Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1895-07-26
FLEMING'S CLEVER WIFE
BY LUKn SHARP.


Ing, as we go along with the recital OF
the curious game Of cross-purposes at
which Minnie Fleming and her hus-
band played, will state the facts of
the case plainly at the beginning SO
that everyone may understand the
situation.
Minnie Fleming was subdued,
quiet little woman with something
like ten times the amount of brains her
husband possessed, but she was not
aware of 1t and would have been very
indignant If anyone had ventured to
suggest such thing, for she looked up
20 her husband with love, admiration
and respect.
Knowing Jim Fleming well, 1t al
ways seemed to me that his wife's
alteration for him was entirely mis-
placed. This may be professional
jealousy, for / have to admit that /
never could read with patience any
thing Fleming ever wrote. His work
seemed to me, not to put 1t too plainly,
CUFF Of the slushiest sort, and there is
too much of that kind Of writing In the
world now. Jim Fleming Is big,
gruff, somewhat good-natured person
with thorough belief In his own
abilities, which, as I have intimated,
most of us do not think justifable by
facts. He is the editor Of pot Shots,'
London weekly that used to have q
large circulation which is now gener-
ally understood to have fallen off on
account Of the tremendous competition
there is In the journalistic business.
1t is paper that offers two thousand
pounds sterling insurance money to the
heirs Of man who Is killed by falling
out of balloon, If at the time of the
disaster he happens to have a copy OF
"Pot-Shots" In his pocket.
Now it happened that Mrs Minnie
Fleming had literary ideas that were
promptly crushed by her big husband.
She possessed, as have said, an amaz-
ing respect for his literary Judgment,
and with fear and trembling she had
on several occasions submitted little
stories to him, hoping that they might
merit place between the covers OF
Pot-Shots," but Jim ridiculed the
stupidity of these yarns SO severely
that Mrs. Fleming, after a quiet little
cry all by herself, showed him no more
of these efforts at fiction. Neverthe-
less, she thought her stories, If not
good enough for "Pot-Shots," might be
palmed off on other less well edited
Journals, SO she took to sending her
stories round to one after another Of
the London publications, getting them
back as general rule. but having one
taken now and then--just enough sue
cess to keep up her courage You may
be sure that she took good care not to
let her husband know anything OF
these excursions into the fields Of lit
erature, but she hoped to be able to
earn something with her pen, with the
humble desire Of helping Jim out, If
ever he wanted little additional
money. She had read pretty little
stories about wives who had saved a
q penny to-day and threepence to- NOR
row, storing the coins away so that
when they were poured out, on the
coming Of family crisis, they amount
ed to wonderful fund that tided over
all the difficulties. She soon found
that her chief customer was the editor
of The Family Boupcer, weekly pa
per that went in strongly for fiction OF
all kinds. Her little stories seemed to
suit the kind Of readers who took that
celebrated journal, and, although the
pay was small at first, the 'crisis
fund.-" as she called it, was constantly
augmented.
At last she received very nice let
ter from the editor of The Family
Bouncer. He said he had been watch
ing her little stories with interest for
some time past, and that he felt GER
tain she could write serial II she set
her mind to 1t. Without making any
definite promises he wrote that he
hoped she would try, and that she
would let him see the results. This
letter filled the timorous little heart OF
Minnie with Joy, and she set herself to
work to write the long story.
Mrs. Fleming wrote under the name
of "Hilda Markham" and the result Of
the appearance of her first long story
was that Greig & Co., the literary
agents, wrote to her and offered to
place any stories she cared to write at
as advantageous prices as the market
would afford, for commission of ten
per cent. This offer she accepted, and
the results were extremely gratifying
to her, whatever they may have been
to the editors who had to pay the in
creased prices.
And this brings us to the point where
this story really begins. One editor
generally knows pretty well which OF
his contemporaries, esteemed or other
wise, has the largest circulation, and
which has not, and Jim Fleming saw
with dismay that the circulation of his
own paper was falling rapidly, and
that it was evident that his penny pub
lie was drifting over to The Family
Bouncer, In investigating the rea'
sons for this he quickly came upon the
bald fact that the increase in his rival
was largely due to the stories of the
new writer, Hilda Markham. So he
resolved to get story from that lady
at all hazards, and thus save his own
circulation, which was coming down
like a man falling from a balloon
eager to bestow the insurance money
on his surviving relatives.
1t was one of Jims theories thai
women have no heads for business, ant
that of all women in the world hi
own wife had the least capacity in tha
direction. He made up his mind that
he would go as far as one hundred
and fifty pounds sterling for story
by Hilda Markham, and he wrote ;
letter to her agents opening negotia
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