The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-11-14


story should be published in the Cos
mopolitan. Why not9 1t was unhappy,
homogeneous, wretched, that humor-
Gus idea should have come TO him yes
terday of all days. But he had not
sought for it. He had even struggled
to the utmost to put the thing out OF
his head After all, if there was any
harm done-if there had been anv sign
Of want of feeling on his part-that lay
far more in the writing than in the
publication of the story. he would
never put his name to it. of course. No
one should be able 70 say that Maud's
lover took the loss OF her lightly. And
he would take no remuneration for II.
He would forward the amount OF the
cheque that he received from the Cos
m0poiiA3n to some charity. Besides,
what right had he to keep that story
from the public? 1t might not be
probably was not-so splendldly and
amazingly good as he had imagined,
but still he knew something OF his
business, and be knew that it would be
likely to be I|oFula-. l. might cheer
many who were Ill and depressed. and
add something to the sum of human
happiness And he did not think that
the critics, with their Athenian long
ing to see and to hear some new thing,
would miss noticing the novelty and
spirit of it. Indeed he had mingled
feelings of philanthropy and self-abne-
CATION as he sat down to write ION deep
edged paper little note 10 the editor
of the Cosmopolitan.
To certain extent he deceived him
self. II Albert Weeks had voluntarily
surrendered, on sentimental grounds,
his honorarium for short story. there
would have been something in the sac
rifice. But Nylmot had q private in
come, more than sufficient for all his
needs, and to him the surrender OF the
check meant nothing. His surrender
OF the reputation which he believed
would attach to the author OF ELLEN"
did amount to something. for he had
the weakness cut ethan saepe boni iu-
dulgent; but it did not amount TO very
much, because 1t is an exceedingly rare
thing for single short story To az
tract any attention at all. and although
'Wylmot believed in the chance of
"Ellen," he knew that it was not more
than a thousand-to-one chance Nor
was there very much In his doubt
whether he had the right, for the sake
of his personal sorrow, todeny the pub
lie an enjoyment
The real reason that swayed him was
paternal love- He had made me and
Seen that l was very good. He could
not commit infanticide. He liked to ex-
plain himself, but his curious mixture
of intense humility and some subtle
vaDities always made desperate bust
ness of It whenever the real explana-
ition was some simple thing.
His note to the editor of the Cos
mopolitan ran as follows:
MY DEAR ROGER: II you will read the IN
CLOSED story. you will understand how gladly I
could have sent II to you few weeks ago. As
did not DO so then, do so now-but, as you
viii imagine with the greatest possible reluc-
tence. send II, because DO really think that
1t is the kind OF thing that l have often heard
you say you wanted The only condition I
make is that my name shall not he put to Il.
or disclosed in connection with It send It to
you to-day. instead Of waiting. because am
leaving England, and l am trying to put my
house IN order before l go, and to clear up
such business as I have on hand. But am
sure you will appreciate how eager am to get
some place-any place-where solitude and ST.
lence arc possible. Ifear that this win be my
last contribution TO the Cosmopolitan. II it
were not SO melodramGttc t say So would
tell you that from hencelo-,u am practically
dead. Yours ever. r.. T. WYIMoT.'
Now | think il must hc acknowledged
q liar, this letter is from q liars point
of view distinctly creditable.
1t is all over. My embodiments have
been multiplied, since the Cosmopoli-
tan has sold out seven editions of the
number which contains me, to a mar
velous extent. / have been a phsnomi-
nal, and unprecedented success In the
library of the country house, In the
rectory, in Mayfair drawing rooms, in
bloomsbury parlors, In workingmen
clubs, in private house bars, in England,
In America, IN the colonies-every-
where where English, or an approxima-
ton to it, is spoken am the subject
of discussion. There Is touch of the
universal about me, and already the
translators are busy. Enthusiastic
critics have been more sCreamingly en-
thusiaStic than ever before about me;
have the additional attraction of a mys-
terry. Only two people really know
who wrote me-Wylmot, my author,
and Roger BirInan, his editor-and
neither of them will tell On the au-
of Ellen only two people
have dared to question Birman: his as
sistant editor and his proprietor. Bir-
man has told neither, and quarreled
with both; il is the day of his glory,
and he can afford 10 quarrel with al
most any body. Canards on the subject
OF my authorship have flown over the
country in dense focks. Albert Weeks
has. as usual. drawn his iong-bow ct a
venture: and. as usual. missed the
Joints of the harness. This IS his little
paragra Dh on the subject:
The secret - the authorship az Ellen las
been wonderfully veli KEPT There are pTSo-
ioIy net more than twenty people IN London
rho really know t. when TIE secret IS told.
unforeseen circumstances ocSur-lt
vii De told very SoOr. there viii d bowling
lnd Gnsshing OF teeth among various ur.n-
ormed perSsra phistS who have been spread
ng their runcrs on the SUBJECT A. al
attaches 10 the secret. ! nay say that one o:
he twenty Il the Know IL a butler Who be
,srne possessed OF tae Information ~ accident,
nd that he IS % be rewarded fOr lis silence
zlth al annuity cttwo hundred pounds More
han this I an. unfortunately, lot permitted
70 say 81 present"
OF course ! knew from the first that
was exceedingly good. but still It Is
Tery pleasant u have il acknOw lodged. |
Nv success Is a iov % me: il is also JOY
20 Birnan-anG this is really terrih BILE !
10 Hon EarCley T-avers Wylnot- |
For in this latter I fear the reaction