The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-06-24

for my story is named IA Night with
Gamblers" and I've located it on the
Mississippi River steamer. It's thrill
ing tale, and I've got to a place where
one man is just going to stab another"
''Do read it to mel" begged but
Madge would not unlcss / would agree
to write one with her;-and so this was
the way my first attempt to write for the
press came about.
took her advice. not only wrote
love story, but placed the lovers on a
yacht and set them aloat in Georgian
Bay-probablY because l knew less of
that sheet of water than of most others.
"That's all right" said Madge cheer
fully. "Send it to some inland news.
paper. The editor himself won't know
any more about it than you do. If he
sends you fifty dollars-which l think
would be fair price-for your story,
you won't care whether the yacht s;ils
bow on or stern first, and if you do hap.
pen to get it wrong, folks will think the
boat has got some new kind of rig on
her."
So got fresh block of paper, wrote
my title, "Love in Georgian Bay," and
began my story. BY night | had two
pages written, and couldn't seem to think
of anything to say next. Madge, too,
still had her gambler standing with up
lifted hand ready to plunge his dagger"
but some way she couldn't seem to end
the situation as she wished.
Day after day we wrestled with these
imaginary men. The girl of my tale
was all ready and willing--I had no
trouble with her; but l wanted my hero
to suffer some severe heart experiences,
and found it no easy task to pull him
into and out of his various difficulties. l
wrote and wlote, and then would tear
up my writing and try again.
Madge, too, had her trials. Some
days she shot her gambler and then she
would revive him and stab him, and once
she poisoned him, but his style of death
never seemed to satisfy her. at must
not seem melodramatic, she said; ''it
must be tale indicating great reserved
power"
Each day we asked each other with our
first waking breath:
"Will he propose to-day9" and "Will
he be dead by nightl"
Finally day came when we each re-
solved to end the suspense before night,
and in the recreation hour we took our
writing blocks and wandered off to a
quiet place under the Wellesley trees,
agreeing to make some sort of an ending
before we went back; but the gambler
was still alive, and the willing maid was
still trying to lure on the reluctant lover,
when the sound of distant thunder came
to our ears and a dark cloud rising in the
west warned us to return to a shelter.
1t gave us both new idea, however,
and we each resolved to work thunder
storm into our tales.
The result was better than our hopes.
The gambler was made to rush on deck
Just MS a flash of lightning struck the
smoke stack of his steamer, aud he was
knocked senseless and then robbed by
his tiendish companions and cast over
board, where che sunk to rise no more"
Madge laid her tale aside with sigh.
"It will save sending for an under
taker, anyhow" she said, "if drown
him instead of stabbing him; so, on the
whole, think it's the better way"
AS for my couple, they are idly drift
ing on an ebbing tide Il didn't know
then that there was no tide in Georgian
Bay), when dark clouds began to roll
up, and the muttering thunder began to
rcverberate among the darkly wooded
hills. They hastily rowed to the shore,
ted their yacht to IA tree, and began
climbing a rugged precipice, while the
maid clung in terror to the soul-tossed
lover. 1t was too suggestive. He begged
to defend her through all life's pathway,
and in well-feigned surprise she muir
INJURED her assent just as the first drops
of the bursting storm fell and they
reached a shelter. at was a happy omen
of future days." were my closing words
'My maiden is ready TO don her soli-
taire diamond ring" l declared tri-
umphantly to Madge, and we kissed each
other ecstatically.
81 knew you could do it, Mllly," she
said. Snow, shall you sign your name
to it2"
"No, indeed" ] replied; "I've de-
cided to use a mans name, for think
it would be more in accordance with my
style of composition. l shall be known
as George Warner"
Madge said she did not shink from
the public gaze. She would use her own
name.
We copied our stories carefully and
sent them each to one of the two best
known magazines, and then gan to
watch the daily mail for an answer.
While we continually asserted to each
other that we hadn't the least idea they
would be accepted, we each were, in our
own minds, as continually planning as
to how we would spend the fifty dollars
that we duly expected to receive.
Having heard from neither story at the
end of fortnight, we concluded that
the stories had been accepted and were
waiting to be published before beng paid
for, and settled back quite composedlym
that conviction. Each day | planned a
new way to spend my money.
"Since we've leen so successful in
these articles, let rs write some more"
said Madge; aud we did.
This time she took love story, and
had West Point cadet eiope with a
Southern heiless, and then both OF them
went TO the President to ask pardon, and
he reinstated the cadet in the military
academy, at the same time allowing him
TO board at the hotel with his bride, to
the envy of the whole corps.
told a true story about French