The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-11-29
THE KISS OF DEATH.

Till KISS OF DEATH.
"There is nothing so impossible that
a novelist can't lead q story up to it,
said Prof. Boyesen of Columbia col
lcge as he SAT in a group of friends at
the Authors club.
CHATS so" said Edgar Saltus, ..but
I've found that the best schemes for
odd fiction are Frustrated by the neces-
sary death of the principals without
disclosing the material for a climax"
Il know what you mean" said Edi-
torG Glider of the Ccntary Magasinc,
"andI wonder why some of you gem
tiemen don't extend y romance beyond
death say by means of IA spiritualistic
communication from the actors. Now
you, Prof. Smith, you're u scientist,
why don't you do itp"
The gentleman thus addressed, SAYS
a New York letter to the Cincinnati
Enquirer, was Prof. Rrainard Garner
Smith of Cornell university.
.'And l have the start of it in mind
now" Prof. Smith replied. Once,
when was in journalism, ] had oc-
casion TO 20 q q pile of old Liver
pool newspapers, and thus came upon
a remarkable paragraph in the ship
ews Translated out Of the language
Of commerce it was to the effect that
the good ship Empress, just arrived
from Australia, reported that while
rounding the Cape of Good Hope she
had been driven southwark far out of
her course by a storm, and away down
in the southern Atlantic had sighted a
vessel drifting aimlessly about. The
first mate boarded her, and, returning,
reported that the dcrelict was the ship
Albatross. That she had been aban-
doncd was plain, for all the boats were
gone, and so were the log and the
ships instruments. On the deck close
by the companion hatch lay two bodies,
Oh rather skeletons. clad in weather.
rotted garments that showed them to
have been man AID woman These
bodies were headless, but the heads
were nowhere to be found on the de-
serted deck. The mate found on the
cabin table an open book, with writing
on its pages. Apen lay on the table
and a small i,.kstand, in which the ink
had evidently long since dried. The
book was evidently a journal or diary,
so the mate reported, and he nut it in
his pocket, meaning to carry II aboard
| the Empress, hut when he was getting
down into his boat the book slipped
from his pocket. dropped into the
water, and sank. The Albatross was
badly watcrloggcd and he thought
could not have iloatcd much longer.
| To this report the editor of the paper
added a note saying that the readers
would all doubtless remember that the
Albatross had sailed from Liverpool
| several wears before. bound for Austra-
! lia, and ii was thought to have gone
| down with all oil board, as no news of
her had since been received. That was
| the substance Of the remarkable para
graph. What Was almost as rcmarka-
| b,e 10 me. \ newspaper man. was that
| the LivcrpooI nnncr lad evidently
made no effort 10 learn the owners
name of the Albatross, the name Of her
CAPTAIN and crew. or whether or not
she carried any ~passentrers. I care
| fully searched the files 10 see If there
was any further reference ia the case.
There was none. After The manner Of
his Kind, the editor of The PAPER had,
So il seemed. taken It for aaanted that
his intelligent readers would remember
all the particulars thcy wanted TO
know.
"A few weeks after that i went into
northern Vermont to report the Ben