The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-04-20

| SIX months ago she had offered tale
| to city newspaper, and all her troubles
dated from that day, for it was promptly
accepted, and the check which came back
seemed to open out dazzling prospect of
wealth, fame and career" One or
| two later ventures were equally fortu-
nate, and then nothing would do but so TO
| New York and try her fortune. OF course
| her elders demonstrated, but Honora's
strong will and abundant relish for ad-
| venture carried the day. Dick stormed,
protested and implorcd, but what was a
six room cottage even with Dick to n girl
stagestruck for the triumphs of n world
| theater?
OF the succeeding months Honora did
not like to think. Their pitiless lessons
were still gall to her spirit. Enough to
say that she had left the expensive board
ing house and. too proud to confess her
straits or ask help from home, taken the
poorest of lodgings. Even so, with nee
die instead of Il pen in her hand, the
struggle was too hard; the battle was
against her.
1t this point in her meditations HGnora
jumped up and said to herself rcsolutcly:
"I'n do it! It's better than starving,
better than posing and better than de-
'troying my eyes and running my temper
by sewing II hours q day. I'll let them
call me Nora and think it's ne Orish
name" she declared under her breath.
land I'll give them some first rate Yam
kce cooking and go to free lectures and
concerts and the museums, so that my
time wont be wasted. I'll take up my
dcspiscd diary again, and when l get
home in June I'll make clean breast to
Dick"
Nora" said Mrs. Tremaine one May
morning, shaking out the aesthetic folds
of her gown, Il expect gentleman from
Philadelphia to dinner tonight, so lay an
additional plate and have something u
little extra, will you. and pretty fiowers?"
For "Elizabeth's protegee" was trusted
now even to choose the bouquets. Ties
the editor Of Pettingill's," she sud, turn.
ing to Grace. "a remarkable man,
Honora's heart gave q little futter, but 1t
died out Immediately.
The gentleman duly appeared, and be-
tween the ice and coffee he observed to
his hostess: cousin Laura, ] came to
town today partly to see one Of our con-
tributors. Last winter q manuscript
reached the office which struck US all as
something quite extraordinary. 1t was
in the form of diary purporting to have
been found in the room of an unknown
girl who lost her reason from sheer star
walton in n respectable, well to do quar-
ter of Gotham. She is a down east girl.
with literary ambitions, and in her loneli-
ness keeps one of these voluminous jour
nails that no one really writes nowadays,
giving impressions, experiences and ideas
with wonderful freshness and country
wit. 1t might have been written for hei
II
veals her follies and her virtues both
with such perfect spontancousness.
when literature fails her, she tries
sewing and even posing for art students.
and she hits off the fine ladies and sisters
Of your craft with a most delicious mix
ture Of satire and cnviOusncss. But
through it all runs the tragic sense of tn,
rushing, power of her environment closini |
upon her like the rrmorselcss jaws of
trap. The last four entries describe her
sensations on four successive days with
out food after grande dame fails to pa,
her for the work she has done. and il
breaks off with the first incoherent raw
inss of coming insanity. l never read
anything more weird or powerful in it, /
way than that last cry for help"
"Tell us who wrote it, quick" exclaim.
ed Grace, who felt light breaking in on
her.
That's an odd thing about it. The |
sketch was unsigned, and the accompany
ing slip giving the authors name and ad- |
dress was accidentally lost. We had il /
put in type and decided to publish it, |
trusting that the writer would see and
claim it. ! have the advance sheets |
here, but yesterday, by good luck, the |
missing paper turned up, and determin. |
ed to run in and explain matters to the /
presumably irate lady in person. The /
address, believe, is in this neighborhood |
Ihe uamc'-Mr. Phillips took out Il
memorandum slip ana regarded it through |
his eyeglasses. "Ah, Miss H0nora |
Graves. Why. what is it? DO you know /
hcr?'
Fortunately Nora was in the kitchen /
during the ensuing conversation scene.
She took her laurels very quietly whrl
they were unanimously placed IN he's
brow. Sitting among the girls who wei |
coined her HEM us Il sister artist" Shit |
told them how the idea OF trIpScrhin: |
her diary occurred to her as a last rrsu, l
in the midst of n starving week which
came near to ending as tragically i'll re- i
ality us on paper.
When no reply was received. she CAV |
up all literary projects and GraSpcd th /
first opportunity that chance threw il
her way-no other thar Miss Elizabeth
offer.
But upon being hailed as a promisin: |
'lion." with Il career opening before hen /
our Honnra very frankly and emphatical /
" disclaimcd the idea 81 might ncvr, /
succeed again." she said. This WASH
art, but plain truth, which was forcec
out of me by the pinch of reality. and |
don't want to have the screw put on
second time. No: If New York has don, |
nothing else for me at least it has tameG 1
my ambition and taught me my place"
But what shall you do? You can't |
expect to travel incosnito and laugh nj
us in your sleeve now that we know
you?"
do? l shall 80 home and have it out |
with d-dcar old Dick" cried Honora i'm
pulsively, and that brought down the |
house-Springfcld Republican.