Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-29
A WOMAN
AND
AN EDITOR.


should wait until you came Ill.
The lady in waiting had written on
her card: About story. Urgent.
''She hasn't got the copy with her?'
"Not unless it's in her pocket.
Well" said the editor, with an air of
sanity resignation, tell her that I'm
very busy. but if she can say what she
wants in five minutes I'll see her."
| Wearily he removed his feet from the
table. put Oh his coat, threw the re-
mainder of his cigarette into the fire.
place, opened the window, secreted the
copy of Notre Campagne that he had
been reading and set TO work on Il pile
of proofs. BY that time Tomlin had re-
turned, announcing Miss Sands.
She was So, and she was plain. More
over, she was as nervous as cat in 8
new home.
She said Coed morning" in a choked
whisper.
Pray be seated" said the editor. He
pushed over basket piled with manu-
scripts to Tomlin. "Send all those back. "
Then he turned to Miss Sands again and
asked what he could do for her.
| Il want to ask what you would think
of story of japanese life"
I'm afraid that sort of thing is q
good deal overdone nowadays. They've
got Il Jap series running in Busters
Magazine, and of course we've had Sir
Edwin and a whole lot more. No; the
public's sick of it. I don't think we
should care to see it. Sorry you've had
| the trouble
"Oh, not at ALL I'm glad"
81 don't quite understand"
"You see, | want the story to be re-
fused. It's my sister Caroline. Thanks
so much for promising to send it back"
But wait a minute. l gave no such
promise. 1t is part of an editors duty to
consider carefully everything. that is sub
mitted-everything Besides, why should
you he so anxious that your sister should
be disappointed?
You see, you don't know her. Her be
setting sin is conccit. She's younger than
l am, and-well she's rather good look
ing. She's been spoiled by having too
much fuss made about her. If you could
hear her Dragging sometimes I'm sure
you'd agree with me. Really, it's often
difficult enough for me to live with her as
it is, and if she had story accepted by
The Latest Light she would become quite
intolerable"
But really" said the editor with supe-
riority, these family disputes have moth
ing to do with me. I'm simply here to-
"Oh. yes, of coursel / only mention it
to explain why | want you to refuse her
silly rubbish"
How do you know it's silly rubbish?'
"Pve read it, and it wouldn't do for you
at ALL
Really. Miss Sands" said the editor
with growing severity. You must leave
me to be the judge of that. | cannot per-
nit any body to dictate to me what / am
to accept or what | am TO refuse. Have
you any special training which entities
you to criticise your sisters work at all :
It's remarka be-that belief which almost
every woman seems to have that she is
qualified to Judge literary work! Are you
quite sure that You know the difference
between silly rubbish and work of gen
ius?"
anyhow. it shows that she has no inn
agination-ber having made it japanese
story"
Il don't follow that argument"
NO, hadn't told you. My sister Caro-
line lived in Japan with japanese fami-
ly for some years. She's only using up
Whit Sue SstN anu anu luul :
not Imagination"
AT any rate it makes it the more prob
able that the story will be interesting"
Il can't see that. She got to know
things about the japanese women-well.
really"
''As bad as thatg'
Miss Sands wriggled uneasily. "Pd
rather not talk about it. All | want is
just your promise that you won't accept
the story You know the public don't
care abont japanese things"
t'Once for ALL" said the editor, will
you give up trying to teach me my busi-
ness? What is the use of telling me that
the public don't care for japanese topics
when Busters Magazine is going in for
them hot? Do you think they don't know
the public taste through and through at
Busters place? What about the success
of the 'Geisha? What about-but really
/ lose all patience. The attempt to make
an editor refuse a story to satisfy some
personal grudge of your own is, of course,
utterly useless. 1t is also dishonest, and
as the author happens to be your own sis
ter it is even worse than dishonest. It's
no good pleading. I've nothing more to
say to you"
Good morning, them" said Miss
Sands, looking doleful. 81 didn't know
you'd take it like that"
When she got into the street, the dole
fulness passed off. She turned into the
next A. b. G. shop for bun and a glass
of milk and looked as pleased as if she
had accomplished something.
''Tomlin,' said the editor, when q
manuscript comes from Miss Caroline
Sands-it will be a story on a Japanese
subject-don't send it up with the rest for
Mr.. Garner to read, but let me have it at
once. | will read that one myself
And in due course the story was
brought, and the editor noted with pleas
Ure that it was just about the right
length
The story was neither too good to leave
out nor too bad to put in. 1t was medic
ere. and as a rule that editor did not love
mediocrity. However, he accepted it at
once and wrote to Miss Caroline Sands to
say that he had done so. If he had been
told that he had practically made up his
mind to accept the story even before he
read it, he would have been angry
And all this was a great joy to that
Miss Sands who had called at the Office.
For she had no sister, and her own name
was Caroline, and she was the author of
a Japanese story which was founded on
somebody's book of travels and an article
in the encyclopedia-as recently sold to
the public by n great newspaper on
terms that saved the buyer 33 per cent.
And she wanted that story to be read at
once and to be accented