The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-06
er feelingly. "How very unfortun-

cutter leeHngly' HOW very un1Ortun-
| ate"
1T was. indeed" the rejected MS.
went on. But, the saddest time Of all
my existence was on my return home
| for the first time. l shall never forget
| the look of disappointment that came
| over my authors face when she re-
ceived me with trembling hands from
| the postman. She wept many bitter
| tears over me, and then laid me away
in her bureau drawer and never looked
at me for over two weeks.
=, II felt sighted, can tell you"
II should think So" said the paper
| cutter, II should think you would feel
| sighted"
But one day she was evidently in
| better spirits, for there was a hopeful
| look on her face as she took me out of
| the envelope and read me through
| again.
1T is a good story she said. but
| perhaps it was not just what the Sun
| wanted. l shall try the Herald and
| so / was sent about first to one paper,
! then to another; and l was as regu-
| larly returned, enclosed with a brief
note saying, mot available for this
| paper or Declined with thanks At
| f,
| but after a time she became hardened
| to it and came to specializing as what
| style of printed rejection blanks each
| paper would use. She gathered togeth-
| er quite a collection of them after a
time, all sizes and colors; some print
| ed, some typewriter, while others were
in the editors own handwriting.
Il have been on the road almost con-
tyir h,tt
this is to be my last. If I am rejected
| today, l am to be destroyed, and the
world will have missed one of the best
stories ever written. But l can't COM
pain" said the rejected MS. cheerfully
i've had my day. Of course my prin-
| cipal object in life has so far been a
failure, but it is not my fault, and
shall not worry about my end"
You certainly have quite a. varied
experience" said the paper cutter
But l am sure that your lot has been
preferable to mine. 1 have never left
this office since the day 1 entered it,
three years ago. 1t must be nice to
travel; l should very much like to
travel around a bit myself"
You should soon tire of it," said the
rejected MS. "and be glad to settle
down again, to feel that you have a
| fixed purpose in life and that you are
| accomplishing it,"
Just then a step sounded outside the
door. 1t was the editor returning from
his lunch. All the articles scampered
back to their former positions, while
the rejected MS. went on futtering its
leaves quietly as before.
The editor entered the room and seat :
ing himself at his desk took up his
work again where he had left off. He
wrote three editorials; one on the at
titude of the United States toward
Cuba, one on the arbitration treaty
with England, while the third per-
tanned to municipal affairs, about two
columns and a half in ALL He attended
TO all the multifarious duties that fall
to the lot of the editor of a great daily
besides losing about an hour in con-
Nersation with one of the proprietors,
who had just dropped in to give him
few pointers as to how the paper should
he run, after which he was Obliged to
work all the harder in order to catch
up. But he was used to it, and pre-
served an even temper through ii all.
The hours dragged sOwly by and still
he .ked on, but at last even the
editors work for the day was finished.
and he made preparations to depart
He arranged everything to his salts
factlon and was about to close his
desk when his eye fell on the rejected
MS. He hestitated a moment, then
showed it down into his pocket, re-
marking to himself:
II don't suppose 1t amounts to much.
but l may as well take il home with
me and read it, there may be some
thing in it," after which he closed the
desk and locked it and departed. He
dined at his favorite restaurant and
then strolled through the hotel corri-
doris. Not meeting anyone with whom
he cared to enter into conversation, he
sought his comfortable bachelor apart
ments and with a good cigar and his
easy chair he prepared to spend the
evening, very quietly and comfortably
alone.
Presently he took the manuscript
from his pocket and glanced through
its pages.
"It has evidently Travelled about
considerably he thought However,
II locks readable and may be just what
We want" So he settled himself in his
chair and began its perusal
1t was a simple love story of every
udy lllS, qultS "tll NIlllclli DuL very
commonplace. Telling the story of a
young and beautiful girl, a coquette,
and her two lovers. The girl had driv-
en- the somewhat slow going, but true
as steel" lover from her side by her
coquettish ways, and had eventually
taken up with the more persistent, but
shallow admirer. 1t told of a few
years Of unhappy married life, until
death had freed her from the bonds.
Her mind reverted to the lover whom
she had rejected. years before, and
whom she had dearly loved all the
time, but she knew not where he was
and the story closed with very vague
understanding as to the future of the
woman in the case.
The editor read few pages, without
evincing any especial interest in the
story, until he came to a passage de-
scribing the heroine, Dora Ames, as
sitting meath the shade of a wide
spreading oak, near the banks of
gurgling brook She was laughing
merrily while the before mentioned
true as steel" lover stood near by with
downcast eyes and very unhappy coun-
tenahce. He had just proposed and
had been laughed at for his pains. And
now, as he said, he was leaving her