Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-03-23


upon this night of all others.
The sporting editor was at Jackson
vile and his stuff would come to the
night editor. The religious editor was
attending sensational debate, given
for charity, between well-known min
ister and prominent and exceedingly
clever society woman, The subject
matter under discussion was: THE
Rights of Woman Relative to Free
Speech" The police reporter, upon
whom the city editor usually depended
for early copy, had gone ont with the
detectives for a raid on gambling
= den in ward nine The young gentle
man who was supposed to edit col
umn of gossip daily hadn't come in as
yet; he was probably attending some
social function-a favorite pastime of
his. Added to all this it was nine
o'clock-not line of local had been
sent in, while the machines were de-
vouriDg reprint as fast as it could be
clipped-and only two of the three re-
porters in the room were writing. The
third was leaning forward on desk,
cigar in one hand and a pencil in the
other; he was looking straight ahead,
trying to keep from thinking about
something that had great deal to do
with himself. He was young man
spacewriter on the Chronicle, and
who did bits of fiction to a monetary
advantage upon occasions.
To describe him aptly and in few
words, he was twenty-four years old in
age, thirty-fve in experience and sixty
five in disappointment. He was good
looking, bright, and had just enough
of egotism favored into his sturdy char
acter to make him thoroughly self-con.
fident
This was Robert Sumner, as he sat
on this especial night, his mind per-
turbed and fairly teeming with forced,
illogical reasoning, when the city edi-
tor was abs olutely nervous for copy.
He walked to a window and stood
looking at the night. The arc lamps
winked their white electric light out
into the wet air and the vivid, pulsating
rays seemed to struggle with the damp
wind and the dripping rain, shaking
and wavering like white flags, AS he
gazed at this without seeing, Sumner
laughed-not because it was appropri
ate, in any sense of the word, but mere
ly because it didn't require any effort
of mind or thought; but it was Gym
ical laugh. lie was thinking about a
woman-a all naturally enough-he men
tally argued.
After more of this depressing mental
discuss ion, pro and con, he arrived in
variably at the same spot-in the par
lor where he had been rejected by Mil
bred Nelson He remembered how he
had STOOD directly in front of her, as
she sat in big arm chair, and told her
of his love. Never before had he want
ed to smoke half so bad. and after he
had finished she looked half-frightened
and then had taken him by the hand
and said; You're joking, surely"
And then, very pale, had given her re-
fusal-a simple no" The look on her
face he could not forget, and somehow
there rested in his breast the honest
conviction that she loved him after all,
though he could find no reason for such
thought He was too worried at the
time to ask her the why of her refusal,
and now it was too late. Maybe it was
because her father was president of the
Mechanic Banking association. His
thoughts took ludicrous turn and he
wondered if he could get a note dis
coun ted there.
He gave the window pane a sharp
rap as if to relieve himself of some of
the bitterness he felt, threw his cigar
aside, sat down and began to work
furiously as the city editor looked into
the room for the fifth time.
In Il handsome home sat two women
mother and daughter-the faces of
both showing traces of tears Between
her sobs the mother repeated and
moaned
"What shall we 40? What shall we
do?"
The young woman finally arose and
left the room; when she returned she
was dressed for going out She went
10 a window and saw the rain beating
down and then turned to her mother
who had not noticed her entrance.
= What are you going to do?" asked
the elder woman
The best can, replied the daugh.
ter, and left the room the second time
The front door opened and closed
Not by yourself" screamed the
mother, but the young woman had dis
appeared into the darkness, With nc
protection, save the gossamer, she ben,
her head low and hurried forward. II
was only short walk and she haC
reached the center of the city. She
heard the city clock striking, but die
not stop TO count the time; it wa,
eleven o'clock. At corner she hest
tated and looked up at row of large
buildings. In one the lights were burn
ing brightly and there were signs of life
and industry. All the others looked
dead and dark.
To the lighted building she went anC
entered and found herself in front o.
the elevator She wanted to go to the
reporters rooms, she told the elevator
man; and while the hydraulic vehcl,
was ascending to the sixth floor in it,
own peculiar and tantalizing gait tn,
woman looked at herself in the mirror
that adorned it. She laughed AT
almost hysterical laugh as she saw he
own countenance, pale and frightened
looking, staring back at her. Sh,
stopped out of the elevator and walkeC
down short passageway. She eoul6
hear the buzz and whirl and rattle anC
clatter of machinery, and turned int,
the first doorway. She was met by