Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-10-14
HOPE DEFERRED
BY A. B. PAINE.

an imaginative turn, and had seen
things rather Economically, besides
having a gift of words But she had
never thought of writing story, not
even a little poem, such as great
many school girls write-girls, some
of them, with little imagination, and
still less gift Of words. Then came
her vaIedictory, which was praised
and printed and part of it reprinted
in a city paper After that she de-
cided to write.
There was plenty to write Of and
she buoyant, full of enthusiasm and
young. It seemed but natural to her
that she should write for the young
at first, believing that with added
skill she would be fitted later for a
mature audience To write skillfully
for the young is hardly the lesser art;
but she did not realize this, nor the
value nor charm of her work.
She was surprised, very much sur
prised, and, sh, so delighted, when
there came to her, perhaps fort
night later, a brief and apprehensive
note from the editor of the Juvenile,
and a check-not large one, for they
did not pay much in those days OF
quarter of century back; but the let
ter anG the check made her blood
dance and bound and CULVER and sent
her out into the fields to lie in the
tall grass and look up at the sky, and
to whisper over and over to herself
that she was an author. An author!
a real live author who wrote for this
great new publication for the young
which from the faraway city had sent
her a check for her first story, and
had asked for more! Dear heart! 1t
is good to be young and alive looking
up to the big sky to feel that some
where in the big world there is place
for us.
It seems almost too bad that she
did not persevere. So many have per-
severed with so much less encourage
ment. A fair start and an open way
why was it that love must come
along Just then to divert and hinder.
True, she did not undertake the Sec
ond story, but the same evening she
met Tom for the first time, and that
might as she lay looking out at the
stars she was not so sure that being
an editor was the best thing in the
world, after all. She finally gave it
up, and told Tom all about it when
she became engaged to hin, and of
course Tom told her that when they
were married she should write stories
all day long if she wanted to.
That was easy for Tom to say. No
doubt he meant it, too, at the time.
But you see, during the first year
there was the little new home to fix
up, and during the next year there
was little new baby to cuddle and
care for, while with other years there
were other little new babies and
cares, and the house grew larger and
more leaves were added to the extern
Sion table, though the lingering hope
of one day finding time to write did
not wholly die until the second and
perhaps even the third baby came
along.
She gave up the idea then alto
gether, and with what seemed an add
ed reason, for her first story sold to
the Juvenile had never been printed.
True, she did hear that for one rea-
son and another magazines sometimes
delayed publication for as much as
four or five years, and she was rather
pleased at first that perhaps her old
est, her boy, would be able to under
stand by the time mothers story"
appeared.
They watched for it together at
last; but when seven years had passed
since lit was written she began to de-
spair of it ever appearing When
eight or nine years had gone their
way she put the matter out of her
mind altogether, and regarded herself
as fortunate that she had not adopted
literature as a calling. The manu-
script had doubtless been forgotten
and destroyed She would forget, too.
Not so with the children. The ira
dition of a story that their mother
had written and sold to their favorite
Dublication was very precious to
then. and each number of the Juve-
nile was searched carefully and with
q fresh pang of disappointment as
each month passed and added itself to
the years that brought them to man
hood and womanhood, with lives and
homes and cares Of their own.
She was all alone at last-she and
Tom: the house was much too big for
+bem now, and the table had been
narrowed down leaf by leaf until it
was lust where it was when they be-
gan more than twenty-five years be-
fore. She was still in the prime of
life, and they were not. rich enough to
travel. Tom, who had been hurt in
runaway ten years before, had never
quite recovered, and the burden of the
family had been heavy on his should
ers. Once she even thought vaguely
bf writing as a help; she had plenty
~ +ine now Rut she put it out of