Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-05-17

Z
ly the girl. He tried for long time
TO give his wife some concrete idea OF
this central figure and the exquislteiy
sympathetic way in which she had
been treated. All at once, however, a
flash of revelation and surprise lighted
Mr. Dewey's face, and he exclaimed:
Il declare! Come to think of IL, she
was exactly like our Vida-looked like
her. talked like her, thought like her,
acted ike her, and had the sane
sweet, helpful, generous disposition,
combined with an idealizing ana poet
ical way of looking at things II you
can only make a vivid characterist :
picture of Vida, you will equal or SUI
pass the authors delineation of his
heroine.
"Hush!" whispered Mrs. Dewey.
vida is in the dining-room setting the
table for breakfast
What of ito" demanded Mr. Dewey.
''She ought TO be thankful to get into
iterature--especially under the auspices
OF two as brilliant writers as will ne
represented in All in NUTSHELL
And he nudged his wife slyly. The
fact Is. Mr.. Dewey had such unbounded
confidence in his better half that if
she had announced her intention OF re-
iuvenating the moon, he would have
ioyfully and unhesitatingly Endorsed
her ability to do So The scheme of re-
producing "All in a Nutshell" even
verbatim ct literatim Tor practically
sol already began to look entirely
feasible, and Mr. Dewey's spirits rose
accordingly.
Sweet little Vida Dewey She was en-
tirely unconscious of being put into
story; and yet she wondered sometimes,
during those days in which her aunt
was agonizing over the reincarnation
Of Mr. -'s heroine, why the keen
gray eyes followed her every movement
so closely, and why for hours Mrs.
Dewey would keep her talking about a
thousand romantic things which had
never before been discussed between
them.
At length the story was completed,
and one evening, when Vida had gone
to singing school, Mrs. Dewey read it,
with palpitating eagerness, to her hus-
band.
"Janer' cried Mr. Dewey, when his
wife's voice had died tremulously away
upon the last syllable of the reproduc-
ton, ''your woman's intuition has made
You absolutely clarvoyant Why, you
have reproduced the story so faithfully
that could have said, did not know
the circumstances, that you had found
and were reading the original manu-.
scriptl' Mr.. Dewey was So elated, so
rejoieed, that he took his wife in his
arms and Rugged her; an impulsive ac-
ton which called up "reminiscences
that were enough in themselves 10 com
pensate her for all the pangs OF author
ship.
1t was a daring thing to do-perhaps !
not altogeth err officially excusable; but
Payson Dewey, instead Of sending the
on to the author OF IAN in a
Nutshell. reported fayorably upon the |
story to the assistant editor Of the Mid |
land. who. in the absence of his chief |
upon summer vacation trip read the |
TO him-liked it also, |
and passed it on to be put in type Then |
the perfdious Mr.. Dewey wrote to the |
author that his lost manuscript had /
been discovered accepted. and would |
a ppear in due time in the Midland /
Magazine.
1t was November before the story APP |
peared. The author read it, as he |
read his own productions,
with entire satisfaction and a degree |
of pleasure quite consonant with an
cigar
Indeed, "All in a Nutshell" proved |
to be more gratifying to him than he
had expected. Marion is cxquisitely |
sl.ctched, he said TO himself Il knew |
while ] was writing the story that
without distinct purpose, perhaps-I
was painting my ideal of maidenhood-
the girl should like to marry, if / |
could ever find her CAD" he ex-
claimed, running down the page. what
a touch that is! 1t really doesn't seem
possible that could have put It quite
so neatly and TO the manner born,
with my merely theoretical knowledge
of women
A second reading of the story plunged
the famous young man into a still
more skepucal admiration OF himself
What lucky thing it was that the
man Dewey persevered until he found
the lost manuscript" he cried. This
is really the best thing / ever did-this
picture of Marion. Confound ii, though!
did | do it? | couldn't have known
some of these things about girls unless
dreamed them. However, I'll settle
Il I'll find that FIRST draft, if it's under
this roof. am bound to know wheth-
er ! really do know what | seem to
know about women or notr'
About a week after the appearance
Of IAN in a NUTSHELL in the Midland
Payson Dewey received this
note from the author Of "All in Nut
SHELF:
My DEAR Mr. DEWEY have found the
original draft OF IAN in Q Nutshell" aud hay
ms compared 4 with the story IS il appears in
he November Midland find that the two re
iemblc each other about as closely as paper