The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-03-05

"'No .. A sort of brown. Buttons
on it.
mo 8. A sort of blush. Looked
as If 1t hurt
II struck me then that / was not
getting enough detail. 1 had only
jotted down the general effect. A wo-
man was sitting opposite me with
good many things on; so l began to
sketch them. | was absorbed in my
sketching, but / remember that l did
have a shadowy idea that the woman
was beginning to look uneasy. Pres
emily she got up. 1t was out of sheer
ing of the sketch) that i said to her:
"Sit down again. I've not done with
you yet a policeman was passing
near, and she began to speak to him.
"Well?'
"Oh, / didn't stop. There didn't
seem to be anything to stop for. | was
out of the park and into a hanson be-
fore the woman had finished with the
policeman. I tolbd the man to drive
fast to Charing Cross. In my hurry
and confusion / had forgotten to leave
the elastic behind me. and when | had
paid the cabman / found that | was
still grasping the parcel in my hand.
That didn't matter. / left the elastic
in flower-pot at a restaurant where
/ lunched."
But this thirteenth column. What
have you done towards it?'
i've read the fashion papers, but
that's about ALL Since luncheon I've
been doing nothing but stare into shop
windows. They muddled my head
more than you can possibly understand
and they caused in addition a distinct
amount of nervous irritation. Perhaps
you noticed it when you met me just
now"
Look here / said, you'd better
give up the whole thing. You can't
possibly do this column, and you'd bet
ter write to your editor and say So"
|. He would not take my advice.
"A good all-around journalist can
write an article on anything" he said
obstinately. I'm going off to write my
article now-this minute"
But do be reasonable" I said. "Why
attempt the impossible?"
he picked up his hat. observation Is
no good I've found that out. Study
is also no good. The male man can
find out nothing about the female fash
ions in those ways. But / have just
thought of a third course-thought of
II while was talking to you-and | am
now going to try It," He put on his
hat. son the whole" he added, at is
perhaps as well that you refused TO
smash that window for me. You may
have been right; and dare say spoke
too harshly when / said that you were
respectable. / was much worried at
the time, and you must make allow
ances. l shall bring you the article to
look at tonight. Au revoir."
He did bring me the article, and II
was the last time that | ever saw
| Charles Backerton Salemaker. Posi-
! bly,, as he said in a subsequent letter,
shall never see him again. That night
he looked radiant, triumphant, happy
| in the pride OF achievement. He brought
with him several typewriter sheets
They were the article in question
which he had just completed.
| First of ALL" he said, "let me explain
the theory on which the article is writ
ten. The novelist works both from OBJ
servation and Imagination. He over
hears some chance remark in the street
and from that with the help of imag
nation he constructs character-ever
an entire novel. I've worked on tn,
same lines. I'VE taken as my starting
point the little that remember of tn,
J fashion papers and the shop windows