The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-01-27
The End Of a Story.


his little craft aAoat that he has not
much time for turning ever serious prob
lens IA his mind In the case un5e-
notice. however the happiness Of tive
! # not three, Iises WIS involved and
J that IS why Master Harold Hepburn's
brow was furrowed and his zen lay neg
lected on the table.
It was Just a week before Christmas
/ and Harold had that morning received
! TWO invitations for the holiday. The
first came from MS mother, and tod him
! amid a Delightfully."- jumbled account Of
plum pudding and other family affairs
how anxious they were u see him asa n
ard 10 chase away the insomnia and
I headaches that must necessarily attend
the trying work OF an author"
The invitation was backed by a short
/ but owing note from the girl TO whom
Harold was engaged. She lived in the
/ village where the young journalist had
/ been brought up, and was the daughter
| of the parson. The court ship had bsen
a charming little affair." and when Harold
went away to win over the hard arts
| of London editors the two young. people
/ had never doubted but that they would
| be true TO each other for evermore. The
girl, indeed, had not even for 4 day
! swerved IN her allegiance. Faithfully
| performing her simple duties in the dull
( country village. her chief delight was to
visit Mrs. Hepburn and to read aloud to
/ her the stories and articles ethat were
1 forwarded to them from time to time BY
/ the boy they both loved.
And Harold? Only two short months
/ ago and he would have turned angrilv
on the man who ventured to suggest
that there was somebody else in the
question. But now he drew from his
pocket a photograph of a girl who wa
not the parsons daughter, and propped
it up against the tobacco jar on his desk
1t was the picture of an actress that he
looked upon--dainty enough in her vol
luminous muslin petticoats, and undenia-
bly, pretty.
For the tenth time Hepburn took W
this young persons letter and read 4
through. It was counched in terms o.
the most extravaga affection and was
certainly calculated to fatter any boys
vanity The highly scented note also
contained an invitation for Christmas,
and it was this that had set Master Har-
old thinking
Of course. the majority of his friends
in Fleet street would soon have made up
his mind for him. but they were for the
most part older and harder men. There
was plenty Of good in Harold. and h
had to thank his parents for an excel
lent code Of morals.
As he sat there, turning the matter
over in his mind. there came a sharp
knock at the outer door. It was tele-
gram boy bearing an urgent request
from an editor for a short story. Hen
burned laughed a little bitterly as HI
dismissed the boy and filed his pine At
any other time he would gladly have ac-
copied the commission, but how could he
turn off 1900 words Of light fiction when
the whole of his future life and tn
future of another hung n the balance.
And then as he stared e1Oomily al the
telegram, an idea occurred to him.
''Hang itr' he exclaimed; ''Ill put the
whole thing into a yarn get outside my
self that way and let the artistic side Of
nv temperament-such as it is-decide'
Quick as thought he flung off his coat
sat down. seized pen and paper and be-
gan to write. In the opening paragraphs
he described hirnself-from an outside
point Of view-ahd the result pleased
him Then he went on to tell of his
first love and managed to put together
quite a touching little picture of the old
village bv twilight and the young jour
nalist taking leave of his adored one be
fore starting for London and literary
fame
Here the scene changed The reader
was whirled ayay to a London theater.
his ears were filed with the tinkle of
very light operate music. The little ac-
tress made her appearance. and the fer !
vid lines that described her charms bod |
ed but little good to the gentle country
girl But Master Harold could not linz |
ger long over this subject: he had left |
himself only 500 words in which to con-
jure up moving picture Of the young |
authors wrestle with himself, place On |
record his final decision and ring down
the curtain.
The last 500 words required more med- |
tafon In 10 the present he had been /
drawing on his memory: now magma I
ton had to come into play. AS an aid /
to thought he refflled his pine, threw /
open the window and sat on the sill I
looking down into the court tt was /
evening: barristers and their clerks were /
hurrving away from the atmosphere % I
work: Iaundresses were scuttling round T
corners with suspieiously large bundles /
Somewhere outside the Temple. bar +
rel organ was being played T7nccn- I
eciouslv Harold found himself humming
the tune. It was an air from a comic
opera. the niece in which the-the other
girl the girl Of the scented note paper
was appearing. He thought OF her laugh-
ing eyes. and the lfghtness Of her step.
as she danced. Of the grace Of her move
ments and a hundred other charms with
which a pretty girl can play upon the
passions Of a young man.
He took IN her photograph again. and
the sight Of It brought back to him many
memories of merry little SUP
ners. when she had discussed his work
with him and told him of the great
fame thar was to come; memories Of
delightful SUNDAYS in the country. when
ever tree. every leaf had whisper 4 10 q
and the conventions Of everyday ite
had seemed paftrv and shallow; Of SIM
favs bZ the sea when each little wave
hat broke al their feet ha5 the same
story TO tell And then he advised him
self that she was far better suited 20 his
node Of life than the innocent little par
sons dauehter. she understood his wavs
and customs, she was part OF the 30
lenia that he loved, and which seemed,
It that moment. so necessary 10 exist
snce.
His mind was made u0 He sat down
70 his desk. framing few cynical SER
ences with which 70 conclu3e she story.
Almost 90 ne was putting pen - parer.
lovvever. the noise ~ the hurdv-gurdv
,eas ed ana through the crisp or 81 the
winter evening came the soft sound 90
he organ IN tire Temple church. II WIS
he time f7r evening song
Again The boy laid down his zen sni
cant ont Of shs window he could hear
rore dfstinctlv r1w. and the tuna thai
aI on his ears brought hack 70 his nird
re very last Sunday evening tnat Re
iad spent 8t home
FoIr Father. cheer our waE
With tnw loves nerretus1 raw
crsnt rs every closing dsv
Lzeh. At evening tirn~
How tre nict9re came back - him
rs eTf rhsrrh che fgod II light hrau 3 Q