The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1905-03-04

VI uCCu ouO OceHouoHs ->A
friend"
Eyes. Her old school friend. see."
mo. no! The man. But on her way
to him she met the mans sister-in-iaw
the cousin of the school triend--and
she told her that her school friend was
dead."
Dear. deari" said the author. "And
that decided her to return home to her
husband, of course?'
Really" exclaimed the girl, Il think
you have very poor idea Of plots, con-
sidering you write stories yourself"
Occasionally" admitted the author.
But I'm sure beg your pardon If l
anticipated your climax. What did she
do, them"
Why" said the girl, "she put herself
in her school friends PLACED"
Great heavens!" cried the author
do you mean in the cofin?'
"Of course not! | mean she assumed
her dead friends name and-and per-
sonality, think you call it-and pre-
tended she was her"
0ue, SuSScSlcQ Tic outhoi. wa
the connivance of the cousin?"
mo. She told the cousin nothing
about it. She left the omnibus and
drove straight to the mans house in a
cab and rang the bell and walked in.
The man was standing on the hearth
rug alone in the room and she ran up
to him-remember, she hadn't seen him
for ten years-and, with wild gesture,
exclaimed: Save met"
YES" observed the author, you have
hit upon a strong dramatic situation
there. What does the man say.
thought"
The man replies: L will proclaim
your innocence with my last BREATH
or something of that sort, and she falls
into his arms. After soothing her for
a few moments he inquiries who she is.
She tells him she is her dead friend.
his sister-in-law's cousin, but the man
replies that there must be some mis-
take, as he has no sister-in-law. The
girl fixes her eyes upon his face intent
ly for several minutes before remark
ing: Then you are not James De Vere?'
The man answers: No; my name Is
Jones, and the girl discovers that she
has come to the wrong house."
"Ah! That, too, is fine situation"
murmured the author. for the girl
Yes, | do not think it is bad. But
the strange part is that Jones and De
We're are both members of club where
ladies can be taken as guests, you know
there are such clubs in London, aren't
there?"
''Oh, yes, several" said the author.
80 Jones offers to conduct the giri
to this club and hand her over to De
We're. and they drive OF together.
Meantime the girls husband has dis
covered her flight and starts in pursuit.
Having heard her once mention the
name of her dead school friends cousin,
he first seeks out this lady and from her
learns that his wife and she met that
very morning in an omnibus. This re-
assures him and he goes home to dinner.
Jones and the girl reach the club and
Jones finds De We're taking afternoon tea
with-whom do you think?"
81 am at a loss to conjecture" said
the author. permitting his eyes to dwell
dreamily on the girls flushed face
why, with the school friend!" ex-
claimed the girl, clapping her hands.
The school friend?"
Eyes. She wasn't dead. after all. II
turned out to be merely a malicious
and unfounded report. On the contrary,
she was engaged to be married to De
We're"
'Ah! Lucky De We're. And is that
all?"
mo. That concludes the first half OF
the story. The rest is principally ex-
plantations. want to know how it ought
to be written" said the girl
Its too exciting for me to. give an
opinion straight off," rejoined the au-
thor. you say the girl knew the man
for ten years?"
Yes"
But the man didn't know the girl?'
mo"
1T was his loss!" murmured the au-
thor. Pray, how long have you known
me?"
"Oh. ever since l was 15-or there
abouts," answered the girl, examining
the pattern of the authors carpet.
And it seems only within the last half
hour that have known you!" calculated
the author, rising from his chair.
What on earth do you mean?" de-
manded the girl.
Il mean," said the author, that we
will write your story together, If you
will. but on one condition"
"And what is the condition."
That, unlike the girl in the story, you
will promise never, never to run away
from me--not even for a lark"
"Ah!" said the girl.
And
"Ah," said the author. putting his
arm round the girls waist, but love
you. love you, love you'll
And the girl didn't run away.