The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-03-18
blot For Y
The Story
BY N. y. PbHIips
Copyright. 1903, by 7. G. Mcclure.
BY n. ,. Phillips

tramping through the dew. He dress
ed quickly and started out for brisk
walk. a
Cartright was literary free lance
who was slowly winning his way. He
had awakened that morning with a
feeling known to all who disfigure good
white paper with pen. or typewriter
the desire to write and joy in the pow
er to write. A certain great magazine
editor in kindly letter had asked
eCartright for a story. His request was
the magic password that admitted one,
clad i'll purple and fine linen, to the
society Of the truly elect of the liter
airy world ..-'--s.ss-.
But inspiration refused to come at
Oartrights bidding. With an instinc-
tive grasp of the magazines style. he
had sketched the principal characters
Of his story. There must be Atwo2a
man and woman. The former must
be fine and sincere. and honorable, a
gentleman in every respect, who had
made a place In, thesworld by his own
efforts. The girl must be sweet and
time, 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
II alone in the wilderness, cried each
unto the other N srs f
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
started for the river, a half mile away
There, sprawled on grassy. bank, the.
noon sunshine filtering 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 fmpracticable.
At the end of an hour the obstinate
characters were still together and hap
py 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 faint hum from the bustling lit
tie city reached him. 1t was an ideal
spot <srst,rvr8tM
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 moment
later, bowling he was presenting the
dripping hat to its owner
She was the girl of his story person
ifed He had Cinae ihsed hisd heroine
with wavy hair curled softly about her
temples just jas TINS Young lady's did.
She was very young, ana lin her wide
blue eyes were sthe ufearlessness of
child and the soul of woman. Her
lips were scarlet, MandY In the creamy
cheeks the color came and went In
slight details perhaps she was differ
emit Yetso quickly did his brain child
merge with 1.-The charming personality
before him that on the Instant they be-
came one. TO Cartright thereafter she
was the girl Of the story rsaaar1R
A single glanceoand she knew him for
a gentleman. Soon they were seated
side by side talking like old friends
He discovered that aihef name was
Ruth Broadhufst and that she was Wis
iting at Banker aI4aYton,s s.7Miss Broad
hurst knew of John Cartright-had
read some of his stories. The young
mans character and achievements had
been highly spoken of by the Lawtonsg
and although the lrregularity Of their!
meeting at first troubled her the lack
of a formal introduction soon ceased to
make itself felt
That will ever be golden afternoon
in Cartright's memory times he
read aloud from the book of poems
with which Miss Broadhurst hadSplan-
ned towhile away an hour alone by the
river More often they chatted of many
things plays, booksl- mutual acquaintv
ances, themselves And then long ST.
lences9 Would fall silence more elo1
quent than words-in which each SEEM
ed to read the othef's 0nspoken Thought
1t was wonderful to the girl. this per-
feet sympathy ahd comp ahionshlp with
man whom she had not seen untiF
few hours before 1.-Two little clouds
occasionally darkened Cartrights sun
shine. He was plighted TO another,
and on Miss Broadhurst's slender, pink
tipped third finger splendid diamond
flashed. He banished these thoughts
whenever they came resThis one after
noon shall be ours he said to himself :.
Quite naturally he fell to talking OF
his story and the plot that would not
come. 1.-THE man is an athlete, SPLEEN