The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-20
SOME GOOD STORIES.
They Were Designed to Fill Want, but
Were Unavailable.

They Were Designed to Fill . Want, but
Were Unavailable.
1.-THE editor, presumeP' said the sallow
man with the real hair watch chain as he
stepped over a bundle of exchanges and
approached the careWorn person at the
desk.
I'm the editor What do you want?''
81 GOMEZ said the sallow man, 'to offer
you some original matter for publication. -
Poetry, 1 suppose?''
Poetry Not at all. Verse has no COM
mSrcial value, and routine news no longer
rouses the tired reader. The matter that
offer you is of the kind that will call atten-
ton to your sheet 1t is matter that will
be read aloud at the Preside and given a
place in the scrapbook.' -
Original matter, you say?'
Entirely SO. Now, if you have mo-
ment of leisure will read you the first
thing that my eye falls upon in this manu-
script. For instance:
- Francis Talbatson, farmer residing
three miles southeast of Collodion, O., has
a chicken that successfully initiates
knocking bird The chicken has a rich
golden plunage, and subsists entirely on
begonia seed, refusing all other kinds of
food -
''Who told you that?'' demanded the
editor
Sir said the stranger, with q wave
that this is original NATTER
''Well, you don't expect any one to be-
1ieve that?'
Il expect the publication to excite doubt
and wonder, possibly scientific discussion;
but, sir, there can be no successful contra
diction of the story. -
"Why not? Don't you know that half Of
the people of that town would write and
contradict that story?''
Impossible, sir. There is no such town
in Ohio"
''Then people will know the story is q
fake"
MY dear sir, do you suppose that
among all your readers there is one man,
woman or child who knows the names of
all the postofices in the state of Ohio? If
a man residing in the eastern part of Ohio
reads that item he win suppose, of course,
that COllodion is some town over in the
western side of the state, and vice versa.
1t is, of course, advisable to print only that
which is true, but ask you candidly isn't
a story which cannot and will not be con-
tradicted and which will interest your
readers without in any degree corrupting
them or debauching their literary tastes
just as valuable as If it were trues'
well, herel How do you know there
isn't a town Of that name in Ohio?' de-
manded the editor, who was becoming in
terested.
Because always work with a postal
guide at my elbow. Suppose, now, that
decided to tell story of a man in Alexan-
dria, Ia, trapping a rabbit that weighed
SO pounds, and commonly mistaken for q
sheep when dressed and hung up in front
of Henry Martins meat shop on Third
street, opposite the Baptist church. turn
to the postal guide and learn that there is
an Alexandria in Iowa. Very well. How
about Missouri? 1 learn that there is no
Alexandria in Missouri and SO 1 locate
the story in Alexandria, Mo-, without in
any way detracting from the artistic effect.
Now, when you read something about
Owen Breese of Alexandria, Mo-, don't
you feel convinced by the very sound of
the thing that there is man named Breese
and that he lives at Alexandria, Mo. ?"
TN admit that I wouldn't have my
suspicious aroused. -
Certainly not, and neither would any
one else. Suppose you print a special tele-
gram from Catherwood, Ind, telling how
Oscar Brennan, q well to do farmer resid-
ing about two miles from that place, has
applied for a divorce from his wife Julia
on the ground that she has treated him
cruelty in compelling him to have a cal
cium light apparatus rugged up in the
kitchen, and to throw the calcium on her
while she is fitting about at her household
duties. You never heard that story before,
did you?'
II never did, - said the editor decisively.
"Do you think you can use some of this
matterf''
I'm afraid not. But I'll tell you what
can do can recommend you to a friend
of mine who wants to be United States
senator. He is now looking for the towns
in which there have been popular upris-
ings in his favor. / think you have some
of the towns in your manuscript there. .
Il can give him any town that amt in
the postal guide. -
''Wen, those are the towns that are for
him. ''-Chicago Tribune.