The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-07-07
The Plot That allied.


called upon him at his chambers in
the Temple
1 knocked, but received no reply, so
pushed open the door and entered.
1 expected 10 find the room empty, but
to my surprise, right before me as l en-
tered sat Dick Graham at q writing Ia
BILE which was strewn with manuscripts
and odd scraps, of paper
dick, old chap" said I, stepping for
ward to his desk, and laying my hand
upon his shoulder. what's up? Turned
deaf ali of sudden?"
Good heavens!'' ne cried. II you
gave me fright, Harold. 1 din't know
anynne was in the room"
Il beg your pardon" I replied. e''But
knocked several times, and as I re-
ceived no invitation to come in, I en-
tered"
THE fact is''-he began, apologetically.
with a glance at his desk.
Yes. yes 1 interrupted, II see-your
COMPOUNDED old yarns. Well. you've sim
ply got to turn them up for spell
Now, come"
II would replied Dick, were I en-
gagged upon any ordinary story but this
one I am working at now is my master
piece"
'sHmp' said Dick, I'm in earnest this
time Look here, I've just conceived the
idea for a plot which, when worked into
a story, will startle the world with its
briHancy Just have squint at the
outline Perhaps a suggestion might
help me-"
Eagerly he raked together about a
dozen scraps of paper covered with dla-
grams and a sheet Of paper closely writ
| ten upon
MY idea" he began. is this: 1.-TWO
fellows, named respectively, Dick and
! Harry, are in love with two girls-Lucy
and Mabel Now. Dick loves Lucy, VIII e
! Harry's affections are centered upon Ma
bel. Very well But there IS trouble
| i. E., Mabel doesn't care straw about
| Harry; her fancy is Dick. And the OBJ
iect of Lucy's passion is Harry. Dye
see?"
YES" rather family.
well" he continued. 'there is to be
a masked ball in their town, and my
four characters will be present. Dick in
tends to go as a Chinaman and Harry
as Mr.. Answers. Mabel is going as
Queen Mary and Lucy as Mrs. Kruger
BY some means they all get to know
what the DISCUSSES CT the others VIII
be. But at the last moment each couple
exchange their dresses, reversing the
| characters Dye see?''
& think I grasp it." 1 muttered be-
tween my set teeth.
well" continued Dick, 1.-The conse-
quence is that Harry. who was going as
Mr. Answers. but who has really gone
/ as a Chinaman. proposes to Lucy, who
/ is made up as Queen Mary, taking her
! to be Mabel who as a matter of fact
is Incorporating as Mrs. Kruger"
/ A cold sweat was beginning TO break
out all over me, and 1 believe I must
! have worn that same kind of hunted
expression which was now increasing
on poor Dicks face He had gathered
| together two or three scraps of paper,
and was illustrating the 'idea' TO me
bv means of rough sketches of the char
| acters. from one to the other of whom
he drew arrows to point his meaning.
go on" I said, desperately.
| You see" he said, in compliance.
there is an arrow pointing from Dick to
Lucy, showing he loves her; here IS an
other from Lucy to Harry, showing she
| loves Harry I fairly trembled now.
and Graham's hair was assuming rigid
perpendicular. Then here IS a curved
! lien from Harry to Lucy in the dia-
! gram, showing them at the ball, which
| points to the fact
Heavens. mani" broke out, drop
| it, or I'll go mad"
| do have a little patiencew he cried
excitedly ITS getting quite simple l
assure you. There are only few points
I to clear UP, and tn be as simple as
! A, B. c."
He dipped his pen in the Ink, and
drew another diagram representing the
four characters.
'You see by this" he said. pointing to
it, that Dick. who ought to be Chi
raman, is really Mr.. Answers; while
the girl he-that Is, sher-and Harry has
changed his disguise from Mr.. Answers
to q Chinaman. Well, Dick loves Lucy
Queen Mary, really-but he takes Mrs.
Kruger to be she. See If
Pardon me, Dick, old fellow I in
terrupted. at may be that I am very
dense, but I must confess that I can't
follow YOU"
That's because you're a foolr' he
snapped This is the grandest. most
novel, simplest and at the same time
most intricate plot ever Matched"
well, have another try to explain"
said l.
Setting his teeth and fixing stee1y
look upon the papers before him, he
commenced:
''Dick Loves Lucy, and Harry loves
Mabel Mr. Answers is going 10 a ball
No. no! Harry will he Mr.. Answers. and
it IS ne who will be at the ball with
Mrs Kruger
Haven't you got 1t a bit nixed?" I
ventured, timidly.
mot Bit he said. feverishIy. Let
me continue. before I lose the thread"
In awe I listened to him as he pro-
ceeded.
"They change DISCUSSES. Mrs. Kruger
and Queen Mary are Mabel and Lucv.
only the other way about The Chi
naman proposes to Mrs. Kruger, and is
accept mean. Mr.. Answers is"
He had jumped to his feet, and was
turning over the diagrams feverishly.
stop it. man" 1 cried. You'll go
| off your head"
Mrs Kruger and Queen Mary went
TO a masked ball" I heard him NUT
| ter
Once again I beseeched him to desist.
IF the fancy baIE-that is. suppose
Mrs. Kruger were a Chinam-No. no
Ne was fairly dancing about now with
excitement, and-bad sign-had started 10
work the thing cut on his fnger-tips.
! I waited for no more
without delay I dashed of TO the Lev
| ity and fetched half a dozen friends. We
arrived AT Dicks chambers.
| The poor fellow was sitting quietly on
| the floor, surrounded By manuscripts
| and sheets Of paper bearing diagrams
! III Mrs. Kruger were TO meet Mr. An
swers At the carnival. would Lucy be
! engaged to p Chinamsn or to Queen
] Mary2" he was muttering. Suppose
! Queen Mary we're Ars. Kruger-irnp posi-
/ Bile, Then, Mr.. Answers mus; be chi
namau. and I know he isn't. Suppose
/ Chinaman married fancy dress ball,
/ Who proposed % Ms. Kruser?''
We stole away ssf eofrly as We had
come, q scared look - cur faces.
1 a week later poor Dick Graham was
safe in Bedlam.
/ From 2 scrap q paper 7 found n
, Dicks rooms ! have COPIED The mot
/ concise description CT the plot se ever
/ wrote Here 4 Il:
I Dick i IN love with Lucy. and Harry