Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-04-30

W NA0 Vi WV HGENA 80
he tossed a shilling to the boy, and
barely waiting for his change, took MS
seat in q first class compartment. III
was empty, and he settled himself In a
corner, proceeding IN q le'snrely way to
absorb the evening news from the Globe.
Presently he glanced at the other pages
lying on the seat beside him, and won
dered idly what had induced him TO In
clude the Weekly Want in the batch.
He was not sure that he had ever studied
the contents Of that periodical, and he
turned its pages over with a mental at
titude Of hali-amused indulgence, quite
suitable in q novelist Of Mr.. Laurence
Blair's assured position when regarding
3 penny weekly Of the caliore OF the
Weekly Want.
He looked over the Answers to Cor
respondents" wondering who and what
were the young persOns-obviously they
were s'young personS"-whO consulted
the editor as TO their compilations, their
literary ambitions and their love affairs.
He skinned a column OF photographic
personalities, finding them no more OBJ
jectionable, and displaying quite as
much literary workmanship as those
retailed by siXpenny society journals;
and a letter from 'Godiva" 20 Ethel
india" treating Of dress and fashion,
scarcely more hippsnt o. yulgarly inane
than similar illusions ladies' papers
OF the front rank. There were also
verses and much fiction, the latter, for
the most part, complete short stories.
He began TO read one, selecting 10 chiefly
because the title, Welded TO d Corpse"
struck him as particularly grueSome,
and also, vaguely, as q that had been
used before; be seemed TO recognize IL.
The feeling Increased a. be read. he
had somewhere heard this, or read II, or
by Heavens-he sat bolt upright-he
had written il himself. Yes, now he re-
membered; II belonged 10 his early
youth, but he had written II. A poor
thing enough, be thought pityingly, not
very like the mastery work he turned
GU. now, but IL was his. There were
even some little mannerisms which were
quite recognizable as his, though they
had been improved and developed since
then, and his reviewers alluded TO them
now as style
There was no doubt he was the au-
thor, but bow in the name OF wonder
bad II got into the Weekly Want? 10
had never been published before, of that
he felt assured, and he tried hard to re-
member when and where 10 had been
written. He threw his mind back into
the past aud into his earlier lie, till he
lighted upon the remembrance OF a lit
erary society, which his sister had
started aud managed, doing duty as sec
rotary until II died the natural death Of
most amateur literary societies. The
yOunQ Biairs had all scrubbed MORE or
less, though IL was only Laurence's tai
ents In that direction that later devel-
oped into something which upon occa-
sion had been called genius. And now
he remembered as a definite fact that 10
va for Annette'S society he had written
this particular story.
But still, how bad IL got into the
Weeklg Want? Beneath the title APP
peared the statement: by 4. Hastings,
Author OF Walters Faith 'NaucY's
Dream by the Wild Waves &c"
If wonder" unused Blair, ''does F..
Hastings produce all his fiction on the
same principle, and at what rate is he
paid for IL? And hOw-hOw the dickens
did he get hold Of this?
The speculation kept him absorbed
till he reached Charing Cross, and by
the time q hanson cab had deposited
him at his chambers he had resolved TO
find out. he penned q polite note to the
editor Of the Weekly Won't, requesting
as a favor TO be supplied with the ad-
dress Of Mr.. L. Hastings, but giving no
hint OF, his reason for inQuiring,
In due course an answer reached him.
''Dear Sir "MiSs Frances Hethering-
ton writes under the name Of 4. Hast
ings. and has for some considerable
time been a contributor TO the Weekly
Want. Her address is, % Heliotrope
Place, West hensiDgtOn. Yours faith
fully, II. JOHNSON
''Hetherington," unused Blair, Hethe-
rington. may have heard the name
before, but 1 certainly can't connect &c
with anything at present.
Then he took uD his pen again, and
wrote to his sister, Mrs. Maldon.
by the way, l suppose you have not
preserved the valuable MSS. appertain-
ing 10 that scribbling society you oace
conducted? l remember contributing
8 blood-curdling tale, entitled Welded
10 a Corpse and am curious TO look il
over. l hope you, Harry and the kid
flourish. Your aflectionate brother,
LAURENCE BLAIR"
And TO this answer came back:
dearest Laurie: | could not have
answered either Of your queries had it
not been for both. The construction OF
that sentence is curious and l expect
you 10 critlcise il; nevertheless, II ex-
pressed q fact plainly.
ave never exactly knew any Hethe-
ringtons, but a Mr.. David Hetherington
was a member Of that very Scribbling
society TO which you sllude-but for
your reference to il | could not have
connected the name with anything. We
did mo- know him in the least; he was
introduced by another member, l have
quito iorgOttSn whom.
''As TO the MSS. OF the dear old So
ciety--it's all very we'll for you 10 scott
az il now, Laurie,--the rule was that all
should be returned 20 their authors at
the end OF the year; and all were, with
the exception Of the particular bundle
in which was hat CHASTITY tale Of yours.
What do yon want to do with it now,
Lsurie? Feund a new three-volumes
on it? / should have forgotten what be-
came ot>iH Nut for your mentioning the
hSfie Of HetherpGon. 1t totally dis
appeared, an&ShicA2other hlA abolt
Il. l found it reached Ss and,
but never got on 70 Maisie rs Be-
tween them on the list came uni.
David Hetherington, and TO him 1 wfote
aud wrote again, getting no answer At
last, after some time, l found out
through some U that he was dkSd.
And so that bundle Of MSS. was los4 for