The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1904-03-10
THE MAN WITH
THE PATIENT SMILE
[Original.]

said the veteran manager, zone day
was stopped on the street by a cadaver
GUS, threadbare, hungry looking chap
who asked if I was Mr.. Fuller, the
manager. I told him / was, where
upon he pulled from his pocket 81 roll
of manuscript, play, and asked me tc
read it.
what do you call it?' asked.
"'"A Lucky Find" The hero loses
his fortune and finds it again in the
third act. The heroine
Yes, yes; I'll oblige you.
BE careful of it, It's the only copy
have, and it's not copyrighted
"sAll right. III take care Of it,
II had to go to several places before
returning to my Office and must have
laid the manuscript down somewhere.
At any rate l never thought of it
again till one day the playwright came
to my office. For my life couldn't
remember where l had seen him.
Have you read my play?' he asked.
"'Your play? Oh, yes; now l remem.
ber No haven't had time to get at
it yet
Meanwhile l was trying to thinl
what play it was and where it was.
"All right he said. with winning.
patient smile 'I'll call again
'As soon as he had gone / hunted
high and low for his manuscript, but
1t was nowhere to be found. Finally
recalled taking it from him and going
to several places afterward, but what
places they were couldn't remember.
was very busy at the time, too busy
to take any definite action in the mat
ter. Indeed, there was no action to
take except to confess that / had lost
his play. In a week he was back
Haven't got at your play yet l
said. Then, fearing he would ask for
it to take it away, added: I'm going
to have some time next week. Could
you wait till then?'
"'Oh, yes he said, with the same
smile.
"If you need little help, l could
let you have flyer while we're wait
ing
"'Oh, no. I've had a bit Of luck late
~. don't need anything
"'Well, come week from Saturday.
I'll be ready for you
"When he called again, | was ready
for him-with excuses: Couldn't more
than get through the first act. 1t
opens well. Let me see. The next few
days I'll be very busy, butt tell you
what I'll do. don't like to work Sun
day, but in this case I'll do it. Come
in Monday week
"'All right he said, with the usual
smile. Don't hurry. When l saw you
last, I'd just got 500 first Payment on
play, and today got $500 more; so,
you see, can afford to wait
meanwhile 1 was lying awake
nights worrying over the matter. After
he had told me that he had sold a play
worried all the more, for claim
from him for damages would now be
good. If his play were successful, he
might make me pay large sum. There
was nothing for it but to put him off
as long as possible. He came again at
the appointed time. Fortunately l had
a cold.
".You see the condition I'm in
said, coughing. "A mans not fit to pass
on play when he has to blow his nose
between the lines Beastly weather
we're having. On Sunday l thought
every minute I'd surely choke. But
I've got through the third act
"'Climax all right?'
"Capital. Notwithstanding l had a
coughing spell was much affected (
"Cry?'
".Cry? My eyes were all water
"ClimaX or cold? He was as seri-
GUS as tombstone.
"Oh, both. You come in here week
from today
II was getting tired of that smile of
his. Such man was too angelic to
live. Instead of writing plays he should
be sitting in heaven with all the heroes
and heroines who have died on the
stage from an excess of virtue. | de-
| termined that at our next meeting I'd
sound him on the subject of buying
his play for as small sum as he could
be prevailed upon to accept When he
came again said to him:
"'Your play will never do in the
world. You've got an anticlimax, an
impossible situation. in the second act
and the whole scheme is undramatic.
But l can use a part of it for Il curtain
raiser Would you take a hundred dol
lars for it?
'There was no verbal reply-only that
confounded smile. l drew my check
book and wrote him a check.
'sI can't take this he said. Some
body has got hold Of my manuscript,
and the play is to be put on at the Ma
tional.'
81 turned pale. He smiled.
essay, my friend, what Il you take to
let me out of this? '=zzz
eff you'll give me the hundred dol
lars for keeping me waiting I'll call it
square,
"'Take it and welcome
Gas soon as he had gone heaved a
deep sigh of relief and congratulated
myself on having had a man to deal
with who hadn't any more sense than
to take $10O for a play he owned and
was to be put on the boards by another
manager.
"a Lucky Find was great sue
cess. / received seats for tbs, epaSiNg
night and was invited to supper after
the performance with the playwright.
Curious to know who had stolen the