The Flagstaff sun-democrat., 1897-04-01

Boy, your sister is a genius!" ex- claimed the great man, as he rapidly scanned the lines.
 "I don't know just what that is," an- swered the charub, modestly, "but feel sure it must be something very nice, or you wouldn't look so-so-" What funny, old-fashioned little body 1t was, to be sure. "This shall go in at once," went on the magnate, land will see what can do further. We don't pay much for poetry ordinarily, but this is worth it. Give your sister this from me and tell her to come and see me on Saturday at three."
 "Oh, thank you, sir" and the baby's eyes dropped modestly as he tightly clutched the piece of gold put into his palm. And then he heaved a deep- drawn sigh of relief, joy-what? and turned and left the room. Only when the child was entirely out of sight did Winston realize that he had neglected to obtain the name and address of the new genius he had discovered. He turned the poem to the light, but with no success. Upon the back of the double sheet, however, was sketchy head drawn faintly in pencil. The lines were bad and the drawing crude in every way, but the sketch was evidently in- tended for the cherub who had lust visited him. In one corner was the artists name, Marie Wendall." Jot- ting it down in his note book and pass- ing his hand over his forehead and eyes, as though to erase all outside impress sions, the great editor was no longer q man; he was once more a machine. With relief the waiting pressmen and typos heard his whistle below and they knew that whatever "fit had took him." as the devil" expressed it. the autocrat was ready for work once more. But they looked at each other aghast when the message came oyer the tube:
 ''Take out that article on the coal re- gions I sent down half an hour ago and set this poetry instead"
 Surely, "the old man had gone of his head"
 That forms locked up and just go- ing to press," the foreman ventured to remonstrate.
 "Blnst the form! Do as say!" came from above.
 But it'll take" Came again from the depths.
 Do it if it takes all night! Who owns this paper, anyway ?"roared Wins ton, and shut the tube with a snap to denote that as far as he was concerned, the interview was over.
 Something had disturbed him moro tsan usual. Perhaps it was the memory of the little mound on the hillside-per- haps 1t was something indefnite-an impression too vague to be classified. Whatever it was, in half an hour, Winston declared himself through, methodieally tucked his blue pencil into its accustomed slot, locked his desk, be- took himself to his club for dinner.
 When he read over the poetry in the great daily the next morning, there was a something which arrested his at- tention. A scene, memory came to his mind, but it was too elusive for him to spend any time in trying to catch it. So he dismissed it from his thoughts. A distinct shock received an hour or two later recalled it all, and too forcibly.
 This shock came in the shape of note from fellow-editor:
 "What are you giving us, anyway" wrote he. "You must have been short l of copy indeed, to try to palm off on your readers that old poem of Tenny- sons as new matter! Marie Wendall,' too. Of all the colossal nerve! think 1t might be called the Great Ameri- can.'"
 Tennyson's! No wonder there had been familiar ring to the lines! Why had he skinned over them so hastily? | Why had he thrown caution to the winds? Why, oh, why had he made such an ass of himself that all who ran night read? He turned sick and white 1t the thought of all it meant-this fear ful blunder! If he only could hope that the casual reader would not dis ,over 1t.
 Any such hope as this was dashed ruthlessly to the ground during the next few hours. Letters there were rom all directions-jeering they were, lngry, remonstrant, everything but The world likes to be but 1t does not want the fraud to be palpable one like this. And the readers of the great daily did ,ot hesitate to say 50 in most uncom- terms.
 Wild with anger and modification, md with imprecations deep if not loud. he great editor set himself to find the woman who had served him such rick.