Evening journal., 1904-08-06
blot For
The Story
BY n. ,. PbHIiOs
...c0pyrlsAl. bod. BY 7. G. Meclure..

It was an ideal June morning. A
chorus Of bird songs aroused Cart
right at sunup, and. yawning, he walk
ed to the window From some prehis-
toric ancestor, who killed his food with
a stone ak while the grass was still wet,
Cartright had inherited a passion for
tramping through the dew. He dress
ed quickly and started out for a brisk
walk.
Cartright was a literary free lance
who was slowly winning his way. He
had awakened that morning with a
feeling known to all who dishgure 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 a kindly letter had asked
Cartright for a story. His request was
the magic password that admitted one.
clad IN purple and fine linen, TO the
society Of the truly elect Of the liter
airy world
But inspiration refused to come at
Cartrights bidding With an instinc-
tive grasp Of the magazines style he
had skctched the principal characters
of his story. There must be two-a
man and a woman. The former must
be fine and sincere and honorable, a
gentleman In every respect, who had
made a place IN the world by his own
efforts. The girl must be sweet and
true with softly curling hair and wide,
frank. innocent blue eyes The char
acters must be ideal companions, wnrm
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
= alone in the wilderness, cried each
unto the other
Ee could get no further. Plan as he
would Cartright could end no reason
TO separate the children Of his brain.
The characters became almost as real
10 him as living personages. A regret
grew mp within him at the necessity Of
parting them. but 10 presorve the value
of the story separation was inevitable.
He had been mistaken I'm his feeling
that morning that the plot was about
TO disclose itself. for after breakfast
# still cluded him. lie could not think
effectively In his studyZThe free,
wind swept porch and his easy chair
and pipe were not the solaces and aids
to thought he usually found them. In
despair he seized a fishing rod and
started forthe river. half mile away.
There. sprawled on a grassy bank, the
noon sunshine filtering through the
trees and dapplng the velvety carpet
about him. he set himself anew TO his
task. Situation after situation, plot Oh
plot, passed through his brain. each e
be rejected in turn as impracticable
At the end OF an hour the obstlnat,
characters were still together and hap
py in their companlonship.
A log bridge for the accommodation o
the rare pedestrians and the rarer We
hicles crossed the stream a few yards
from where he lay. Squirrels chatter
cd in the trees, birds fitted overhead
only a faint hum from the busting III
tie city reached him. 1t was an idea
spot
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 requlsltion, and n momen
later bowling, he was presenting the
dripping hat TO its owner.
She was the girl Of his story person
flied He had imagined his heroine
with wavy hair curled softly about he
temples, just as this young lady's did
She was very young. and in her wid'
blue eyes We're the fearlessness OF
child and the soul Of woman. He
lips were scarlet. and in the cream,
cheeks the color came and went II
slight details perhaps she was differ
ent. Yet SO quickly did his brain chill,
merge with the charming personally
before him that on the instant they be
came cne. TO Cartright thereafter sh
was the girl of the story"
a single glance and she knew him 70
a gentleman. Soon they were seate'
side by side talking like old friends
He discovered that her name wa
Ruth Broadhurst and that she was Wis
iting at Banker Lawtons Miss Broad
hurst knew Of John Cartright-ha
read some of his stories. The youn
mans character and achievements ha
been highly spoken Of by the Lawtoni
and although the irregularity Of thel
meeting at first troubled her the lac
OF a formal introduction soon ceased {
make itself felt
That viii ever be a golden afternoo
in Cartrights memory At times 4
read aloud from the book of poem
with which Miss Broadhurst had plai
ned TO while away an hour alone by IN
river. More often they chatted Of man
thiDgs-plays, books, mutual acquain
ances, themselves. And then long S
lences would fall-siience moEe ell
~Quent than words-in which each seen
10 read the others unspoken though
1t was>wonderful TO the girl. this pc
feet sympathy and companionship wit
a man whom>she had not seen until
few hours before. Two little cloud
occasionally darkened Cartrights Sun
shine He was plighted to anothe
ard on Miss Broadhurst's slender, pin
tipped third finger a splendid damon
flashed He banished' these thought
whenever they came. This one aftei
noon shall be ours" be said to himself.
Quite naturally he fell to talking O
his story and the plot that would nc