The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-11-20
"ApRlL'S LADY,


wai Ia was 80 veil salts ell had 50 ioa..
rain;y desired to be really asked for Goa
iTi u !on, ard tl8s ra.s,i lrom the Ealn,
oIs AMI indscIimi ate co Upany OF serb
b.erS who send hopet;l D. anu >rip,s TO ta2
III "a ines, and in trcnbiin, uncertainty
u ii The Issue, taat it is lot stran % .%y
cos1n sweled rita g,atilei pfi.c, arS
th@t Gislatchei nay copy vi h 50 l'crte I =
seuSe OF CcniDiaCcncy that ] aim st sce;l:r
8; cJnjeSsead llttic in letting III. e4!toa
lave il.
was fond OF that story experienced q
certain delight in recalling the cigcunl :anccs
u.lacr wlich Il was composed and ! felt in
1. that con dcnce which an autEor j. euro
10 have ia wc,i Wbicl has sprung sron ane
ous,y ami "A II wee lu grown iiom hss
brain Every lit rary wolAtr, down 10
the vericst penny liner ol tle.u al knows
the difference between tale which makes
itself, so 10 speak, growing uator1ed into
beauty and completeness .iAe IA ry Ntal, ANA
a laboriously constructed piece OF wor.., be
1t contrived never 80 ms snilusly and ciev-
erly. The fiction ! sent 20 The Gator o. the
Dark Red was o. the torni,r variety. lt
had come into my head al OF itself as the
children say, while was travel NJ batwe n
New FORK and BostoA 20 complete AM 50
distinct that ! scarcely seemsi to have
more to do with its or ation than the later
putting upon paper.
The circumstances are these:
! had reached the Grand Central dapot
Just in time To catch the morning train aad
as tn cars swept out OF tie station, 1 SET
tied NY elf iato "a seat with a com ortab!o
ard somewhat too self.sats o feel ng- liz
the first place, was glad to lie out of New
York; partly because it was hot ana da ~
there, partly because l am not over-sond Of
Gotham, and partly because j had euGicy
pleasant bachelor friends and div r. GOO
times awaiting me at the Boston end Of iny
.ourney. / looked out upon the sunny land
scape over which the spiendors Of an April
day cast glow OF warmth and br.gh;n sss,
smiled at the remembrance OF retott had
made at tn Century club on the prev olS
evening which seemed to me rather II at,
and ia n with n sort OF ncGtll Iol OF fare
well to all tAe outside world | too's w my
boo; and prepared to follow the fortunes OF
the woefui and wicked, but thoroughly
charming French heroine with who's, al
ventu. Is ! was at that particular time oc.
cupyinS myself. To my vesaton, however,
discovered that Instead OF tho second
volume ] had the first and AS had nc
especial desire To pursue agaia the some
what detailed a count Of The heroin Is youth,
her career at school, her frs. confession AMI
early inarriage-all these being rellm.nagy
TO tie improperly and the inte.cst Ct the
bool, which, after the reDreh nsinie man.
ar of French novels, began together
.a,d Gown the volume with a sigh, and re.
81 Ined myself to ride OF unaleviated dull
hes.
n,,4i .N,I ;t~.1
however, in the page which the lady in the
seat before me was reading. As glanced
~ saw tlat she was entertaining he $ III
with poetry, and ihs next moment iaul.
lar iine caught my eye;
If you ",re April's lGdy, and ] were lori
OF May
'Swinuurne," mused, cor collie tion OF
se,e ted po-m-, perhaps Wisea res would
say one ought To know what u reader IL like
by the Lool she reads, but ia the first place
that's nonsense, and in tie second place /
don't know what sha Is reading She has
an O. 2Qulite ear, and her hair l. something
bewi!dering. III you were Aprls lady.
April lady should TO- apri ious creature
al smi.e, and tears, with wianins ways and
wiliful wles; impu!sive an way ward, and
thoroughly en hsnting. It would not"
my thoughts IAN ,n in a professional turn,
while my eyes dwelt appreciativey il some
what prcsBmptuously upon the lovely curve
o. my neigh, OF s reck-'it would not ue "A
bad notion to write a story of suah u
maiden and ali it 'Arrlls Lady Let me-
zee, what should it 10 like"
AMI upon thi5 lin, SO | fell to ponder
ing, WHEN III ldeniy. as il ly magic.
a tale presented Itself all coglplete in
;,,I a
me more like that of remembering an o
creating, SO real and complete was tie pretty
hi tory. The self.wil.e1, volatile dumsel
who fortunes il concerned seemed Que
whom la knoya and whom | mi ght meet
aga II some Gay. In my mind she assumed,
it is true, an outward sem lance SIM AZ TO
that Of the lady Iefore me, upon VIII ise sack
lxed iny regards in au absorbed stare,
which should have disturb ed her could looks
make themsclvet feit. sho did not move,
however, and as she dii no. turn the leaf OF
Ler book, | iancisd size nj hit have fallen
into n reverie as deep as my owI. / had
not Leen ablo fully to SEQ her face, although
a lucky turn had given me glimpse of a
p oiiie fu.l of charactr r and beauty, ana
which made me GeAiro to beho d more
did not however, trouol, myself aboat tho
exa details of my hei oines features, TO-
every story teller has stock OF choi e per
sonal charms with viii h to eniow his
fictitious children, hut continued to gloat
oYer my little romance; and 20 vividiy was
the tale of "AprIls Lady" impressed ugoa
my mind that although some weeks elapsed
lefore found time TO PUT it upon paper, j
found not the slightest difficulty iii recall
ing even its most trihing incidents
Almost the whole or my journey was
taken up in turning the story over in my
mind, and when W. drew into the Boston
station, and my neighbor closed her volume
to begin the collection OF her numerous fem
inine possessions, had half mind to lean
forward ani thank her for having given
me, although unconscious.y, SO good sto: Y.
1t did sceem 10 me, even after had sent
my manuscript or and the dreadful moment
came when one realizes that it is & o late TO
maze thaDges and consequently thinks Of
plenty OF things he wi ,hcs TO alter, that
"Apriis Lady wes the Lest work had er
done. had LIT a oath o. two pass TO.
tween its first wiiting and the .inai resi ion,
and was pretty well satisfied that l had
produced a really capital story. | foadiy
hoped that mr. Lane, tho editor OF the Lark
bel," would be moved by it, eScellence to
give ma lurther orders; and the oagornesS
with which / one morning tore open an
envelope upon which recos ni,ed his hand
writing may be easily enough ina. a.;ined, at
least by members Of tie. literary guild Ny
impatiencc gave pace TO profound astoiish
inent rs l read the following note:
OFFICE DARK RED MAGAzISE--.oSToN.
Sept 21.--MT DEAR Ma. GRAY: Can yea
drop into my Office tomorrow about noon
By some old ocincidente received story
very similar TO your "Aprirs Lady," and
bearing the same title, aud several days
earlier, and snould like to talk with you
about it,
Very truly yours J. q. LANE.
i was utterly confonnded / rased my
brains to discover who ooald possibly have
stolen my story, and even susps ted the
small black girl who da,,ei my rooms,
although the sooty little morsol did no,
know one letter from another The first
draft Of tho story had lain In Ely desk fof
some time, it was true, yet that any literary
burglar should have f-:cei an entrance an,i
then contcntoi himself with copying Oh,
seemed, upol 'he whole, scarcs.y probable
II ratssn la m, .vpn.sv for a,p,a falt tai.