The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-11-24
A DAUGHTERS
SACRIFICE 8 q
ByMARCEL Provost

WE WE'RE talking one evening
w over our cigars and coffee in
Armand G-'s beautiful library,
after a dinner that was perfectly
planned to stimulate the minds of men
Eho live by their brain and pen. We
spoke of woman's invasion in the field
OF contemporary literature.
The name of "authoress" is legion in
the English language. Out of every
three novels from across the Channel
or the wider ocean TWO are signed by
feminine name. And the custom is
spreading in France.
v, a surly protectionist in all
matters of art, detested the feminine
party.
Not a single one of them has shown
talent superior to the least OF U.S. he
growled, and they exceed the biggest
of us in envy and vanity. l keep away
from petticoats as l would a raging
fire"
Upon my word, must have been
1lore lucky than you in my meeting OF
the fair writer's" exclaimed our host.
Il have the most cordial relations with
certain literary petticoats. And just
recently l was forced to make COM
parison between one of my brother au-
thors and his opponent which was en-
tirely to the advantage of Miss Petit
coats"
We Immediately demanded the
story:
Willingly" he replied. 1T is in
would even say that it was a good con-
tribution to the chronicle of literary
feminism. l will begin at once.
Like all the rest of you, l received
good many letters from strangers.
Many are mere waste paper, some abu-
sive, and by far the greater number
ask for help in influence or money.
These last l never read without a
twitch at my heartstrings. In the face
of the paper dated from some country
town or eccentric corner of Paris | i'm
agine l can read such anxiety and dis
tress as once felt, struggling writer
without genius or fortune.
so many fail? l know well that GER
tain professional beggars write in turn
to every author. do not care. l an
swer each letter as it comes, if only to
say that / am powerless to help.
Toward the end of last year l re-
ceived letter signed by a name l did
not know: Jean Seguin. He had writ
ten novel; he wished to submit it
to me, and, if I was pleased with it,
would help him to find a paper and
an editor?
Il answered.: Send me your manu-
script For if the reading of strange
manuscripts is one of our most tire
some duties, hold that it is one of
the most imperious.
Il did not have long to wait. 1t was
a large manuscript, finely written, in
a feminine hand which did not seem
to me that of professional copyist
Il opened it without enthusiasm-it
is SO rare a surprise to discover any
thing beyond an eager ignorance, or
at the most a certain clever imitation.
l read the first pages YEARLY; they
were heavy and embarrassed.
Later, a situation was sketched in
a curiously handled environment. Evil
IDENTIFY it was woman's own history,
with real letters and incidents that
had happened.
II became so interested that l fin
ished the entire manuscript at a sim
gle sitting. 1t was at night, I remem-
Der, and the clock pointed to ten min
utes past two when at last l looked
up.
"In the joy of my discovery, l sat
down and wrote Immediately to the
author, congratulating him and beg
ging him to come to see me- l told
him he might hope for much.
1.-TWO days later, in the morning, my
faithful Constant handed me a card:
Jean Seguin, 9 rue Renouard."
The lady says that she has an en-
gagement with you, SIR
II had guessed Alright; Jean Seguin
was a woman.
"She was introduced. I saw a lady
of about rs, dressed in black, with ir-
regular lCdlulSS, puI VI d CHARMING
freshness, her face surrounded by
bands of chestnut hair that waved nat
urally. The mouth, rather large, was
smiling; the nose was characterless,
but the brown eyes, which looked
straight into mine, were deep and in
telligent.
You are the author of "The Nor
tai Test" mademoiselle?' asked.
Yes. sir
Good. l do not like the title you
have chosen, but the work is full of
merit. l am surprised that so young
a woman should have written so well
at the start
4 have worked for a long time,
monsieur she replied simply.
"Fearlessly, and even with a GER
tain pride, she told me that she had
been a schoolmistress, but had always
loved literature, and from the time