The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-08-28

! NON you Ibdu ~ "hAAO - "nAt lulu ~
is, typewriter at one and threepence a
thousand words, all to save your blessed
eyesight."
Shorely took the manuscript and lit
the gas, for it was getting dark. Glib
berts sat down for awhile, but soon be-
gan to pace the room, to Shorely's nan
ifest annoyance. Not content with this,
he picked up the poker and noisily
stirred the fire.
For heavens sake, sit down, Glib
berts, and be quiet" cried Shorely at
last.
Gibberts seized the poker as if it
were a weapon and glared at the editor.
II won't sit down, and / will make
just as much noise as / want to- he
reared. AS he stood there defiantly
Shorely saw a CLEAN Of insanity in his
eye.
ooh, very well. them" said Shorely,
continuing to read the story.
For a moment Gibberts stood grasp
ing the poker by the middle; then he
flung 1t with a chatter ON the fender,
and sitting down gazed modify into
the fire without moving until Shorely
had turned the last page.
WELL, said Gibberts, arousing from
his r~everie, what do you think of it?"
"It's a good story, Gibberts. All
your stories are good" said the editor
carelessly.
Gibberts started to his feet and swore.
do you mean to say, he thunder
ed, THAT you see nothing in that story
different from any I or any one else ev-
er wrote? Hang it, Shorely, you would
not know a good story if you met it
coming up Fleet street. Can't you see
that story is written with a mans
hearts blood?"
Shorely stretched out his legs and
thrust his hands far down in his trou-
sers pockets.
at may have been written as you
say, although l thought you called my
attention a moment ago to its typewrit
ten character"
Don't be fippant, Shorely," said
Gibberts, relapsing again into melan'
choly. "You didn't like the story then
You didn't see anything unusual in it
purpose, force, passion, life, death,
nothing?"
There is death enough at the end.
My objection is hat there is toe much
blood and thunder in it. Such a tragedy
could never happen. No man could &c
to a country house and slaughter every
one in it. It's absurd"
Gibberts sprang to his feet and begaI
to pace the room excitedly. Suddenly
he stopped before his friend, towering
over him, his long ulster making hin
look taller than he really was.
"Did I ever tell you the tragedy Of
my life-how the property that would
have kept me from what has''-
"Of course you have, Gibberts. 81
down. You've told it to everybody-t'
me several times"
How my cousin cheated me out off,
"Certainly-out Of land and the wo
man you loved"
"Oh, 1 told you that, did II" sal,
, others familiarity with the circum
stances. He sat down and rested hi
head in his hands. There was a lonl
silence between the two, which wa
finally broken by Gibberts saying:
q $50 you don't care about the story?'
"Oh, l don't say that. l can see it j
the story of your own life with an i'm
aginary and sanguinary ending"
, "Oh, you saw that, did your"
, eyes. How much do you want TO
it,"
Fifty pounds"
"What?'
Fifty pounds, I tell you. Are 20,
Y deaf? And l want the money now"
BLESS your innocent heart, / can blu,
a longer story than that from the great
: est author living for less than ESQ
g Gibberts, you're crazy"
Gibberts looked up inquiringly, as j
that thought had never occurred to hir
d before. He seemed rather taken wit
the idea. 1t would explain many thing
{ which had puzzled both himself and hi
9 friends. He meditated upon the matte
for a few moments, but at last shook hi
head.
@ "No, ShOrely," he said, with O sigh
'I'm not insane, though goodnes
knows l have had enough to drive m
mad. / don't seem to have the luck {
some people. l haven't the talent fc
going crazy. But to return to the story
You think 500 too much. 1t will max
the fortune of the paper that publishe
it. How? Let me see. l had it a me
ment ago, but the point has escaped IN
memory. What was it you objected I
as unnaturai?"
1.-The tragedy. There is too niue
wholesale murder at the end"
"Ah, now 1 recollect! Now I hav
it,"
Gibberts began energetically to pao
the room again, shifting his hands tt
Rether. His face was in a glow of e,
element.
Eyes, ! have it now-the tragedy
Granting a murder like that-one ma
a dead shot, killing a country hous
full. Imagine it actually taking place
Wouldn't all England ring with it?"
Naturally"
"Of course it would. Now you liste
to me. l am going to commit that s
called crime. One week after you pull
lish the story I'm going down to thu
country house, Channor Chase. 1t
my house, if there were justice an
10 right in England, and I'm going
slaughter every person in it. I wi
leave a letter saying the story in I'll
II Sponge is the true story Of what led
D. the tragedy. Your paper in a week wi
J. be the most talked of journal in En-