Wichita eagle., 1889-12-10
Daily eagle
HOW TO READ A STORY.

Ono midsummer night a farmers boy
living about ten miles from the city Of Gin
cinnati was following a 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 wes
exceedingly dark. 1t was more by the sense
of touch than by that of sight that the lad
kept the obscure path. He had gone into the
forest mile or more when he was SUI prised
to see a feeble gleam 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
continuation of the path which we reach it
by from our side. Ugh! what should
light be doing therel | 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 rotting
fence. A few yards from the Grail, 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
venturesone 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 it was not, but
even the hardest skeptic could not deny that
1t was deserted-which in rural regions is
much the same thing. Looking at the mys-
terious dim light shining from the ruined
window, the boy remembered with appre
hension that his own hand had assisted at the
destruction. His penitence was, Of course,
poignant in proportion to It's tardiness and
inefficacy. He half expected TO be set upon
by all the unworldly and bodiIess malevo-
}ences whom be had outraged Gy assisting TO
break alike 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
srontiersnlan. He started to pass the house
at run.
AS be was going by he looked in at the
blank window space and saw a strange and
terrifying sight--the figure of a man seated
ia the center CT the room, at q table upon
which lay some loose sheets Of paper. His
elbows nested on the table, bis hands support
ing his head, which Was uncovered. On each
hide the fingers were pushed into the hair
His face showed pale i'm the light OF a single
candle a little TO one side. The fame illumi-
nated that side Of the face; the other was in
deep shadow. The mans eyes were fixed
upon the blank window space with stare
in which an older and cooler observer might
have discerned apprehension, but which
seemed to the lad altogether soulless. He be-
l;eved the man to he dead.
The situation was horrible, but not without
its fascination. The boy paused in his flight
to note it all. He ez2deavored to still the
Boating Of his heart by holding his breath
unril half suffocated. He was weak, FAINT
trembling; he could almost feel the deathly
whiteness of his faca. Nevertheless he set
his teeth and resoiutely advanced to the
bouse He haG 40 conscious mtentiou-it
was the mere courage OF terror. lie thrust
bis white face forward into the illuminated
opening. AT that instant strange, harsh
cry, a shrek, broke upon the silence of the
night-the note of q screech owl The man
sTlrang to his fest, overturning the table and
estinguishing the candle. The boy took to
his heels
"Good morning, Colston-I am in luck, it
uiendation 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
ms to consciousness"
1.-The proof is stronger than you seem TO
know replied tine man; $50 keen is your Gag
srness TO read my story that you are unwlll-
ing 10 rcnounce selfish considerations and
forego all the pleasures you could get from
it.n
Il don't understand you," said the other,
folding the newspaper taat he held and put
ting it in his pocket You writers are
queer lot anyhow. Come, tell me what |
have done or omitted. In what way does the
pleasure that ! geU from Your work depend
on me!'
"In many ways. Let me ask you how you
would ENJOY your dinner If you took ii In this
street car Suppose the phcnograph so per
fected as 10 be able TO give you an entire
opera--singing, orchestration and all. Do you
think you would get much pleasure out of it
If you turned it on az your office during bust
hess hourss De yeu really care fora serenade
hy Schubert when you hear Il liddled by an
untimely Italian on a morning feIryboeta
Are You always cooked and prined for adj
mirationi DO you keep every mood on tap,
ready to any deuandi Let me remind You,
sir, shat the story which you do me the honor
10 begin as : means OF oblivion to the discom-
fort OF this street car Is a ghost story"
'Weur
Well Has the reader no duties corre-
spending 10 his privileges! You have paid
five cents for that newspaper. II is yours
You have the legal right to read il when and
where you will Much of what is ia it is
neither helped nor harmed by time and place
and mood; some of it actually requires TO be
read at once-whlle it is flzzing. But my
story is not Of that character. The stuff will
keep until you have leisure TO put yourself
into the frame Of mind appropriate 10 the
sentiment of the piece-which | submit that
rights which the reader is bound 10 respect"
For specific ex2mpleI"
The right TO the readers undivided attea-
ton. To deny hun that is immoral To make
hun share your attention with the rattle of a
street car, tine moving panorama of tire
crowds on the sidewalks snd the builiinss
beyond-with any of the thousands OF dis
fractions which make our customary environ
ment-is 70 treat him with gross injusuce
BY God IL is infamousEn
You know what | mean.n continued the
writer impetuously, crovding his words
you know what mean, Marsh NV stuff
in this mornings Messenger is plainly sub
beaded A Ghost Story That is ample
notice to all; every honorable reader viii
understand the conditions under which the