The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-19
It that threat to the uttermost

rying out that threat to the uttermost
letter.
He went back to his hotel wishing he
could get typhoid or smallpox, or any
thing that would effectually debar him
from reading the MS. that was COM
ing to him. But none of those agree
able methods of escape was good
enough to present itself whereas the
MS. did, duly wrapped in brown paper
and in company with three others and
polite note from Robson.
With cowardly sinking of heart he
left it to the last, and read the three
others that had been sent with it first.
Two were easily disposed Of The third
bore no authors name whatever, but
the style was unknown to him. 1t bore
the title, "A Human Heart" So far
as he knew. he had never read any
thing from the same pen. Robson men,
toned no name, but called it the work
of a new writer. 1t was typewriter,
as they all were.
John Marion read it carefully. though
all the time the undercurrent of his
thoughts was with Aline's MS. lying
there before him. But he was sufil-
ciently wide awake to know what "A
Human Heart" was worth recommend
ing, and he did recommend it-cordial-
ly for him-tempered, of course, with
certain recommendations to be carried
out before publication. He took as
long over this as he could, but do what
he would the evil moment had to be
faced
He took up Aline's neatly typewrit-
ten manuscript at length with a hand
that shook so much that he grasped
the manuscript quite roughly.
"A Thing of Love-" by Y. Johns
glaring eye fastened upon the letter X.
Il mean merely to put * in the title
page" Aline had declared to him. Il
have noticed that when things are
written by * they always attract no.
tice. Besides, strict anonymity is al
ways good for a new writer. People
always read a book if they don't know
who it's by. But, of course, can tell
all my friends-privately."
And it is to Johns credit that at
that point he did not smile-not even
when she added deliciously, Besides, 1
particularly wish the book to stand or
fall by its own merits only, so of course
l shall be strictly anonymous"
And the first step to letting it stand
or fall on its own merits. in her opinion.
apparently, was to do all she could to
corrupt the publishers reader. John
shook his head as he remembered that
now.
80 Aline! o woman!" And then re-
luctantly he addressed himself con-
scientiously to "a Thing of Love-"
Well it might be a thing of love, but
it was certainly not a thing of merit.
John Marion could have no doubt about
that, none at all. AS to Robson pub
fishing it, impossible. Not that it had
not some excellence, but it was excel
lence of a sort. Assuredly not Rob-
sons sort. One couldn't ask Robson
to publish that sort of thing. Never
theless, bits of it were bright, and
there were touches that reminded him
of Aline.
John read 1t twice-in the dim and
distant hope that perchance the seconi
reading might modify his first impress
sion; that he might find that his extra
bias with respect to Aline's work had
made him unduly critical-nay, cap
tious.
But no. When he concluded the Sec
ond reading he believed that it was
only by miraculous effort that he had
accomplished the feat. He flung the
beautifully typrewritten piles of Ms.
from him with an oath. He felt at his
wits end. He sat staring at his shoes
and swearing softly as a sort of tenn
porary relief. What on earth was he
to do?
Recommend it to Robson? Only the
woman who had written it could have
imagined Robson publishing it. What
was any poor fellow in his predicament