Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-05-17
STORY Or A STORY.
A Lost Manuscript and How 1t
Was Reproduced.

almost painfully acute sensitiveness TO
literary flavor possesses him. He can
not help detecting the most exquisite
fragrances and aromas of the authors
art. but it is too often with the feeling
of the victim of rose-fever who is com
PEELED to pass through a garden in full
bloom.
1t was somewhat remarkable, there
fore, that Payson Dewey, reader for
the Midland Magazine, should have
slipped into his pocket the manuscript
of story be had been reading, with
the intention of taking it home and
sharing his enjoyment of it with his
wife and niece. II it had not been a
unique as well as delightful story. Mr..
Dewey would certainly not have thus
departed from his usual custom of leav-
ing the shop behind him when his work
for the day was done. For he had
reached the point where the conven-
tional story, no matter how eleverly
done, only nauseated him. OF course he
could pronounce upon it, as a profess
sional critic, without the least personal
bias; but Tor himself he would have en-
joyed flinging every story of a certain
popular type into the fire.
Here wac tale, however, completely
and decidedly sVi geHeris 1t was told
without dialect and. what IS still mo~e
remarkable, without dialogue. The
characters did not jump up, bow.
squeak and retire as their strings we're
pulled Indeed, there were but two
characters in the story and these were
never allowed to appear, either singly
or together, without the personal chap
eronage of the author. Their story
was told for them in the sweetest, sim
plest, quaintest way; and finally they
were sent away, hand in hand, as un-
affectedly happy as two Arcadian Low
ers Then the author bowed to the
reader, presented him with a tail-piece,
and retired without even giving his full
name But the initials were tlose Of
young and very popular story-writcr,
and Payson Dewey, from his interior
relations with the sanctum, knew that
the story was written by this man.
On the way from the magazine Office
to Mr.. Dewey's home the manuscript
was lost
1t was useless TO speculate how it
happened. Looking at the stain o
split milk fills nobody's thimble. There
is precious little satisfaction in these
retroactive imaginings What comfort
can 1t be TO a man, who has fallen and
broken his leg, To have a series Of snap
shot photographs of the curve he de-
scribed in falling? Yet people always
try to assuage their feelings in this
way, when they have experienced dis
aster. Payson Dewey did. He spent
the whole evening speculatiug, with
his wife and his niece, Vida, how that
manuscript could haze gotten out Of
ms pocket. Perhaps il was pulled out?
Perhaps it slipped out? Perhaps il
went through?-no that could not be;
there was no hole in the pocket, and
presumably. have attained
40 mastery over the fourth dimension
Of space, The conclusion OF the whole
matter was, after all, that the manu-
script was lost
When Payson Dewey went back to
tie Midland Office in the morning, he
had to tell the editor in chief that he
had lost the manuscript of the story,
An Ia a Nutshell OF course, the
editor looked grave and vexed. There
IRE just two things TO be done, Dewey"
he said, land / will leave you to do
chem both, First, advertise in all the
svening papers, and again tomorrow
morning lit ought TO have been done
This morHingl. for the story. Offer as
a reward for its return as
lis you care to pay. The other thing
IS To write to the author. Tell him
frankly that you have lost his manu-
script Ask him If he has another
copy, or a rough draft aud then offer
provided the story is not found within
a week-to stand the expense of hav-
ng another copy made for US"
None of the advertisements brought
The LOST manuscript, which was pity,
,or they cost Payson Dewey six hard
Earned dollars In two days n decided
y wrathy letter came from the author:
MIR PAYsoS DEWEY, Dear Sir: must be
permitted to sag that your carelessncss Is mex.
'usable, ard seems likely TO cost me the utter
oss Of one Of my best productions l should
ave rough draft Of the story somewhere, but
annoi find IL You, or the Midland Maya zine,
must bear the responsibility what do you
propose 10 do about itg'
What do ] propose to do, Jane?"
lslSed Mr.. Dewey of his wife, pathet-
cally.
Pay him what the Midland would
rave given for the story" replied Mrs.
Dewey, promptly, ''and let that end
he matter You can wear your old
,uit all summer to offset the loss and
viii make over my dresses and bonnet,
md none of us win go to the seaside,
IS we proposed.
Mr.. Dewey sighed from the bottom
II his waisteoat. but he wrote a letter,
nevertheless, offering to pay for The
tory at the Midland's special rates.
IT terms for solicited matter of high
rrade. This would be about two hun
lred dollars. Ia due time came the
eply:
Money is the least satisfactory equivalent
could ofIpr 1 really eapnot a dora -, lose