Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-20
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE FATE OF A DREAMER
tOriginal.1

cry. you're a dreamer, and the worst
kind of a one" That made the young
fellow sick at heart, but lie loved q
girl who comforted him by saying:
Never mind, Emery. If you were
made a dreamer the worst kind of
one means that you are very much or
q dreamer, and it's better to be 4 good
deal of one thing than little Of every
thing
However, Emery gave up dreaming
for awhile-at least he thought he did
went to work at the trade he had learn
ed, carpentry, and married Hope Clark,
the girl who had cOmfOrted him. But
it was not long before he fell TO dream
ing again. He worked daily at his
trade, but made a very poor success at
it. His mind was not on his work, but
on fancifnl pictures that were constant
~ coming up before him. A troop Of
actors coming to the town where he
Lived, he went To see them. The next
day while he was saving boards and
driving nails he was constructing i
play. For several years he continued
to cOnjure up characters, making them
move, puppet fashion, before his brain
in various combinations. Then he
gradually developed 4 plan. He knew
nothing about pIaywriting, but Il nat
ural instinct told him that he must in
vent the things that his puppets would
do before writing out what they would
say. So he took some checkers and
marked them with the names of his
characters and moved them on and off
CT which 4Ia
cheekerboard, and in this way they
performed for him.
Meanwhile his wife stood by him.
She wished he was not Il dreamer, but
if he had not been she would not have
loved him so well. She took good care
of what little money he earned ana
made II 90 Il great way. But children
We're coming on rapidly, and the poor
woman was worked nearly to death.
One day when Emery was out of q
Job he concluded to go TO the city and
submit his play to an expert. He did
so, and the expert handed the play
back 10 him with the verdict that 1t
was rubbish. Emery was not used to
Stagecraft. he said, and had n lot of i'm
possible situations. Emery, very much
discouraged, went back home with his
manuscript. but his wife. whose name
was we'll chosen, bid him not despair.
but send It around to theatrical man
ayers. He did so, but at last became
suspicious that the manuscript was not
being read. Before sending II out again
he stuck together several Of the pages
in different parts, and when the manJ.-
script came back 10 him these pages
L Il.
his suspicious We're correct. Gen lie
put hts play III closet, where II lay for
several years. the dust gradually thick
entnS upon il.
One day he saw In II newspaper that
u certain manager who had been
bounded by dramatic authors because
he produced such poor plays ana de-
clined their very good ones had decided
to offer 4 prize of $500 for play. The
Judges were not to be the regular dra-
matte readers, but representative lit
erary men and women. Emery bundled
up his play and sent It to the address
given.
II was three months after this and
tho whereabouts OF the play were al
most forgotten when one day Emery
received notice that his play had won
the prize 4 check for 5000 was IN
closed, with a blank receipt and n note
stating that within two months the
play would be put on the stage.
The coming Of the play did not seem
to make much OF a stir in dramatic cir
cleS Hope saw an item in n newspa-
per snoeringly referring to the man
ayers prize plan as an advertising
dodge that would not pay, but she
burned the paper before her husband
saw it, At first Emery had great eX-
pcctatlons for his play, but lis wife. |
fearing that he would be disappointed, !
told him that she doubted If more than
the 500 received would come of it. |
But that was for them n great deal
The night Eor the first performance !
came. and the next day Emery, who |
had shrunk from being present AT 4 !
failure. eagerly seized a morning paper |
as soon as it came up from the city. |
His play was dismissed by the critic |
in a few snecring lines. He bought !,
other papers and found where there |
Were comments they We're severe criti- |
cisms, though one or two papers said |
the audience was IL very kindly dis |
posed one and gave the play proper |
attention. In the evening came Il letter |
from the manager saying that he be- |
lieved the play would do fairly we'll |
and might run perhaps thirty nights.
\ few days later Emery resolved = /
telegram 10 come to the city at once. |
He reached the tLeater that night just |
before the close of the third act and /
entered 4 house crowded with an en-
thuSiastic audience. When the curtain |
went down there was q wild yell for
the author. The manager dragged En-
cry, in his work clothes, on the stage.
The audience seemed puzzled at his
appearance. and some one cried: I'VE
don't want the stage carpenter. We
want the author The manager ex-
planned. and there was 4 thunder OF
applause
Emery was badly "rattled." He ask