Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-11
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
The Magic Charms, a Short Story From
Little West End Glrl-Notes on the AIut-
ter and Style Of This New NoveIIst-His
RfvnL

1
The Magic Charms, a Short Story From a
Little West End Girl-Notes on the Mut.
ter and Style Of This New NoveIIss-His
| RiyRI.
| A FEW days ago The DISPATCH received a
letter from little girl who signed herself
Florence Whalen, lS4 steuben street, West
J End. The letter needs no introduction, and it
| follows exactly as 1t was written:
Sub. The magic charms. Dear Sir: / am
a little girl andI am ancious to be an author. I
am going to write story. Once upon time
there was man who had wheel-barrow full
of provisions to eat, the mountain which he
was going to climb was very steep and was hard
to get his wheelharrow up. but at last he got
| up on top he saw a wizard who told he had bet
| ter beware of snakes, then he started on and
soon came to an old looking man with white
locks, while he had been going up the second
mountain, who told him there is spring at
| the bottom of the mountain. he said he must
| drink some of the water or else he must die
the man did not want to 60 to the bottom but
| he did not want to die, SO he went down and he
saw the spring he drank as much as he want
and all at once he was raised to the place where
he met the old man, he started on his journey
and soon came to the top and he saw A witch
who told him he better go on for all kinds of
soon met a fairy who he asked to marry him
she said she would would but he better be quick
about getting down OF there to get married
she said tiger would be after him they went
to a church but tiger and snake came and
threw him over the church he was dead but
the fairy by her charms made him alive again
they were married and they lived happy for
sometime. but at last he displeased her and
she put him in dark place and man with
horns he stayed there for sometime when she
thought she had punished him enough she took
him home and they all lived happy"
50
MISS WHE1AN's little story has many merits
which are too conspicuous to need pointing
out, but upon one happy departure from pre-
cedent she must be especially congratulated.
She does not let her novelette, end at the altar.
"And so they were married and lived happily
ever after'' does not seem to have satisfied Miss
Whelan as a finale In this she mas no less dis
tinguished q writer than MI. William Dean
HoweIIs to support her. He has inveighed
often and bitterly against the conventional
marriage finale of the modern novel, and of all
novels, in fact, ancient and modern.
k.$
IT is true that Miss Whelan admits that her
hero and heroine finally attained happiness,
but not coincidentally with their wedding day
They were happy for a time after their mar
riage, and then. how true to life l the man
failed in his duty. We are not told what his
dereliction was; it may have been merely that
he tired of the monotony of married life, and
allowed his supernatural wife to perceive the
change in his feelings, or the offense may have
been grosser, tipping, club dissipation or at
tention to the hired girl. With judicious deli
cacy Miss Whelan refrains from painful par
ticulars. She states the consequences Of the
husbands misbehavior clearly enough though.
There is no ambiguity about her description of
his fate. "She put him. Miss Whelan says,
''in dark place with man with horns. He
stayed there for some time"
How delighted some wives would be TO have
the power our little authoress ascribes to the
interesting fairy.
%s%
HIS RIVAL.
'FShe Tilted me-jes' LEFT me sudden like;
Went with an old-time rival that knew.
HurtY' You should have seen the hammer strike
aslo fro1 Cal-a