Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-03-19
THE IMP RIAL DRAGON.
How 2 FIRST Impression Proved Decep-

:, rs 8 rlze STORY, frnrn the Chicago Tribune.
The combination Of circumstances
that brought Miss Damon to L--
!. 1moneyless, Undetermined, was known
to nobody. All that any one knew Of
her was impaired by brief state
ment made by the editor of the Dis
patch to the effect that on a, certain
clustering afternoon in January she
had walked into the office and asked
Tor employment, He had declined her
g. service with thanks, but she came
again and again, until one day she
found g. vacant desk, SAT- down at it,
and had been there ever since.
She wrote two or three caustic ar
ticles, struck at one or two local atroc-
tiles, and in little while made an
unenviable reputation for bitterness
and cyniclsm. Her name got out,
and after that everything malicious
and pungent that appeared in the pa
per was unhesitatin,ly set down to
her credit.
She was not known outside of the
office, but the impressions that pre-
vailed concerning her were not flatrer-
ing. 1t was generally agreed that she
knew TOO much to be young, was too
cynical to be agreeable, and there
was q theory current among the pa
pers readers that she had been cross
ed in love and disappointed in her liter
airy aspirations. She did her work
in the daytime, and was little more
than a myth to the men who spent
their nights in Journalistic harness.
They were frequently questioned
about her, and they generally answer
cd all queries by the broad but mean
ing statement that she did not ''r,ln
with the gang
Soon after she began her mark in
her new sphere a book of verses ap~
peared, written by q gentleman of
A., George Lawrence. Copies we're
sent TO all the papers, and one of these
fell into the hands of Miss Damon.
She prefaced her criticism with the re-
mark that the verses were not uni
formiy bad but ranged from bad to
very bad, and then mercilessly impal-
cd the author to the extent OF three
quart ers of q column.
Lawrence had never forgiven her.
He referred to her ever after as "The
Dragon and THE Imperial Dragon"
The name see med appropriate, and it
was generally adopted. The criticised
versltier experienced some satisfaction
at having thus baptized her with in
dignation, but he by no means con-
sitlered himself avenged, and at the
mere mention OF her name his mus
cles grew rigid and every artery
throbbed with q wild desire for
vengeance. Being clever with a
pencil, he made 81 sketch OF her
which embodied the popular impress
sion that she Was q shrewish person
OF uncertain age, and it was o source
Of endless amusement to himself and
friends. 1t must be confessed that
Miss Damon's was not the only adj
verse criticism, and Lawrence was a
good deal depressed but not wholly
subdued. He did not intend to be
snuffed out in this summary fashion,
however, and though for time he at
tempted nothing in 81 literary way, he
WAS casting about for a fresh motive,
resolved at no distant date to make
another effort. 1.-THE Dragon" had
recommended prose, he would try
prose.
* 4
In the meantime summer had come
and Lawrence was to spend several
months with some friends in Califor-
MIA. When he returned he would go
to work in earnest.
1t was glorious day, bright and
cool, though it was the middle of July;
the sun was just rising over the east
ern rim Of the cup-shaped valley; a
luminous mist, shading from pink to
purple, was rolling away from Pixies
Peak, and the bits Of sky showing be-
tween the serrated ridges opposite
were deeply blue.
Lawrence, on his way to California,
had stopped to spend day at Mani
tou. He had reached the springs the
evening before, and was finishing his
breakfast this bright morning in the
great Sahara OF dining-room, when
the waiter came in to announce the
carriage he had ordered for the day.
For tho last half hour the gallery in
front of the hotel had been thronged
with tourists ready to begin the day S
sightseeing, and the double line of We
hicles drawn up outside were being
loaded with all possible dispatch. AS
Lawrence emerged from the dining
room the last wagon drove up to the
door and q lady was on the point OF
getting in when the driver said:
"Beg your pardon, ma am, but this
carriage is for the gentleman"
"But / ordered carriage for this
morning."
"Your order was too late. They
were all engaged. This was the last
one in the stables. lean give you one
tomorrow.
IL shall not be here tomorrow"
''Maybe the gentleman's going to
stay over q day or two and would
just as soon drive tomorrow, sug-
gested the driver.
BY this time Lawrence had comeup.
IF you can give me horse and sad
die it will answer my purpose just as
WE'LL" he said.
II haven't got a horse"
GAS leave tomorrow on the early
train" said Lawrence, ri cannot con-
veniently postpone my drive. But
We are probably going in the same
direction, and should be delighted to
accommodate you with seat ia this
vehicle" ..f e.
There was nothing else to be done.
She accepted with thanks. Lawrence
handed her into the carriage, and
thought, as their eyes met, that she
was not an unpromising companion.
He was gregarious animal He hat
ed being alone, especially in q crowd,
and chance acquaintance was not
! to be despised. He handed her his
Y card. She looked at the name, raised
L her brows slightly, dropped the card