St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-03
A PERFECT PLOT.

| had finished breakfast, land l cannot
stay with you, as l have to go out"
go out! Why, you said last night you
were going to finish that china painting
this morning; though [ really don't
know why you should work SO hard; we
are not in absolute perjury"
mo; but it is pleasant making money
in way one likes. Besides, there will
be some to give away when we find we
have too much ourselves. And how is
your trade going on %
''To tell the truth, not brilliantly. In
fact, am rather hung up for want of
plotw
"A plot?"
Yes; it is ridiculous. have a short
story to write this week, and, though l
have rather neat set of characters and
small incidents ready, IL you under
stand, a main idea is wanting"
Dear ne. that is unfortunate! Why
don't you go out for walk, or for half
an hour in the Underground, or TO the
city on bus, and find one?"
MY dear Millicent, what nonsense
you talk! AS if | were the least likely
TO find my ideal plot that way! No; l
must try and worry it out myself some
how"
well, ] must be off. Good by,
Stephen: take my advice--go and look
for your ideal in the real of life, | am
sure you can find it there"
After his wife had gone, Steph Ell
Mostyn ate his breakfast, and then sat
muSng little, after which, springing
out of his chair, he said:
~ never felt less inclined to write in
my life? Really. have good mind to
follow Millicent's advice and go out"
In few minutes he was standing on
the doorstep, deciding upon his next
move.
what a beastly fogl l certainly
shan't lose much under ground, so here
goes for the Metropolitan railway"
where fOr?" said the clerk sharply,
as Stephen stood vaguely in front Of
the ticket office.
"Oh, WhitechapeI, should think
that leaves room for discovery" he
though to himself.
"What class?"
"Third-better do 1t thoroughly.
Now, then. for trial trip between Ken
sngton and the Mile End road. to test
Millicent's theory"
A small boy with large, heavy par
Gel got into the carriage with him, and
spent some moments in vainly trying to
secure his burden more firmly by means
of a knOtty bit of string that crossed it
here and there in purposeless feStoons.
Mr.. Mostyn lending his help,-between
them they made rather neat thing
of it.
Adventure the first; ended, fear"
said Stephen tohimself. "Ireally can't
ask him how old he is, and where he
lives. and if he thinks it healthy"
'Temple"
Out tumbled the parcel and the boy,
and in walked an elderly Young woman
with a fringe and an American cloth
Mr.. MOstyn, put both hands to her head
as if to make certain it was still IN it's
place. opened her bag and realized that
she had not lost her ticket, looked at the
window and sighed.
mot exactly ideal, but scarcely real"
thought Stephen. do you feel the
draught from the Window" he asked.
mo, don't, thank YOU" with well
arranged lock of Spiteful timidity. and
changing her seat to one at the other
end of the carriage.
us this q beginning%' thought Ste
phen. "Now, should like to ask her
if she thinks my life for thirty-fve
years has been working up to the eli
IIdA vi HCCtluS HCls NoIlou ~ Soiuon
fog, in third-clasS Metropolitan rail-
way carriage? wonder if it's any good
going on with this incident? Mad
! amp"
"Sir, think this is Blackfriars sta
tion?" she said, whisking her head
around as she spoke, the end of her
nose depriving the glass of very fine
smut at the same time.
at is not my business to tell her that
she is now still more attractive than
when she got in" thought Stephen:
"she would probably give me into Gus
tody if did -Blackfriars? yes, it is.
Do you get out here?'
"Yes," plunging at the door as she
spoke.
"Ah," he said, turning the handle for
her, Il don't"
There entered, before he shut the
door. a small woman, holding in one
arm tiny bundle of a baby, and push
ing before her a little boy. She sat
down. and the baby keeping its position
in the sling formed by its mothers arm,
the boy holding close to her, pulling at
in an unntelliglble mutter for some
thing that she either had not got OF
didn't mean to part with. Her bonnet
was slipping off her dull. untidY hair:
her face was white, with tired lustreless
eyes, pink punched little nose and dis
cOntented mouth. The Door little apol-
ogy for baby might have hung around
her neck by a ribbon; the other child
was small and SCkly. A shrunkeD, de-
pressing little group.
Just as Stephen MOstyn was begin
ming to weave round in his mind pa
thetic, tender fancy, the small hoy be-
coming more than usually impOrtunate,
his mother said, with no flicker OF
change in the expression of her face, but
with voice whose rough grating easily
oVerpowered the noise of the train:
jest you stop a-WOrritin', Tommy,
else I'll tell yer bloOmin' dad when we
git 'ome-see if don't"
Stephen shut his eyes, and only
opened them as the little family bundled
out two stations farther on.
"The Monuments MARK lanew No
further passengers invaded his carriage.
II can't stand this any longer. and the
condensed fog chokes one. shall get
cut at the next station and go back"
"AldgateI
Out he jumped and crossed to the
return platform, literally feeling his
way. The underground station at Aid
gate is often quite dark in the middle
of summer, and Oh this day the Toy was
dense. He found his way to seat, and
$50 thick was the darkness) did not dis
cover, till he had taken his place at one
end of it, that there were two other peo-
pie near him. One of them. man, was
speaking in disagreeable, Querulous
voice.
ppm sure it's not my fault if get
nothing to do. | am always trying to
find something"
Eyes, IN other peoples pockets, -
answered woman's voice. "You want
the wage, not the work"
"Good heavens! that Is Millicents
voice exactly" thought Stephen; what
an extraordinary resemblancew
what becomes of money in your
hands l can't conceive" she went on.
at is Millicent's voice! What in
Gods name is she doing!" and Stephen
tried to catch glimpse of the figure
that was screened from him by the man
between them, and still more so by the
darkness.
saMhat hn,,o ,1on dnnn with the money