Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-09-03
THE IMPERIAL DRAGON.
How a Criticised Poet Took a
Longed-For Revenge.

The combination of circumstances
that served to bring Miss Damon to
l. moncyless but determined was
known to nobody. All that anyone
knew of her was impaired by a brief
statement made by the editor of the
Dispatch to the effect that on a certain
clustering afternoon in January she
had walked into the office and asked
for employment He had declined her
services with thanks, but she came
again and again, until one day she
found a vacant desk, sat down at it,
and had been there ever since.
She wrote two or three caustic
articles, struck at one or two local
atrocities, and in a little while made
an enviable reputation for bitterness
and cynicism. Her name got ont and
after that everything malicious and
pungent that appeared in the paper
was unhesitatingly set down to her
credit,
She was not known outside Of the Of
flee, but the impressions that prevailed
concerning her were not flattcring. 1t
was generally agreed that She knew too
much to be young, was too cynical to
be agreeable, and there was a theory
current among the papers readers that
She had been crossed in love and disap-
pointed in her literary aspirations. She
did her work in the DAYTIME and was
little more than a myth to the men
who spent their nights in journalistic
harness. They were frequently ques.
toned about her, and they generally
answered all queries by the broad hut
meaning statement that She did not
run with the gang" :
Soon after she began her mark in her
new sphere a book Of verses appeared.
written by a gentleman Of l.
George Lawrence. Copies We're sent to
all the papers, and one Of them fell
into the hands of Miss Damon. She
prefaced her criticism with the remark
that the verses were not uniformly
bad, but ranged from bad 10 very bad. .
and then mercilcssly iupaled the
author to the extent ot t~hree.auarters
OF a column.
Lawrence had never forgiven her.
He referred to her ever af,erward as
The Dragon and the Imperial
Dragon" The name seemed apurnpri.
ate and ii was generally adopted. The
criticised versifer experienced some
satisfaction at having thus Iapti>cd her
with indignation. but he hr no means Z
considered himself avenged, and at the
mere mention Of her name his muscles
grew rigid and every artery throhhed T.
with a wild desire for vengeance.
Being clever with a pencil, he made a
sketch OF her which embodied the pop
ular impression that she was a sbrew.
ish person Of uncertain age and il was
a source OF endless amusement TO him.
self and friends 1t must be confessed
that Miss Damon's was not the onlv adj
verse criticism, ami Lawrence was a
good deal depressed, but not wholly
snbdued. He did not intend TO be
sDuffed out in this summary fashion.
however, and though for a time he at
tempted nothing in a literary way. he
was casting about for a fresh motive.
resolved at no distant date TO make an.
other effort. THE Dragon" had recon-
mended prose; he would try prose,
In the meantime summer had COM
and Lawrence was to spend several
months with some friends in Califor.
mia, When he returned he would 20 to
work in earnest.
1t was a glorious day, bright and cool,
though it was the middle of July; the
the sun was just rising over the eastern
rim of the cup-shaped valley; a lumin.
GUS mist shading from pink TO purple
was rolling away from Pixies Peak,
and the bits of sky showing between
the serrated ridges opposite were deeply
blue.
Lawrence, on his way to California,
had stopped to spend a day at Manitou.
He had reached the springs the even
ing before and was finishing his break
fast this bright morning in the great
Sahara Of a dining room when the
waiter came in TO announce the car
riage he had ordered for the day. For
the last half hour the gallery in front
OF the hotel had been thronged with
tourists ready to begin the days sight
seeing, and the double line of vehicles
drawn up outside were being loaded
with all possible dispatch. As Law
n emerged from the dining-room
the last wagon drove up to the door, and
q lady was on the point Of getting in
when the driver said:
beg your pardon, ma'am, but this
carriage is for the gentleman"
but ! ordered a carriage for this
morning"
Your order was too late. They were
oil engaged. This was the last one in
the stables. ] can give you one TO-
morrow"
II shall not be here tomorrow"
Maybe the gentleman's going to
stay over a day or two and would Just
- soon drive tomorrow" suggested the
driver.
BY this time Lawrence had come up.
IF You caug give me Q horse and sad
die i will answer my purpose just as
WE'LL he said.
~ hsven't got q horse"
"As ! leave tomorrow on the early
train" said Lawrence, II cannot con-
v%eni.ntly postpone my drive. But we
are probably going in the same direc-
s'on, and ! should be delighted 70 90.