Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-12-21
HOW TO READ A STORY,

HOW TO READ A STORY.
One midsummer night farmers boy
Irving about ten miles from the city of Gin
cinna:i was following bridlepath through a
dense and dark forest He had been search
ing for some missing cows, and at nightfall
found himself "A long way from home and in
a part of the country with which he was but
partly familiar
The night was clear but in the woods it was
exceedingly dark. 1t was more by the sense
of touch than 10y that of sight that the lad
kept the obscure path. He had gone into the
forest a mile or more when he was surprised
to see feeble CLEAN of light shining
through the foliage skirting the path on his
left. The sight of it startled him, and set
his heart to beat audibly.
THE Old Breede house is somewhere about
here, he said TO himself This must be "A
continuation Of the path which we reach il
by from our side. Ughl what should
light he doing therei don't like it,
Nevertheless he pushed ON. A moment
later and he had emerged from the forest
into small open space, mostly upgrown to
brambleS. There were remnants of a rotting
fence A few yards from the trail, in the
middle of the clearing, was the house, from
which the light came through an unglazed
window. The window had once contained
glass, but that and its supporting frame had
long ago yielded TO missiles flung by hands of
ventureSome boys TO attest alike their cour-
age and their hostility to the supernatural;
for the Breede house bore the evil reputation
OF being haunted. Possibly 1t was not, but
even the hardest skeptic could not deny that
IL was desertel-which in rural regions Is
much the same thing. Looking at the mys-
FERROUS dim light shining from the ruined
window, the hoy remembered with appre-
hension that his own hand had assisted at the
destruction. His penitence was, of course,
poignant in proportion To its tardiness and
inetiicacy. He half expected 70 be set upon
by all the unwOrldly and bodiless malevo-
lences whom he had outraged by assisting TO
break ahs,' their windows and their peace
Yet this stubborn lad, shaking In every limb.
would not retreat The blood in his veins
was strong and rich with the iron Of the
frontierSman. He started To- pass the house
at "A run.
As he was going by he looked in at the
blank window space and saw "A strange and
terrifying sight-the figure of n man seated
In the center OF tho room, at IA table upon
which lay some loose sheets OF paper. His
elbows rested on the table, his hands support
Ing his head, which was uncovered. On each
side the fingers were pushed into the hair.
His face showed pale in the light Of a single
candle "A little TO one side. The flame illumi-
mated that side OF the face: the other was in
deep shadow. The mans eyes were fixed
upon the blank window space with II stare
IN which an older and cooler observer might
seemed 10 the lad altogether Soulless. He be-
lieved tho man 20 be dead.
The situation was horrible but not without
its fascination. The boy paused in his flight
TO note 1t ALL He endeavored 70 still the
beating Of his heart by holding his breath
until half suifocated. He was weak, faint,
trembling; hc could almost feel the deathly
whiteneSs of his face. Nevertheless he set
his teeth and resOlutely advanced 70 the
house. He had no conscious intention-it
was the mere courage Of terror. He thrust
his white face forward into the Illuminated
opening. At that instant strange, harsh
cry, IA shrek, broke upon the silence of the
night-tho note Of a screech owl. The man
sprang to his feet, overturning the table and
extinguishing the candle. The boy took to
his heels.
Good morning, COlston-I am in luck, II
seems. You have often said that nv com
incubation Of your literary work was mere
civility; and here You find me absorbed-actu-
ally merged-in your latest story in The Mes
senger. Nothing less shocking than your
touch upon my shoulder would have reused
me TO consciousness"
THE proof is stronger than you seem 70
know, replied the man; 80 keen is your Gag
erness 10 read my story that you are unwill-
ing 10 renOunce selfish considerations and
forego all the pleasures you could get from
itn
Il don't understand you," said the other,
folding the newspaper that he held and put
ting it in his pocket. You writers are a
queer lot anyhow. Come, tell me what /
have done or omitted. In what way does the
pleasure that / get from your work depend
On mep
I'm many ways. Let me ask you how YOU
would ENJOY your dinner If YOU took 1t in this
street car. Suppose the photograph SO per-
iected as 10 he able to give YOU an entire
opera-singiug, orchestration and all Do YOU
think you would get much pleasure out of it
# you turned it ON at your office during bust
ness hoursi Do you really care for "A serenade
by Schubert when you hear it fiddled by an
Italian on a morning ferryboatl
Are you always cooked and primed for adj
DO you keep every mood ON tap,
ready 10 any deniAndi Let mo remind you,
sir, That the story which you do me the honor
TO begin as n means Of oblivion to the discom-
fort of this street car Is ghost story"
"WeHf
"Welli Has the reader no duties corre-
spending TO mis- privilegesi You have paid
five cents for that newspaper 1t is yours
You have the legal right to read it when and
where you will. Much Of what is in IL is
neither helped nor harmed by time and place
and mood; some of it actually requires 10 be
read mt once-while it is fixing. But nv
story Is not of that character. The stuff will
keep until you have leisure 20 put yourself
into the frame Of mind appropriate to the
sentiment Of the piece-which submit that
you cannot do in IA street car. An author has
rights which the reader is bound to respect. ~
For specific exampien
"The right to the readers undivided nttep-
ton. To deny him that Is immoral To make
him share your attention with the rattle of n
street car, the moving panorama OF the
crowds ON the sidewalks and the buildings
any OF the thousands OF dis
fractions which make our customary environ
nent-is 10 treat him with gross Injustice
BY God 1t Is infamousr'
You know what mean, y continued the
writer impetuousiy, crowding his words
you know what | mean, Marsh Nv stuff
N this mornings Messenger is plainly sub
headed "A Ghost Story That is ample
notice 20 all, every honorable reader will
understand the conditions under which the
work is TO be read ="
The gentleman addressed as Marsh WINGED
triiie then asked with a smile: What con
iitionsi How, when, where should read
Iour ghost storyf'
I'm solitude-at nightly the light of n
'andle. There airs certain emotions which a
writer can easily enough excite-such Us com.
'ission or merriment. can move YOU To
ears or laughter under almost any circum-
tances. But for my ghost story to he effect
We you must be made to feel fear-at least, n
trong sense Of the supernatural-and that is
different matter. have a right To EXPECT
hat II You read the at all you will give me a
nance; that you will make yourself access
bic TO the emotion which try 10 INSPIRE
The car had now arrived at its terminus
MI stopped. The trip just completed WINS
5 first for the day, and the conversation of
he two had not been interrupted