CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1905-08-31
HOW | WORKED
OUT NY STORY

l began my literary career as an an.
.hor and soon after became an cditoc.
When friend once asked ine the di.
ference between the two | repilc |.
THE author is the person who sgnls
things in, and the editor is the person
who sends them back" After fndini
that could not make iiYing By
small salary TO pass on wlIt oth,1
people wrote. | supposed that my a.
pointment came on account OF my
literary taste, but my employer toll
me that was wanted to get rid Of per-
sons whose manuscripts the concern
didn't want without offending them.
He had noticed that had pleasant.
plausible way with me and had en-
gagged me on that account. | WAS in
this view of the case a very successfui
editor. | received manuscript. with a
smile and turned them down with n
smile.
One morning n young girl called with
a story, and l went into the aiteroom
to sec her. We never admitted caller.
into the sanctum. not that we were
impressive to make them think we
were. We wished them to fancy doz-
ems OF intellectual looking readers por.
Ing over manuscripts hunting for some
thing worthy Of our magazine. | ad-
vanced with my usual smile to meet II
girl whose smile was anything but
usual. II was unusually sweet. She
handed me the manuscript OF u story,
apologized for Its not being typewrit-
ten ON the ground that inspiration did
not come mingled with mechanical
means, and she never worked with n
typewriter. In my own heart-my au-
thor heart. not my editorial heart-I
felt the truth Of her words was In.
terested In her pretty face and thought
1t possible l might find a gem In her
story. She secured my promise that
would read 1t myself. and I told her l
would take 1t home for the purpose.
A month passed. had not only
abandoned authorship. but had direct
ed my mother to clear my closet OF my
old unavailable" manuscripts and
burn them. One morning the girl with
tho pleasant smile called. and before
going out to see her IL suddenly oc-
Cured to me that I had taken her
story home. and 1t was now doubtless
part of the oblivion OF my own
works. I gathered my wits and. put
ting on my smile-I made a special
efrort-rushcd up to her with out.
stretched hands. Her own smile was
more charming than ever.
81 have been delighted with your
story" | said. "but have missed the
last page, which you must have omit
ted to put in. Besides. some parts are
illeglble. Have you another copyr'
| asked the question with a quaking
heart and was paralyzed when she re-
piled that she had given me the only
copy In existence. Then she began to
talk to me about the plot and the char.
acters. Did l like Douglas Chichester.
the hero? Was the climax properly
handled? How about the love pas
sagesf She kept up fire of questions,
and I. having admitted that I had read
her story. must needs give opinions on
work that had never seen. While
was doing SO I was trying to form
some plan by which to extricate myself
from the perilous position. My very
bread and butter was In her keeping.
determined that I must win her
kindliest feelings. and when confident
that she thought too much OF me to In
form my employer Of tho injury had
done her would confess all. In order
70 see her more famiiiarly than was
possible at the office asked hsr to
come to my house In a few days and
would tell her Of some changes that
thought would add to the beauty Of hsr
Otherwise beautiful novel.
NE kept the appointmsnf. and l. hav-
lng Instructed my mother aetaP . GAeet