Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-11-28
CHAPTER I.

and sky-scraping buildings-was it
yesterday OF the day before?-there
was a dingy little cafe in the news
paper quarter which was well beloved
of journalism, notably of that wing of
the force whose hours begin late and
end early.
'Chaudiere's," it was called, though
I know not if that were the name of
that wien little Gascon who took toll
at the desk; and it was particularized
for it's gurnbos, its stuffed crabs and
its claret, which was neither very bad
nor very dear. For the rest, it had
clean, sanded floor, handicapped
tables for two, and an old-world air of
recreative comfort which is rarer now,
even in New Orleans, than it was yes
terday or the day before.
1t was at Chaudiere's that Griswold,
late of New York and the coasts OF
bohemia, had eaten his first breakfast
in the Crescent city and it was at Chau-
diere's again that he shared a farewell
supper with cambridge of the ''Louisi-
anian." Six weeks lay between this
and that; forty odd days of discour-
agement and failure superadded upon
other like days and weeks and
bered, had been garnished with certain
green sprigs of hope; but at the supper
table he ate like barbarian in arrears
to his appetite, rocking not that he was
another mans guest.
cambridge had just been billeted
for a run down the Central American
coast to write up the banana trade for
his paper. He was boyishly jubilant
ho ant xuh; oh cd
to be neither more nor less than
pleasure trip; and, CHANGING upon
Griswold, in the first flush of his ella
ton, had dragged him around to the
cafe to play second knife and fork at
small parting feast. Not that it had re-
quired much persuasion. Griswold
had tasted for twenty-four hours and
he would have broken bread thank
fully with an enemy, to say nothing of
cambridge, who, if he were not full
hedged friend, was at least friendly
acquaintance.
Now, hungry man is but poor COM
pany at best; but cambridge, the elat-
ed, contrived to talk for two until he
had relieved his mind upon the subject
of his windfall.
Then it occurred to him that Girls
responsiye-a fault not t o be condoned
under the circumstances. Wherefore
he protested.
whats the matter with you to-
night, Kenneth? You're more than
commonly grumpy-and that's saying
a good deal"
Griswold took the last roll from the
plate and buttered it methodically.
Gam 1? 1 was more than commonly
hungry. But go on; I'm listening"
THAT'S comforting as far as it goes,
but should think you might say some
thing more or less appropriate. You
don't have chance to congratulate
lucky people every day."
Griswold looked up with scowl that
was almost ill-natured, and quoted
cynically: ""Unto everyone that hath
shall be given; and from him that hath
not, even that he hath shall be taken
away from him."
cambridge laughed tolerantly. "By
Jove, Kenneth, man up tree would
say you envied me-"
81 do" rejoined Griswold, grave1y.
''I envy any man who can earn enough
to keep the ban-dog of hunger from
biting him."
'Pshaw! anybody can do that" said
cambridge, with the air of one to
whom the struggle for existence is as
yet mere phrase.
81 know that is your theory, but the
facts disprove it. I can't, for one.''
Eyes, you could, if you'd side-track
some of your own theories and come
down to saving wood like the rest of
US. But you won't do that"
Griswold was fair man, with skin
that was quick and sensitive like that
of a woman, and a red flush of anger
swept over his face.
| "That is not true, and you know it,
cambridge" he contradicted, speak
| ing slowly, lest his temper should
break bounds. us it my fault that
can do nothing but write books for
which can't find publisher? Or that
| the work of hack writer is quite as
impossible to me as mine is to him ?''
cambridge laughed, but he was
ready enough to make amends when he
saw that Griswold was moved.
ST take it all back said he. ST sup
| pose the book is home again, and a re-
turned manuscript excuses anything.
But, seriously, Kenneth, you ought to
get down to hard facts. Nobody but a
| .henomenon can find publisher for
his first book, nowadays, unless he
has had some sort of an introduction
in the magazines or the newspapers.
You haven't had that; and, so far as 1
know. you haven't tried to get it."
"Oh, yes, have-and failed. 1t isn't
In me, and there isn't an editor in the
country who doesn't know it by this
time. 1 came down here, as you know,
to write up the sugar situation for
Horton. 1t was a humiliating failure,
like everything else of the kind 1 have
ever set myself to do