The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-21
MARGARETS BUSINESS

] speaking to you like this again"
she pondered for moment, irresolute,
and then dropped into chair.
IN life like mine, said Max, there
are rev refinements. A young journalist
cannot as rule, afford to marry. He
ilVes by himself, or with another man,
IN chambers; he feeds at restaurants; he
SPENDS MS evenings-lf not at his ONCE
IN theaters or music halls. The feminine
influences that a fellow living at home or
married man has the benf1t of do not
lall 10 the lot of the unattached man in
chambers. He talks to his laundress in
me morning and barmaid at night but
olnerWlse his social circle is mainly COM
posed CT gross males
,.o and SO, he consoles himself by inter-
viewing ladtes? said Margaret reading.
Tor the tenth time, soap advertisement
on the back of magazine
of SuCh an occupation is not always one
VI pure JOY. Eden replied, feeling more
at nome when she rallied him Ike tbat
put suppose that he finds, quite by ac
I I,p n woman whose nature is entire
y IN accordance with his own: whose
thoughts seem to turn in the same jiroo
ton; whose soul '>''iAo Uii &C.
~ And ID what If she happens to be old and
p 1,n a. ,,- MISS King interrupted looking
up at MIN from her chair. .{VouId thai
make any difference?" 'ii'I
hes dt would would be-impossible,' said Max,
That is, if I NAV sav ro Gill; 8, r.
s9ret quietly remarked
Eqen was rather nettIed
..pd peg 10 differ from you," he asserted
to beaEHtv o[ oe pody is nothing as compared
II icauty OF soul and purity of intellect
Il AIS IS your mind 1 worship; your';o
sit1,a 80 ,e ~ rose again, hastily. Such
tba d 1auii as TINS could not be faced from
me e, oepths OF low wicker chair I'm
think this has gone far nno,,ert, >,
He enzo5 l must ask you to leave me-
as ri fha Ss.zea at her b.ankly for moment.
De dismissed thus curtIv ThaT va" i 10
deep4e klnd of way, he picked up MS ha q
'i Az h he wtis toward opiaI the door - ''''
me- see.ru w. gong something in his man
than his words mad done inc, ~ b.,9
b.,I- 20 ller TO smack more of the
Hnt writer than the passionate lover.
put, as she noted a cerlaln staon of hi
Snouioers and caught a girnpse. Of hi
laee, II occurred 10 her unat he migof
e. ter al, De sincere in mis- protestations
She would not have been a woman N sna
mao let him leave like that A10
ph, she SAID, and stopped abruptly.
-. - was not very much but it made him
his expression VI 'ioPe Al
riedly. "o' SpoAe huf-
tbe 1e is Just possible, she began, that
mere may De something OF truJh in wnat |
you have SaIG. Ii So am sorr, fo'. !
treating it-lIghtly' ''i
lie was silent, but his very silence we5r
TO convince ner OF MS sincoruv
IL you knew anything ap0ilt me-" she /
Coittlnued, perhaps YOU would not ha ye |
come at ali. There Is Il secIet. but ~ il |
not my secret on4y. suppose however
L can trust you?"
GU can, he said quietly, and the tone |
OF his voice. told her so nucn that the |
blood surged up into her cheeks.
think can, she sad; and in !
telling you this, am doing II soIeiy for
your own sake. You wouiu have me be- |
Heye that you-iike me-for my work?'
lie nodded, wondering much what was
to come next.
Then you may be Interested to know
she went on, little bitterly, that the
books you refer TO Were noe written by
me at ALL.
But you are Margaret King?" ex-
claimed Eden, amazed at the confession.
am Margaret King she replied,
and L am received i'll society as a Gel
ebrated authoress. / go to dinners ba-
Zaars and meetings in the same charac-
ter, ana | receive interviews. There
my business ends. Come here" she add
ed Il will introduce you to your kin
dred soul"
Max WINGED at the stab but followed
her TO an alcove before v 1.ch heavy
curtain was draped. Margaret drew ASIDE
the curtain and revealed a table. On the
table stood a photograph.
Listen, she said, to the voice of
your charmer"
She touched lever, and the instru-
nent was set working Immediately there
there came out from the transmitter a
sentence, the language and phraSing of
which at once reminded Eden of the
works with which he was familiar
But the voice was the voice of an old
man.
Almost immed'a tely Margaret stopped
the machine and drew the curtain again |
over the alcoVe.
There she said, sis Margaret King, |
the novelist ! am merely the tieshly
representative Of that exalted parsonage. |
l need not tell you the reasons for this |
collaboration of ours. 1t is sufficient that
the public buy the books. Now" she |
concluded, looking up at him with little
smile, 81 would advise you to go and .
seek another kindred soul
Max thought the matter over for
moment, and then. he, in turn, blushed /
furiously.
Look here he blurted out. you must I
have thought me an awful fool!''
II did, rather" was the demure reply. !
'And you will think me a worse one |
now. To tell the truth. think it would /
make a difference if she happened to be
old and plain"
''Then it was not altogether a matter |
of the soul?'' said Miss King. wickedly.
No said Eden, humb;y, cit was you |
"Goodby," said the girl, holding out her |
hand.
Make it au revoir,'" he pleaded.
She kept him waiting, as a se-f-respect- |
ing girl always does.
.Au revoir, then she said at last.
'Now you must GO
And you will forgive me for not fall |