The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-11-12

me; my position would be unbeara-
BILE"
Minnie shivered.
"You are cold?" he asked.
She nodded
wen, you had better be going"
ana he handed her her furs. ''It is
so KIND and good of you, Minnie, liut
but I'll try little longer for that
fortune" and the ghost of smile
fingered on his face for an instant.
1 suppose l could not help you in
any way, Brandon? May leave my
check book?"
The question was put very hesitat-
lngly, and while the inner mau cried
Yes, in piteous accents, the outer
gentleman declined the kind offer with
courteous firmness.
have read several of your short
stories. Minnie said, MS she pulled on
her gloves, land L think they are
really clever. But you ought to try
something big-at three volume novel.
They are going out OF fashion and,
besides, they take such time. One
can scribble off short stories like nur-
sery rhymes and the return is quick.
He referred to the return of the
manuscripts; she thought he meant
payment.
"But here" he went on rapidly,
going to the table and taking up his
unfinished book, "here il n novel |
have almost completed. None OF your
ordinary drivel, but realism. and that
is the demand of the hour. 1t will not
be more than 40, 900 words, and | an
confident of its success"
when you finish your book, Bran
don, she advised, "send it to Irvine
~ Irvine. They will publish il in
their 'Nom-d e-plume' series. You will
have an eccentric, idiotic poster all to
yourself in the new art style and the
puzzle of the hour will be: what is
the writer's name?' Is it n he or
shef Then, when the papers have
criticised your book, praised it,
slashed it and discussed it for all it is
worth, your real name will be discov-
cred; lnterviewers will regard you rs
special prize; your photo will be
attempted in the evening news-sheets
and you will be famous"
Her throat burned while she spoke;
her voice was very dry, and her bon
hommie artificial.
"Good-by, good-by !"
kiss me, Brandon last kiss"
He bent and pressed his lips to
hers, then turned quickly away rs she
hurried downstairs and home, and sat
In his chair far into the evening the
most miserable man on earth.
lt was about II week later, and
Brandon was still in his lodgings. His
landlady had informed him immedi.
ately after Minutes visit that some
one had settled long standing debt,
SO he need not worry over his little
account. He blessed her; she passed
the blessing on to Minnie Horton.
He sat at the table endeavoring to
think out his novel, but he could not
compose single sentence for on the
news-sheet spread out before him
there danced in the blacklist of type
paragraph which had paralyzed all the
energy in him. Minnie was 20 be mar.
RED! She had taken him ct his word
and would wed Percy Olcott in three
months time.
Well, that ended it. The one ray of
hope that had made his existence
bearable had been flashed from his
life, and death was the only pauacea.
Poisoning, hanging, drowning or
bullet-anything to get out of the
world quickly. And he had loved her
so much J OF course, it was his own
choice; if he could only have conven-
tionally murdered his pride and
laughed in the worlds face he might
have been happy with the woman he
loved, but he could not, and now he
could not live.
Thus ran his reflections, when the
landlady brought him letter, written
on perfumed yellow paper. He recop-
nized the handwriting at once 1t was
from Minnie, and confirmed the news
paper item. She retained his ring as
a keepsake.
"Do not give way to ridiculous
passion, she advised him, and his
face hardened as ne read the words
again. Not hel Why should he ?
Must his life be suddenly extinguished,
his hopes dispelled, because he had
lost the love of one woman? There
were scores Of others all beautiful.
all loving, all good-no, some good
and when he was famous! He had
struck the right chord, and his whole
being sprang into furious blaze of
ambition--a desire TO cheat the wo.
man who no thought had Tilted him.
and laugh at her in mockery and tri.
umph.
He walked his room feverishly. his
hands clonched and his lips set tight,
while the fire of ambition forged his
determination aud withcred his love.
BY heavens, he would be famous Day
after night he would tail ut that book
until 1T was finished, and thon- then
his triumph
Yes that was it; work, work, and
forget her; and he pitched the dainty
note INTO the fire aud commenced. He
unfrozo; all his energies returned, all
his thoughts rushed back upon him
onl foil over each other rs his pen
raced ncross the paper. In few dnys
his book was ready for the publishers.
Brandon received n reply from Ir
vino n Irvine within two days. This
was revelation that astoundeI him.
But what surprised him still more was
the fact that tho publishers wanted TO
400 him