Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-10-31


for me to attempt to explain in writ
ing Just what stand have taken on
this subject. y
Her family knew her too well TO
demonstrate against tho proposed
visit, and the next morning she took
the early train for 1ronton. 1t was
late in the afternoon when she reach
ed the office of the Ironton Inland
Weekly Jesse Arnold was closing
his door s. .L...~l for him, and
he stepped lack into his paper be
strewn de and motioned TO her TO
follow.
81 am ,Tesso Arnold" he said in
that stiff LAY which he habitually
adopted when addressing strangers.
what is it you wish TO see me
about?"
At his best the editor was not
good looking man, and that day
when he stood between her and the
window, where the full beams Of
the evening sun poured in end seem
cd TO exaggerate every de- ct Of his
person, from the most upright end
of his short, straight Lack hair TO
his disproportionatelr large feet, he
was painfully cons Gus that his
loosely knit body | swarthy COM
plexion never ar red to worse adj
vantage.
She took in % details of the room
and the goI raj make up of its occu
pant with one comprehensive sweep
of her clear, blue eyes and then said
simply:
II am Esther Lindsay. II it does
not inconvenience = on. should like
TO talk to you little while about
this last letter you wrote me-"
There was but trace of his for
mer reserve left, and he took her
hand impulsively.
Il am glad to see you, he said,
with a smile. The best part of Jesse
Arnold was his smile. Are you
willing TO let me DO your doctor and
to take my prescriptions faithfully"
mo, she said. flushing slightly
under his close scrutiny. II don't
think | am. I don't think can.
You don't understand, she went
on earnestly, encouraged by his look
of friendly interest. Il don't sup
pose there are any men that are alb
soutcly perfect but l have my ideal
Of what man should b, and put
him body and soul into my Story
of the Steamer Kendrick don't
think that am overoptimistic when
| say that l believe with all my
heart that such men live and shat
you and have met them and can
point them out. y
He shook his head in quiet con-
troversion of her theory. She wait
ed a moment for him to speak, then
exclaimed impatiently:
We'll, why don't you say some
thing"
Because he answered, leaning
far back in his creaking chair and |
clasping his hands behind his head,
Il see quite plainly that whatever
argument may present it will only |
antagonize you. You may know
such men rs you depict. / Go not,
and my experience has been inf !
nitely more varied than yours. ! |
know you will not heed me, but
repeat that it will not pay you to
live in a world peopled only by
ideals. You must associate with
the real. Take some man Of your
I'm afraid you will always stay
single then, he rejoined sharply.
II thought, Judging by your later
writing, that you had commenced
to hold common sense views on soma
things. but | suppose am mistaken.
You may change your mind yet.
You shall neverknow it if | do"
she harod out angrily, and that end
FL the first chapter of their own ro-
nance
Tho outcome of this prematrimo-
NAL venture had been a bitter dis
appointment TO Jesse Arnold. He
went back to the office of the Iron.
ton Inland Weekly and tried to dead.
en his grief in the duties and respon.
sibiliiies dovolying upon the editor
in chief of a 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 own salvation and his
rs well by writing with renewed
energy. Gradually her stories took
on tono CT reality and broad sym
pathy with humanity, and gradual
~ her merit began 10 receive gen.
oral recognition. She never sent |
any of her work TO The Inland |
Weekly for publication after that |
one unhappy incident which left the |
friendship that had existed between
her and its editor partially wrecked,
and he only knew her progress
through tho magazines, to which she
had at last became q frequent con.
tributor.
He watched with particular inter-
est the evolution of the character Of
her heroes. The June issue of a
well known monthly contained a
story that made his pulses throb and
culver with hope and Joy. He left
The Inland Weekly in charge of q
subordinate for few days and went
down to SEQ Esther Lindsay.
"When you wrote your Story Of
the Steamer Kendrick, your hero
was your ideal of mankind, was he
not?" he asked as soon as he could
speak to her alone.
Eyes, she said softly.
And you were determined that
if you failed TO find such creation
in real life you would never marry?"
"Yes, again.
when you wrote this last story,
you had evidently experienced q
change of heart and mind?"