Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1904-04-29
blot For @
The Story
BY NJ. J. Phillips
Copyright, 1908, by T. @. Mcclure.
BY NJ. y. Phillips

1t 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 prehls-
toric ancestor, who killed his food with
a stone ak while the grass was still wet
Cartright had inherited II passion for
tramping through the dew. He dress
ed quickly and started out for brisk
walk
Cartright was literary free lance
who was slowly winning his way. He
had awakened that morning with q
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
Cartright for 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
Cartright's bidding. With an instino-
tive grasp of the magazines style he
had sketched the principal characters
of his story. There must be two-a
be fine and sincere and honorable, a
gentleman in every respect, who had
made place In the world by his own
efforts. The girl must be sweet and
true with softly curling hair and wlde
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
He could get no further. Plan as he
would, Cartrlght 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 I'm his feeling
that morning that the plot was about
to disclose itself, for after breakfas
1t 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
despair he seized a fishing rod and
started for the river, half mile away
There, spra wled on a grassy bank, the
noon sunshine altering 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 MS impracticable.
At the end OF an hour the obstinate
characters were still together and hap
by In their companionship.
A log bridge for the accommodation OF
the rare pedestrians and the rarer We
hices crossed the stream few yards
from where he lay. Squirrels chatter
ed In the trees, birds fitted overhead
Only faint hum from the busting 1T
tie city reached him. 1t was an ideal
spot
A splash In the water and little cry
awakened Cartright from the reverie In
which he had fallen. girl was stand
ing on the bridge. Her sailor hat had
blown into the river and was floating
lazlly toward him The fishing rod was
brought into reqUisltion, and moment
later, bowling, he was presenting the
dripping hat to Its owner
She was the girl OF his story person
lied. He had imagined his heroine
with wavy hair curIed softly about her
temples, Just as this young lady's did.
She was very young, and in her wide
blue eyes were the fearlessness Of
child and the soul Of a woman. Her
lips were scarlet. and In the creamy
cheeks the color came and went. In
slight details perhaps she was differ
ent. Yet so quickly did his brain child
merge with the charming personality
before him that on the instant they be-
came one. To Cartrlght thereafter she
was the girl Of the story"
A single glance and she knew him for
a gentleman. Soon they were seated
side by side talking like old friends
He discovered that her name was
Ruth Broadhurst and that she was Wis
iting at Banker Lawton's. Miss 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 Lawtons,
and although the irregularity OF their
meeting at first troubled her the lack
Of a formal introduction soon ceased to
make itself felt.
That will ever be u golden afternoon
In Cartrights memory. At times he
read aloud from the book OF poems
with which Miss Broadhurst had plan
ned to while away an hour alone by the
river. More often they chatted OF many
things plays, books, mutual acquaint-
ances. themselves, And then long a.
lences would fall-silence more elo-
quent than words In which each seem
ed to read the others unspoken thought
II was wonderful TO the girl, this per
feet sympathy and companionshlp with
man whom she had not seen until
few hours before Two little clouds
occasionally darkened Cartrights sun.
shine. He was pllghted TO another,
and on Miss Broadhursts slender, pink
tipped third finger a splendid diamond
flashed. lie banished these thoughts
whenever they came. This 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. THE man Is an athlete, a sDlen-
did fellow In every way. Hin ! have
modelled after Philip Lotridge, friend
or mine at college. He has won his
way up from the ranks, has my hero,
and he Is worthy Of any woman living,
even the one my Imagination has Great.
cd for him. He has been abroad, and
I've fitted him up with some OF the ex-
periences had myself while reporting
on New York paper. But he Is doom
ed to lose her. The Turks say, you
know, lie that has many horses hath