Smyrna times., 1904-03-23
blot For
~ The Story
BY N. J. Phillips
BY N. j. Phil
Copyright, 1908, by t. C. Mcclure.

ed to the window. From some prehis-
toric ancestor, who killed his food with
a stone ak while the grass was still wet,
Cartright had inherited a passion for
tramping through the dew. He dress
ed quickly and started out for a brisk
walk.
Cartright was a literary free lance |
who was slowly winning his way. He |
had awakened that morning with a |
feeling known to all who disfgure good |
white paper with pen or typewriter
the desire to write and joy in the pow
er to write. certain great magazine
editor in a kindly letter had asked
Cartright for a story. His request was
the magic password that admitted one,
clad in purple and fine linen, to the
society of the truly elect of the liter
airy world.
But inspiration refused to come at
Cartright's bidding. With an instinc-
tive grasp of the magazines style he
had sketched the principal characters
of his story. There must be two-a
man and a woman. The former must
be fine and sincere and honorable, a
gentleman in every respect, who had
made place in the world by his own
efforts. The girl must be sweet and
true, with softly curling hair and wide,
frank, innocent blue eyes. The char
acters must be ideal companions, warm
friends, but not lovers. Cruel circum-
stances and their own ideals of honor
must send them through the world
apart, even though their very souls, as
if alone in the wilderness, cried each
unto the other
He could get no further. Plan as he
would, Cartright could find no reason
to separate the children Of his BRAIN
The characters became almost as real
to him as living personages. A regret
grew up within him at the necessity of
parting them, but to preserve the value
Of the story separation was inevitable
He had been mistaken in his feeling
that morning that the plot was about
to disclose itself, for after breakfast
it still eluded him. He could not think
effectively in his study. The free,
wind swept porch and his easy chair
and pipe were not the solaces and aids
to thought he usually found them. In
despair he seized a fishing rod and
started for the river, half mile away
There, sprawled on a grassy bank, the
noon sunshine fltering through the
trees and dappling the velvety carpet
about him, he set himself anew to his
task. Situation after situation, plot on
plot, passed through his brain, each to
be rejected in turn as impracticable
At the end Of an hour the obstinate
characters were still together and hap
by in their cOmpanionship.
A log bridge for the accommodation of
the rare pedestrians and the rarer We
hicles crossed the stream q few yards
from where he lay. Squirrels chatter
ed in the trees, birds fitted overhead.
Only q faint hum from the bustling lit
tie city reached him. 1t was an ideal
spot.
A splash in the water and little cry
awakened Cartright from the reverie in
which he had fallen. A girl was stand
ing on the bridge. Her sailor hat had
blown into the river and was floating
lazily toward him. The fishing rod was
brought into requisition, and a moment
later, bowling, he was presenting the
dripping hat to its owner.
She was the girl OF his story person
flied. He had imagined his heroine
with wavy hair curled softly about heI
temples, Just as this young lady's did
She was very young. and in her wide
blue eyes were the fearlessness of 8
child and the soul Of q woman. Hel
lips were scarlet, and in the creamy
cheeks the color came and went. II
slight details perhaps she was differ
ent. Yet SO quickly did his brain child
merge with the charming personality
before him that on the instant they be
came one TO Cartright thereafter sh'
was the ''g4rl Of the story"
A single glance and she knew him fo
a gentleman. Soon they were seated
side by side talking like old friends.
He discovered that her name wa
Ruth Broadhurst and that she was Wis
iting at Banker Lawton's. Miss Broad
hurst knew of John Cartright-haC
read some of his stories. The yOunl
mans character and achievements haC
been highly spoken of by the Lawtons
and although the irregularity of thei
Meeting at first troubled her the lacl
of formal introduction soon ceased t
make itself felt.
That will ever be a golden Afternoon
in Cartrights memory. At times h
read aloud from the book of poem
with which Miss Broadhurst had plan
ned to while away an hour alone by tn
river. More often they chatted Of man
things-plays, books, mutual acquaint
ances, themselves. And then long s.
lences would fall-silence more elc
Quent than words-in which each seen
ed to read the others unspoken thought
1t was wonderful to the girl, this pei
feet sympathy and companionship wit
a man whom she had not seen until
few hours before. Two little cloud
occasionally darkened Cartright's SUI
shine. He was plighted to anothe