Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1903-11-06

have no reasonable excuse for hunting
you up, but since you honored me with
that visit the other day In my dingy
sanctum, shedding a brief light upon
my dreary toil-er-so to speak
How stIsnge 1t is" said the girl.
that literary people always speak of
their work as II II were terribly dis
tressing! Really, 1t must require a
strong sense of duty TO keep them at
IT,"
"Do you not find 1t so yourselfg" Alb
bott asked.
Goodness" exclaimed the girl. You
literary person.
Il surely think that you have the
right" responded Abbott. "And that
brings me 10 my only excuse for this
Intrusion. | have been thinking of
your story, and | have been quite dis
satisfied with what said about il the
other day. Upon more mature reflec-
ton have become convinced that,
with a few trifiing alterations, 1t will
be acceptable for the magazine"
please don't let's talk about it," pro
tested the girl I'VE have talked of il
so much here that
Surely you have not lost confidencew
exclaimed Abbott. But of course that
is natural. The way of every artistic
calling lies largely through the valley
of the shadow. AS to this particular
bit of work, however, assure you that
it is very creditable, and you will do
yourself wrong if you permit dis
couragement to destroy your faith"
Miss Leigh laughed nervously and
glanced at Hilyard.
Neither my faith nor my discourage
ment is of much Importance, she said
And my opinion about the story is, of
course, worth nothing at all in such a
presence as this. But Mr. Hilyard has
read it."
Indeed said Abbott, squirting
through his glasses at the author. His
criticism should be of value. Mr.. Hill
yard has written great many stories,
and some of them have been really eX-
cellent. We have printed one now and
then"
when I've been at club stag or Il
bachelor dinner" said Hilyard. "and
wake up the next morning with that
sad view of the dreariness and empti-
ness of life which comes to fellow at
such times | always sit down and
write story for your magazine"
There is no limit to the eccentrcities
of genius" said Miss Leigh.
Undoubtedly" said IIilyard. But
really, Abbott, | think you've made Il
mistake about In the Light of the
Moon 1t is very clever story"
Abbott put the ends of his fingers
carefully together and gazod thought
fully down at them. Then he looked
up.
Il have been giving the subject a
studious attention. he said, "and the
result is that have become convinced
that the matter of the resemblance be-
tween the two sisters may be entirely
eliminated without detriment TO the
story; indeed, with positive benefit"
Il thought that the whole plot turn
ed on it," said Miss Leigh timidly.
Abbott assumed the air of a gentle
! and patient schoolmaster.
1T is true" he saie, that certain
number of the incidents must be modi-
fed perhaps even excised, but the plot
Is quite a secondary matter in such a
delightful bit of writing. There will
be enough action, | assure you, and we
shall be rid of the jarrng improba-
bility involved in your hero's mistaking
one of the sisters for the other. 1t is
distinctly humorous, of course. l smil-
ed repeatedly while reading it. And
yet the fact remains that in real life
we never find similar state of af-
fairs"
MY dear Mr.. Abbott" said Hilyard,
"in house where | boarded for two
years there were twin brothers upward
of forty years old who from their infancy
had resembled each other SO closely that
only their nearest intimates pretended to
| be able to distinguish one from the other.
They were called Uncle Billy and Uncle
| Willie in that house, though neither of
| them was really named William. Night
! after night l saw them sitting side by
side at the dinner table but / never knew
which was which. for the one who came
to the table first always took the chair
| upon the right though l should never
have known 1t If the landlady hadn't told
me. They dressed precisely alike, they
were growing gray in exactly the same
degree and bald in precisely similar areas,
/ and 1t was said that not even their den
tist knew Uncle Billy from Uncle Willie. -
"Oh, say, Hilyard!' exclaimed Abbott.
''You are so ribly-er-imaginative!"
II am telling you the frozen TRUTH re-
sponded Hilyard Moreover, these broth
ers excited my interest in the subject to
such an extent that l investigated several
cases Of resemblance which they them
selves happened to know of. and l found
among other curiosities three sisters who
were as much alike as three impressions
from the same page of type, and an uncle
and nephew who were not only the pre-
else images of each other, but wrote ex-
actly the same hand This Is very triv-
ial matter, Brother Abbott, but 1t con-
tains a lesson for you. There are more
things in this world that you won't be-
lieve than would fill your magazine with
good stuff for a hundred years Go out.
side your office and find some of them"
I'm afraid that l lack your enthusi-
asm," said Abbott. you go out and see
what you wish to see, while l see only
what is real and tangible But about this
story, Miss Leigh
'If you say another word about it,
cried the girl, IT shall go into Mysteries
And you wouldn't like that; l know you
wouldn't. Mysteries are so dreadfully
realistic"
"You are making fun Of me-" replied
Abbott. And yet he couldn't help perceiv.
ing that Miss Leigh was laboring under
considerable excitement
mo, nor she exclaimed. IT am as seri
Gus as l can be. 1t Is only with the great
est difficulty that 1 can bring myself tt
speak of that story at ALL