way 1 did, when 1 thought it would
pay"
"Brsyo!" applauded Dunscombe.
"Wsll, L don't see but that we got it
all out of you after all, old fellow, in
spite of your prickliness at the outset;''
and De Whit began to get himself in
shape for his cold walk.
Bruce's lips stretched themselves
quietly under his heavy mustache, but
he made no comment.
81 suppose you are to call every week
to make settlements and inquiries about
the progress of the book" suggested
Mclean, rather m~ischievously, but
Bruce replied in the affirmative so
gravely and absently that the joke, if
Joke it was intended to be, was lost.
@ a
The winter had stormed, and showed,
and frozen itself out, and clustering
March, and fearful April and caprici-
Gus May had subsidized gently and COM
fortably into sweet, blossomy, sunshiny
June, when Donald Bruce announced to
the fathers one evening that the much
talked-of, much-anticipated book was
finished and awaiting their critical
hearing.
You may be sure that during this
long interval neither the book nor its
author had been treated by them with
the silent neglect which 1 have been
obliged to adopt toward them. Every
week Bruce had been called upon for a
distinct statement of the progress made,
and for answers to such a.variety of
pertinent and impertinent questions in
connection Herewith, that he finally
waxed wroth, as he had an uncivil
habit of doing on slight pr~ovocation,
and refused bluntly to give any in
formation at all for the future ex-
cept the simple fact of the number Of
chapters accomplished since the last
communication.
To make the refusal still more point.
ed, he invariably announced the mum.
Der in stentorian tones to each new
conner as he dropped in after the week.
ly visit. This produced no silencing eff
feet upon the irrepressibles, however,
who rather enjoyed his churlishness
than otherwise, and took a malicious
satisfaction in talking the matter ovel
among themselves until they provoked
wrathful comments from him whether
he would or no.
This voluntary announcement of his
as to the completion of the book, conse.
quently wa out of the ordinary ordel
of things, apart from the information il
conveyed, and was joyously hailed from
all sides.
Have you it with youP" asked Nc
Lean; and the bulky manuscript wa
silently produced.
"Writes a good hand" commented
Harry Swift, a~pprovingly, as he con
templated the firm, bold pen strokes
"Who is going to read it to us?"
"Why you, of course" answered D,
Whit. 1.-THE only question is, whel
will you beginP"
"Better begin as soon as possible
should think, and get it over with" pu
in Bruce with a wide yawn and unearth
ly stretch; as if bored in anticipation
"You fellows come back after your din
ners, and we will finish it at n sittin,
if the sitting lasts all night. Luckil,
there is nobody around to be disturbe'
by our orgie."
Accordingly, in two hours time the,
were all back in the comfortable office
lounging around in various attitudes
. suggestive of ease and comfort, smokin,
I industriously, and listening in un
broken silence to Harry Swift's musical
well-modulated voice. On and on an,
l on went the smooth tones-hour afte
hour and hour after hour-unt
, one watching him would have won
l dered if his throat didn't ache, and hi
voice buzz in his own ears. He suffere
> no apparent inconvenience, however
] and as he laid the last leaf of the manu-
! script down, when the hours in tn
morning had gotten beyond being twe
and sma'," he looked in~quiringly at hi
silent auditors.
There was an ominous pause. Their
was no denying the fact that the move
> was a disappointment. The character
D were mostly overdrawn or underdrawr
the plot weak; the style, pleasant 8
, first, grew strained and monotonou
1 toward the last; the result of the whole
= mediocre to a degree. There woul
l occur at times, however. a flash c
. bright thought brightly expressed;
T CLEAN of quaint wisdom beyond til
. writer's age and experience; an under
, lying pathos and power to some simpl
= passage that caused the tears to sprin
u unbidden to the hearers eyes; an
. these, few and far between though the
were, lifted it from the abyss of abs
lutte worthlessness.
e sit is about what 1 expected" sal
Bruce at last. There's not a woma
}, on earth, nor eve has been, who ca
. write a novel fit to readn'
elbow about George Eliot and Free
erica Bremen, and two or three othel
of their ilk?" inquired Mclean.
s'The first affected masculinity witt
n ont pOSSeSSinu IT. and tho Saoon0 wro