Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-10-03

weekly. Jesse AknOlu Wa clooIuk ~
ofIlce and she met him Just outside th'
door. She inquired for him and he steppet
back into his paper bestrewn den and mo
toned her TO follow.
II am Jesse Arnold" he said, In tina
stiff way which he habitually adoptet
when addressing strangers. s'What Il !
you wish to see me about ?"
At his best the editor was not goot
looking man, and that day, when he stood
between her and the window, where thu
full beams Of the evening sun poured il
and seemed to cxaggcrate every defect o
his person from the most upright end Of
his short, straight black hair to his dispro
portionately large feet, he was painfully
conscious that his loosely knit body and
swarthy complexion never appeared to
worse advantage.
She took in the details of the room and
the general makeup of Its occupant with
one comprehensive sweep of her clear,
blue eyes, and then said, simply:
~ am Esther Lindsay. II 1t does moi
inconvenience you should like to talk Il
you a little while about this last letter you
wrote me-"
There was but trace of his former re-
serve left and he took her hand impul
sively.
III am glad to see YOU" he said, with q
smile-the best part Of Jesse Arnold was
his smile--'.arc you willing to let me be
your doctor and to take my prescriptions
faithfully@
mo-" she said, flushing slightly under
l.: IL ,,xy II
don't think can. You don't understand
she went on earnestly, encouraged by bis
look of friendly interest. 81 don't suppose
there are any men that are absolutely per-
feet, but l have my ideal Of what man
should be and put him body and soul
into my ''Story of the Steamer Kendrick.
l don't think that am over optimistic
when say that believe with all my heart
that such men live and that you and have
met them and can point them out"
He shook his head in quiet controver.
sion of her theory. She waited moment
for him to speak, then exclaimed impa-
tiently:-
"Well, why don't yon say something ?"
Because" he answered, leaning far
back in his creaking chair and clasping
his hands behind his head, II see quite
plainly that whatever argument may pre-
sent it will only antagonize you. You may
know such men as you depict; do not,
and my experience has been infinitely
more varied than yours. know you will
not heed me, but repeat that it will not
pay to live in world peopled only by
ideals. You must associate with the real.
Take some man OF your acquaintance;
study him; take human nature for your
model, and you will be on the right track. "
"You have only one view, and, though
it may be right, feel as though / should
be giving mp the best part of myself to
sacrifice my opinion to yours" she said,
with that touch of wisdom she had lately
assumed. .'Cut suppose" she continued,
sthat if my stories are up to the standard
YOU will not decline them on account OF
that one technically"
He smiled again. "No," he said, mot
on that account"
To have one article printed even
though il be in the Ironton Inland Weekly,
does not give unques.ioned entree into the
columns of every other periodical in the
country, and for many months after the
appearance of her first story Esther Lind
say plodded YEARLY over her literary way,
which was an uphill, sinuous path. A
score Of unfortunate tales were added TO
the unpublished library the bureau
drawer before she found an outlet for her
ideas a second time Then followed five
wears of ups and downs. No literary as
pirant ever had more jealous guardian
than she had in Jesse Arnold. He exulted
in every victory she achieved and deplored
every defeat she met as keenly as though
il had been his own, and then one day
when some unexpected ill-luck made her
despair of trying to push on further in the
course she had mapped out for herself he
capped the climax OF his sympathy and
interest by asking her to marry him.
1t was surprise to her and she promptly
refused him.
IL never expected this from YOU" she
said, trying to temper his dismissal with a
kind an apology, ''you know me so well.
You may call me dreamer, an idiot, If
YOU like, but have my ideal still, and un-
less | find him in real life / shall never
marry"
"fm afraid you will always stay single
then" he rejoined, sharply. II thought,
Judging by your latter writing, that you
had commenced to hold common sense
views on some things, but suppose / am
mistaken. You may change your mind
yet"
.You shall never know it il do" she
Jared out, angrily, and that ended the
first chapter of their own romance.
The outcome of his pre- matrimonial
venture had been bitter disappointment
to Jesse Arnold. He went back to the
office of the Ironton Inland Weekly and
tried to deaden his grief in the duties and
responsibilities devolving upon the editor
in chief of great publication, and she,
realizing something of how deeply she had
wounded him, tried to forget her pity for
him and to work out her salvation, and
him as well, by writing with rem ewed en-
ergy. Gradually her stories took on O
tone Of reality and broad sympathy with
humanity, and gradually her merit began
to receive general recognition. She never
sent any Of her work to the Inland Week
" for publication after that one unhappy
incident which left the friendship that had
existed between her and its editor partial
ly wrecked, and he only knew her pro-
gress through the magazines, to which she
had at last become frequent contributor.
He watched with particular interest the
evolution of the character of her heroes.
The June issue Of well known monthly
contained story that made his pulses
tbrob and CULVER with hope and joy. lie
left the Inland Weekly in charge of sub
ordinate for a few days, and went down
to see Esther Lindsay.
"When you wrote your Story of the