Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-09-15
Tie FATE OF
"A DREAMER
fQfleinal.l.

A friend OF his once sold to him, "Em-
cry, you're dreamer, and the worst
kind Of one." That made the young
fellow sick at heart. but he loved
girl who comforted him by saying:
"Never mind, Emery. II you were
made a dreamer the worst kind Of a
one means that you are very much OF
q dreamer. and it's better to be 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
1t was not long before he fell to dream
ing again. He worked daily at his
! trade. but made a very poor success ut
1t. His mind was not on his work. but
on fanciful pictures that were constant
" coming up before him. A troop Of
! actors coming to the town where he
Bxfd. he went to see them. The next
| day while he was saving boards and
driving nails he was constructing
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 plan. He knew
nothing. about playwritlng. but 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
his supposed stage. which was the
checkerboartl, and in this way they
performed for him.
Meanwhile his wife stood by him.
She wished he was not dreamer, but
If he had not been she would not have
loved him so we'll. She took good care
Of what little money he earned and
made it go great way. But children
were coming on rapidly, and the poor
woman was worked nearly to death.
One day when Emery was out Of
job he concluded to so to the city and
submit his play to an expert. He did
so, and the expert handed the play
back to him with the verdict that 1t
was rubbish. Emery was not used to
stagecraft, he said, and had 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 ut last became
suspicious that the manuscript was not
being read. Before sending it out again
he stuck together several Of the pages
in different parts, and when the manu-
script came back to him these pages
had not been separated, showing that
his suspicious were correct. Then he
put his play in n closet. where it lay for
several years, the dust gradually thick
ening upon it.
One day he saw in a newspaper that
a certain manager who had been
bounded by dramatic authors because
he produced such poor plays and de-
clined their very good ones had decided
to offer a 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.
1t was three months after this and
the whereabouts Of the play were al
most forgotten when one day Emery
received notice that his play had won
the prize A check for $500 was in
closed, With blank receipt and 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 stir in dramatic cir
cles Hope saw On item in a newspa-
per sneeringly 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-
pectations for his play, but his 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 a great deal.
The night for the first performance
came, ard the next day Emery, who
had shrunk from being present at q
failure, eagerly seized morning paper
US soon as it came up from the city.
His play was dismissed by the critic
in a few sneering lines. He bought
other papers and found where there
were comments they were severe criti-
cisms, though one or two papers said
the audience was a very kindly dis
posed one and gave the play proper
attention. In the evening came letter
from the manager saying that he be-
lieved the play would do fairly well
and might run perhaps thirty nights.
A few days later Emery received a
telegram to come to the city at once.
He reached the theater that night just
before the close Of the third act and
entered house crowded with an en-
thusiastic audience. When the curtain
went down there was 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: eve