The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-15

something romantic in the thought Of
putting her life into words--of making
3 story out Of the dreariest of dull real
tiles. She wondered that she had not
thought of it before. Perhaps there
!, was something true and noble and beau-
tiful in this duh reality, after all--per-
haps she might make it seem 30 to her.
sell. by bringing to light tho un-
certain yearnings Of her inmost heart.
Two weeks flew by; snd ono after
noon the editor Of the NesDs was sur
prises to see Nina Kelsey step timidly
into his room and lay down . roll Of
manuscript.
III you please, SIR" she said. ..it is
. little story that / have written. and
would you be kind enough to look it
over and see II it is good enough for the
News?''
The editor laughed good-naturedly
as he picked up the neatly-written
sheets and leaned back in his
chair to read them. Nina stood
nervously waiting, with downcast eyes.
and toying with the fringe of her
"Why, my dear girl!'' exclaimed the
editor. rs his eye ran down the last
sheet, and his pencil instinctively flew
back to the margin Of the first with the
magic inscription. written expressly
for the NeUs' s'-.'this is fine, really fine!
| do not know as ever read a sweeter
little story. am proud to use it in
the Ne,cs. and hope you will write us
some more like it. Everybody will be
wondering who M is. 1t will be lust
the thing for Saturdays fourth page.
Allow me to congratulate. you, Miss
Kelsey! You will make an author one
of these days"
Nina flew up stairs with tears of ioy
and gratitude in her eyes. She had
not expected such cordial praise and
encouragement from Mr.. Beckwith.
Was her little story, then, really SO
goodP II i had any merit she knew it
must be the merit of earnestness and
reality. for she had put her whole soul
and life and longing into 1t. and there
were stains upon the paper where her
tears had fallen. 1t was labor of love
for her to put it into type. and when
ON Saturday morning it appeared, in
tho clear-faced bourgeois, holding the
place of honor in the literary columns
OF the Ne,os. she was SO overjoyed that
she could scarcely keep from telling
her secret to every one she met She
wondered If people would read it, and
II she would ever hear from ii againP
Somehow, she felt as though something
OF good would result from it-some-
thing more than the mere delight of
having given it form. and having utter
cd through 1t the yearning of her soul.
Thus another week passed. and Nina
toiled at her case, as usual, from morn
ing till night, but with a new joy and
cheerfulness 1t seemed as though she
had in some sense indicated her work,
ennobled it, and beautified it, by iden-
tifying her deepest life and longing
with its outward surroundings. Il
was, therefore, with start of surprise
that she found, ono morning, lying on
her case, letter addressed in a strange
handwriting to ".M." author of "A
Day of Life. Care Of Editor of Daily
NeDs, Summerville. Conn" 1t was
the story again-perhaps!
She tore open the envelope with
trembling haste, and read as follows:
DEAR MADAME I know that IA Day Of
Life" was written by no masculine hand-per-
ma me TO congratulate you upon your beanti-
maidenhood- self sacrificing, pure, loy.
ing, lovely, and unassuming. II has been my
hope to meet with such life, through all M
years OF searching and waiting. But hitherto
It has been only dream. Until read your
as my ideal Bat now am sure that there is, and
that have found 1t at last-in Yourself. Par.
don me for presumtng to say that can read
the writer In the story. You are the one
whose lovely life Of self.sacritice and devotion
to duty, while surrounded by temptations with.
out, and moved BY yearnings within, is there
portrayed. Noble girl!-believe me, appreci-
ate your longings, while admire and rever-
ence your devotedness to duty and to purity.
II the friendship Of one who has spent some
qualities in woman which your secret transcript
Of life reveals, can be Of any moment to you,
It 10 most reverently and humbly offered. !
wonder If you have ever read story entitled
"a Hopeless Questw Something In your
writing leads me to think you have. II 30, you
to address you. A reply from your hand
would be MORE far more, thsn ] dare Ask and
yet not more than l dare hope. II nothing
else, will you not ciyilly tell me whether you
publishedi in the New York., and wasex-
Stensively copied. Your story met With while
travelling in q railway car 1t WAS credited to
the sommervllls Comm Ns,as. May / ex-
peCt your KIND favor soon!
Very respectfully yours,
RICHARD FAxoN,
Author of "a Hopeless Quest. +"
New York, N. Y.
But why make short story longF
Mina's romance had come! She slept
but little that night. and the next day
she sat down and wrote little note
this is all she said:
Is
Richard Fa1on.
DEAR s1R IL have read IA Hopeless Quest. u
Il was that which inspired me with "A Day Of
Life" Yours truly,
NINA KELSEY.
Why should that have brought Rich.
to Sommerville, Conn. But it did.
And now, when they take twilight
walks together. and talk and dream Of
the future. Nina sometimes asks. laugh.
ingly: Richard, what if Mrs. Sturde.
want had set that story in bourgeois?'
And he merrily replies: ooh, l should
have found you somehow"
Thunder Storms.
From certain meteorological sta
tistics recently published in Germany
we learn that thunder-storms in thai
country have, during the last thirty
years. been steadily increasing, both ii
frequency and seTerity. The number
of deaths per annum from lightning
has increased in q far greater ratio
than that of the increase of population.
In the present state of our knowledge
of the whole subject of atmospheric
/ electricity, the cause of the phenomens