The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-06-28
She Shut her ewes and saw

B4aCe sue smut HeT eyes anu sdW lue
prim village street, her old aunt's neat
cottage and herself. restless, impetuous
girl, growing up under the good spinsters
wing like an enterpriSing hawk under the
wing of a well disposed hen.
Six months ago she had offered a tale
10 a 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 a dazzling prospect Of
wealth, fame and a career" one or
two later ventures were equally fortu-
nate, and then nothing would do but 20 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 implored, but what was
six room cottage even with Dick to a girl
stagestruck for the triumphs of a world
theator:
OF the succeeding months Tonora did
not like To think. Their pitilcSS lessons
Were still gall 10 her spirit. Enough 70
say that She had left the expensive board
ins house and. too proud To confess her
straits or ask help from home. taken the
poorest of lodgings Even So. with a nee
die instead of pen in her hand, the
struggle was too hard: the battle was
against her.
At this point in her meditations Honora
jumped up and said to herself rcsolutely:
IN do it, Its better than starving,
better than posing and better than de
stroying my eyes and running my temper
by sewing II hours a day. Ill let them
call me Nora ana think its me Oirish
name" she declared under her breath
and I'll give them some first rate Yam
kec cooking ana 20 To free lectures and
concerts and the museums. 50 that my
time won't be wasted. I'll take up my
despised diary again, and when get
home in June I'll make clean breast TO
Dick"
Nora" said Mrs. Tremaiue one May
morning, shaking out the aesthetic folds
Of her gown, Il expect gentleman from
Philadelphia to dinner tonight, 50 lay an
additional plate and have something a
little extra, will you, and pretty flowers"
For "Elizabeths protegec" was trusted
now even to choose the bouquets. Hes
the editor Of pettingil's." she said, turn
ins To Grace. a remarkable mani"
Houora's heart gave little tlutter, but it
died out Immediately.
~ -'IN'llldl 'lulN dlItulcNl, anu Ne
tween the ice and coffee he observed to
his hostess: Cousin Laura, | came to
town today partly to see one of our con
trlbutors. Last winter a manuscript
reached the office which struck us all as
something quite extraordinary. 1t was
i'll the form Of diary purportng 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 n down east girl,
with literary ambitions. and in her loncli-
ness keeps one of these volumiuuus jour
mails that no one really writes nowadays,
giving impressions, experiences and ideas
with wonderful freshness and country
wit. 1t might have been written for her
mothers eyes or a lovers perhaps 1t re-
veals her folieS and her virtues both
with such perfect spontaneousness.
"Whcn 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 most delicious mix
ture of satire and enviousncSs. But
through it all runs the tragic sense of the
rushing power of her environment closing
upon her like the remorSclcSs Jaws of a
trap. The last four entries describe her
sensations on four successive days with
out food after grandc dame fails to pay
her for the work She has done, and il
breaks off with the first incoherent raw
ings of coming insanity. never read
anything more weird or powerful in its
way than that last cry for help"
TEL us who wrote it. quick excaim-
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 nd
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 ! dctcrmin-
ed to run in and explain matters to the
presumably irate lady in person The
address, | believe, is in this ucighborhood.
The name"-Mr. Phillips took ont a
memorandum slip and regarded it through
his eyeglasses. "Ah, Miss Honora
Graves. Why, what is it? DO you know
herr"
Fortunately Nora was III the kitchen
during the ensuing convorsltion scene,
She took her Iaurels ~ luictly when
they were tumultuouSly placed on her
brow. Sitting among the girls who wei.
coined her now As Il sister artist" she
| told them how the idea of trauScribing
| her diary occurred to her as last resort
in the midst Of u starving wee6 which
| came near to ending rs tragically in re-
| ality rs on paper.
! When no reply was received. She gave
up all literary projects and graSpcd the
| first opportunity that chance threw in
| her way-no other thar Miss Elizabeth 5
offer.
But upon being hailed rs promising
| lion" with a career opening before her.
! our llonora very frankly and cmphatical-
| ly dsciaimed the idea. 81 might never
| succeed again." she said This wasn't
| art, hut plain truth, which was forced
! put of me by the pinch of reality, and
lont want to have the screw put on n
pceond time. No: if New York has done
nothing else for me nj least it has tanned
! my ambition and taught me my place"
But what shall You do? You can't
expect to travel incoguito and laugh az
us in your sleeve now that we know
YOU"
Do: | shall 20 home and have it out
with d-dcar old Dick" cried Honora i'm.
| pulsiyely, and that brought down the
house. Springfield Republican.
The Trouble.
The naturalists wife had gone out 70,
a few moments and left the baby il
charge of her discontinued husband
When she returned she was not a littl,
disturbed to discover the baby cryin.