Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-10-23

Il
yourself in the new art style and the
puzzle of the hour will be: 'What is
the writer's name?' Is it he or q
she: Then, when the papers have
criticised your book, pl Used 1T,
slashed it and discussed it for oil it is
worth, your real name will be discov-
cred; interviewers will regard you as
special prize; your photo will be
attempted in the evening news-sheets
aud 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 as she
hurried downstairs and home, and sat
in his chair far into the evening the
most miserable man on earth.
It was about a week later, md
Brandon was still in his lodgings. His
landlady had informed him immedi-
ately after Minnie's 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 a
paragraph which had paralyzed all the
energy in him. Minnie was 20 be mar
ried! She had taken him at 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 panacea.
Poisoning, hanging, drowning or a
bullet-anything to get out of the
world quickly. And he had loved her
so muchl OF course, it was his own
choice; if he could only have conyen-
tiopally 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 recog-
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 he read the words
again. Not he! Why should he?
Must his life be suddenly extinguished,
his hopes dispelled, because he had
lost the love of one woman9 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 he thought had Tilted him,
and laugh at her in mockery and tri-
umph.
BE walked his room feverishly, his
hands clenched and his lips set tight,
while the fire of ambition forged his
determination and withered his love.
By heavens, he would be famous! Day
after night he would tail at that book
until it was finished, and then-then
his triumph?
Yes, that was it; work, work, and
forget her; and he pitched the dainty
note into the fire and commenced. He
unfroze; all his energies returned, all
his thoughts rushed back upon him
and fell over each other as his pen
raced across the paper. In few days
his book was ready for the publishers.
Brandon received reply from r.
vine & Irvine within two days. This
was revelation that astounded him.
But what surprised him still more was
the fact that the publishers wanted to
see him.
1t was pity Minnie had been so
hssty, Brandon thought, as he con-
sumed Irvine's note, time after time.
Fortune and fame were written all
over him; and if he only had her!
At least be ought to write and con-
gratulate her on her engagement. He
wondered with a mean exultation
what she would feel like; if she would
turn white when she read of his sue
cess. So he sat down to write, bat,
remembering that all eggs did not
turn out chicks, he deferred it until
he had seen the publishers.
After the interview he WAS mad with
himself because he had not written,
for Irvine Sc Irvine paid him $1,000
down for oil the rights of his book.
How he walked home from the Office
he never knew, and he wondered why
he had lot cabbed it. He remem-
bered chang ging his check at the bank,
buying qusrter cigar, which he en-
joyed W. great gusto, and visiting
his tailors where he purchased q
ready-made lit and was measured for
various Others. Of course, he would
have to change his lodgings now. he
could not entertain Snterviewers in his
present garrett.
Arrived home, he desired to wipe off
his debts with the landlady at once,
showering carelessly upon the table in
her best parlor handful of gold,
which took all the breath from the old
lady's body. She was in no hurry,
however. There was avisitor upstairs
waiting for him.
ga MANI" gasped Brandon, with
sinking heart, as his mind flew to in
terviewers. But it was lady, as he
quickly discovered, and that lady,
Minnie. His heart beat rapidly, his
breath came quickly, his eyes cleaned
brightly, and he was about to catch
her in his arms when he remembered
that she belonged to another, and the
memory crushed him.