The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-05-21
A PRIZE VENTURE.

When one is newly married, and
has commenced life in small rooms
on a second floor, there are no long
halls and high stairways to traverse
between the cooking and sleeping
apartments. Therefore, when
heard Mary fill the kettle and stir
the fire and the next instant saw her
beside my bed, | took her sudden
advent as matter of course. But
it is confessed that her opening sal
utation came weighted with an atom
of surprise.
"Yeu know that vacant bedroom,
dear? Well, we can furnish it now.
Can we?" | asked meekly. Have
you been taking risk in stocks p
Here it is" she said, with sad
den tremor in her voice, and flut-
ter in her hands. "a thousand dol
lars for forty-three stories. a hun
dred dollars for one, fifty for anoth-
er, and so on down. And newspaper
men are especially invited to try.
You must take a day off, and when
we get the 500 we can fit up the
spare room. Let me see-S4O for a
chamber set, $40 for a carpet, SIC
for pictures-and then we will send
$40 more to father and mother to
nav their fare here and pay US that
long promised visit. Only S1OO,
Jack, and see what happiness it
bringsi" And the dear girl threw
her arms about my neck, and gave
me q rousing kiss.
Well, when she settled down to
cold facts, produced a copy Of the
paper, and showed me the tempting
cffer in plain black and white, ]
grew interested. | knew that news
paper men, and especially young re-
Dorters, had little time for true liter
airy work, but imagined that with an
incentive to spur me on could
gain an odd half day or so in the
next two weeks, and write out some
of the fragmentary ideas that had
floated through my mind fer several
years. in patient waiting for clothing
and a habitation. We had no diff
Guilty in agreeing that the attempt
should be made, and none whatever
as to the use to which the prize
money should be put. Mary had
disposed of that without aid from
me. The only question that con
fronted us was the character of the
story, It's location, tone aud treat
ment. We gave the whole noon
hour to its discussion.
you must be careful, said Mary
with the air of one who for years
had filled professorship in a col
lege for the education of fiction
writers, "to give it Conversations
form. Long paragraphs don't look
well, and readers are tempted &c
skip. Pat in little love-making,
That's trite," | said.
as it? Well, people never grow
tired of it. Make it end happily
whatever you do. Bret Harte':
school May suit the Bret Harte5
but Que doesn't like to be sent away
from a story with suicide or hang
ing as the finale and above al
things, Jack, choose a subject abou
which you know something. Don
founder around in a mystic or far
away region on which you have
never set eyes.
How would Alaska do ?" | asked
solemnly.
"What do you know about Alas
ka? Or the Desert Of Sahara? o.
Patagonia? Keep inside of Ohio
Make it short, terse, and put into i
not only what might easily happen
but something that has happened.
| left her clearing off the table
and singing softly to herself. | was
due at the office of the Dailg Neptua'
at 2 p. m., to receive my assignment
of local work. | had left a hope
blossoming at home that the day
might be light of work, and tha:
might return soon and give a few
hours to the opening of my pri
story. The plot formed itself on my
walk to the street cars, and The
scenes unfolded and fitted into each
other as the slow steeds covered tht
three miles between my house anC
the office. | would be back by !
three hours of good work woulC
help me along, | could close it uI
on Sunday, Mary could copy it a
her leisure, the 500 would really b,
godsend.
You must get a rig Immediately,
said the city editor, land drive on
to the Five Mile Lock. There ha
been a powder mill explosion, anc
several men killed. Throw yourself
Smithy, on this, as it has the max
ing of a sensation"
The newspaper instinct was aliv
and at work. | forgot all about tn
story. the prize money, and hat
time for only one tender regret 70
the disappointed little wife at home
The day was cold, the rain change
to snow. the distance was long, tn
road heavy. and the pursuit of in
formation difficult amid the chao
that reigned all about the Lock
But my note book was eventual
loaded, and l decided to stop a
home for hurried lunch ON m
way to the office.
! Supper had been waiting. Th