The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-10-30
S11lldT ltanS
BY c. 3. LEWIS
BY c. B. LEWIS

/ Z Miss DueIla Minis. as her cards read
was an eIocutlonist and quite vzillIn
% help Others over the same road 70
pay. So long as her ambition was kep
within bounds and her prices were no
too steep her native town OF 5000 In
habItants supplied fair number o
pupils, and the local press now am
then referred to her In way that wa
pleasing.
One unfortunate dny Miss Minis de
cided that elocution such as hers should
have no limits. The village boy wht
fell into the frog pond decided that IL II
was good for him It ought to be rood
for the whole United States. 81isl
Minis reasoned after the same fashion
She collected her bills. packed hel
trunk and set out for the metropolis
and never was a young woman more
sangutne.
In a week she was surprised. In q
month she was tired. In two months
she had decided to drop elocution and
look for place as a typist and Stenog-
rapher. Her mind was fully made up
on this point. and yet she could not let
go Of elocution with q bang. She must
part from it by degrees and make the
parting less painful.
Miss Minis sat at the open window
OF her boarding house and daIlIed with
eIocution. In her well modulated voice
she went over three or FOUR of her
choicest gems and then brought out
"The wanderer."
She had always made hit In this.
1t was about u lovely girl who left her
village home for great city. and after
using up all her money and pawnlng
everything that her uncle would ad.
vance on she committed suicide. and
the Iandlady found her dead when she
went in to collect her weeks rent in
advance.
In elocuting this pathetic appeal Miss
Minis had to simulate disbursement,
sorrow. grief. appeal. resignation and
several other things calculated to
arouse human interest. and she had an
audience without knowing It
On the floor above wns young man
who had been In tire boarding house
almost as long as she had. but they
hnd not been introduced and had taken
very little interest in each other. lie
was the audience on this night. Miss
Minis voice floated UP to him. and he
listened and became Interested. Grad
lally he found his synpnthies aroused.
From what he could make out she was
clean discouraged and ready for tho
deadly fumes of charcoal. She was
,ven hungry for food at that moment.
and there was no one In the great city
10 whom she could turn
The young man was deeply affected
Here was 81 case right under his nose
where sympathy and cash were re-
luired. and only that evening he bad
lodged the Iandlady when he came in.
&c was perturbed and upset for n few
minutes. but finally reasoned it out
hat IL the poor girl stuck to her pro-
and died 1t would save her
icing disappointed in love in the fu-
ure.
When u long silence had followed
,rOught out n manuscript and began
o read aloud. He was no elocutionist.
10 might have been one had he not
ecome n dramatist at an early age.
he manuscript in his hands was n
lay written by himself. 1t Is need
css to give It name. but it may be
aid to have been pathetic. 1t had \
ero. and the hero went through trou-
le enough to swamp a canal boat |
'ithin five miles Of Troy. He kept |
opIng and hoping. but 1t was no use.
.s soon as he came In sight OF a good
hing 1t vanished. He hung on and
ung on until the beef trust made Its
lst raise. and then he starved to
cath with the same dignity that he |
nd lived.
What the dramatIst was reading was
lie soliloquy OF the hero when he had
bandOned all hope and decided that
ince pie was no longer for him. The
,verle of the elOcutlonIst below was
-oken by his reading and raving. She
stoned. aud tears OF pity came to her
res. She had thought the world was
lrsh to her, but here was a worse case
ian hers. She hadn't gone hungry yet,
Ut here was young man literally
arving to death. She had heard him
" that even the mice had abandoned
s room and that, unable to find an
her morsel of food the cricket no
niger sang for him.
Miss Minis did whnt a practical
'ung woman should do under the cir
instances. The hour was not late,
III she put on her hat and went down
airs and hunted up n delicatessen
ore and bought some smoked tongue
I'd crackers These would keep the
ark of life in the young man over
ght. and next day things might turn
r the better with him.
When the dramatlst had concluded
ndlnG his hero's sollloquy-t was the
illlOnth rendIng-his thoughts turned
&c more TO the young woman below.
e still had couple OF dollars left and |
could not see her die for want of
stenance. III handing in the sus-
lnnce he would also hand in his sym
thies and encouragement. II he
md her obstinately determined to
. he might even promise her lead c
; part in his comedy drama when It t
is finally put on the road.