The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-02
A BLUE PENCIL STORY.


Dawson wooed and won her-still showed
that her carly training was not Of an ephem
eral type. H. was a nic:. supper in nice coy
room, With a remarkably nice young woman
on the opposite side CT the table, ard yet
Aieck & disconnected look.
Same old ogre, dear?" asked Rose, as she
slowly filled his second cup.
Yes" growled Aleck; and more ogreish
than ever. SLOVENIAN terribly out of sorts
today. Brixton had been hayinS him FOR
something, and he cut and slashed the copy
like a Malay running amuck And had SUCH
a beautiful story"
Yes, DEAR said Rose, she sympathetic
cally put another muffin his plate.
Less than column, too,'' continued Aleck;
and how much do you suppose Stoneman
cut. it down? To just twelve lines! 1 tell you
1t knocks every flicker of ambition clear out
Of man.
TOO bad" sighed Rose.
1t was an old grievance with Aleck, and
she knew it would do him good to talk him
self out.
YES he went on; st felt like going to
Brixton and saying: Here's an Independent
soul you can't put through your condemned
old condenslng crusher, but of course
didn't do it. 1t would have been too expen-
sive a luxury. Old Stoneman can't help his
share in it. He called me over to his desk
this afternoon and said: 'Sandow-
SandOW!" echoed Rose.
S''That's Tommy Gregg's invention. Tommy
Is the office christener. It's Sandy Dawson
condensed, you see.
TITS shame
OiS'
Aleck. Rather appropriate, too, 1 think.
That's the beauty Of Tommy's christening
scheme. Everything goes by extreme con-
traries. Well, Stoneman said: Why do you
thow away your time and your talent elab-
Grating these stories? You ought to know
by this time that they can't go. That stuff
of yours today about the old man was clever,
but the actual news in it was all contained
in the few lines 1 left Stone answered;
you remember that story of Poes where the
ceiling slowly but surely descends upon the
dnOnn6d WTpfnh0 fhof iIycf f6a
1 feel now. Condensing is squeezing all the
ambition out Of me- Stoneman laughed
Cheer up said he May be, some day, you'll
have paper of your own If do said,
thereu not be blue pencil within a mile
of it. But it's the same way every day. 1
can't throttle my fancy. I can't nail myself
down to the cut-and-dried facts
There a brief pause. Aleck finished
his tea, shook out his napkin, and pushed
back his chair.
Let US sit in the parlor little while,'
said Rose. I'VE don't need any light. 1t will
be sort of cleaning seance,' and she
laughed as she touched the button thatwould
presently bring up the janitor's daughter,
who helped Rose in her modest housekeepirsr
So they sat in the little parlor. Aleck in
the Sleep Hollow chair that Rose had given
him on his last birthday and Rose herself
In her sewing rocker by the big bay window:
WELL we must be thankful for thing"
Rose said, with a restful little sigh; land that
is that you are not on a morning paper"
Aleck heard her rummaging in her desk for
little rocker began again.
And now, dear" she continued. ct want
to hear that good story that was so sadly dis
figured by the naughty blue pencil. Tell it
t. me just as you wrote it, word for word.
1t mustn't be entirely wasted
Aleck was used to obeying, and besides he
was rather proud Of his unmistakable story
telling talent So out of the depths of the
Sleepy Hollow his voice proudly arose
1t was touching little story; the story of
man whose idolizcd daughter had run away
from her fine home to marry a vain and
worthless fellow. Aleci had interview her
father. and now he told the tale in the
fathers own words. giving the very intona-
lions of voice and the peculiar dialect of the
somewhat illiterate old man. It was not an
unusual story py any means, but Aieck told
1t SO we'll that he seemed to invest it with an
original dignity.
THE white hated father stood in the door
way, he said: land with his hand shading
his eyes, looked anXiously up and down the
street.. Perhaps he slowly said; what
you're a-goin to put in the papers will be
read by Mandy. II it's she'll know that the
hands that took her from the arms of her
Gyin mother still stretched to take her
ngin-but not with him, not with him."
AS Aleck paused ne noticed that the little
rocker was still.
sAnd Stonenan cut that down to twelve
lines" she querulously said.
He arose he spoke and struck match
and lighted the big lamp on the center ia bic.
Rose was standing by the desk with her face
in6the- shadow. Then she turned and came
forward.
why, Rose" said Aleck, with swift ten
Gerness; you've been CRYING"
Tits the sudden glare of the larnp" she
lansely explained. Ard Alcclk wondered af-
terward what could have so depressed her.
That was the beginning of long series of
sn-the-gloafnlng conversations, Rose called