Amador ledger., 1906-02-02
AN INGENIOUS
CRITICISM
TOriginal.l

rupted by visitors, so l tried through
the servant to get rid of her. But l
failed and finally received her.
1 was not sorry had done so, for the
moment she entered 1 saw that she
would make an excellent model for
Bessie Clifford, a character 1 was about
to draw. She was petite blond and
as dainty as canary. She came in all
bushes and smiles.
'Mr. Pendleton, l believe-Paul Pen
dleton. Such lovely name for an au-
thor, and I notice you always select
appropriate names for your charac-
ters."
"Please be seated, Miss Phipps, and
tell me what can do for you"
81 came to thank you," she said,
sinking into a chair, her silk dress
dropping into graceful folds, "but first
I want you to tell me how you found
out the conditions between Wallace
and myself?"
"What conditions? What Wallace"
''Wallace Ormsby, the hero of your
last novel, The True Ring There ii
is and she held up a glittering soli-
taire on the third finger of her left
hand. "It was very nice Of you to
transpose his name and call him Orms-
by Wallace But everybody knew all
the same. At least I and my best and
truest friend, Ida Ross, did. But, then,
she knew all about these troubles be
tween Wallace and me. And how you
did hit of that mean thing, Irene Tew-
ney. You didn't call her by her right
name at all, but then you couldn't call
us all by our right names"
''ALy dear young lady, will you kindly
tell me what you are talking about?"
''Why, about your plot for The True
Ring Of course. You haven't told me
how you got hold of it. Ida declares
she didn't tell, and of course Wallace
couldn't have done so. Did hep
She looked at me with such a pretty,
curious expression 1 had half mind
to admit that Wallace had given me
the whole thing, but feared the false
hood might lead to complications, so I
said
81 would like you to tell me wherein
the plot of my True Ring comedies
with your own affairs"
"Silence gives consent. l knew it
must be Wallace who told you. OF
course you had to promise him you
wouldn't say anything about it. Well,
Wallace and 1 were lovers, just as
Ormsby and Caroline were in the book.
Then Irene Tewney, or Mabel Blake,
as you call her, wants him for herself
and interprets the family secret so as
to reflect on Caroline me). Wallace, de-
spite the convincing circumstances, has
faith In me until he applies the test,
and Caroline gives the true ring of q
real good, noble girl. The name is
splendid"
Great heavens! Is this all there is
to that plot? Now think it is about
all the machinery on which 1 hung a
network of subtle introspective philos-
ophy which and high grade critics
consider uniquely Pendletonian.
You have not yet told me-" 1 said,
''the denoument as it is in the real case
your case"
"Why, just as it is in the book, of
course. You didn't change it a bit.
Wallace applied the test exactly as
Ormsby did, and responded (blushing)
just as Caroline did,
HAS it occurred to you that your
lover read my novel and finding a
similarity in my imaginary plot to his
own and your conditions concluded to
test you as he did?"
''Well, 1 declare! 1 never thought of
that. 1 wonder if he did?"
after all my character puts a gen
eral case that has occurred between
thousands of lovers. 1 admit there is
an art in this in the book that would
be impossible in real life, though it is
intended to represent real life"
"Ormsby was perfectly lovely, and
Wallace was perfectly lovely TOO. He
didn't use the same words as Ormsby
but they were just as noble and good
and sweet and nice"
l groaned. l had read hundreds of
criticisms on my book, but this was
the first that struck me as ingenious.
My critic was one moment slapping me
in the face, the next paying me the
highest compliments, at times doing
both at once.
Miss Phipps," I said, "instead of
your thanking me for bringing you
and your lover together, which is all a
mistake, permit me to thank you for
this visit. 1t has created a revolution
in me. Hereafter I propose to write
novels that will be enjoyed by simple,
ingenious people. Now, want your
permission to use you under an as
sumed name in my next novel"
''Will you?" she cried, clapping her
hands. "Will you put me in? And
Wallace" she added timidly.
''Fll put you in. AS to Wallace, l
don't know him, so 1 couldn't, though
l would like to just to please you"
chatted with her for an hour, get
ting excellent material, much of which
went into my new story just as she
spoke it. I have struggled against
small sales of my books before, my
only recompense being the approval of
a few high grade critics. When my
next book appeared I gained the more
substantial reward Of dollars.
AS Miss Phipps was passing out of
my study door 1 was off in a dream Of
what I would make her do and say in
my story and so wrapt in the imagi-
nary that I forgot the real flesh and
blood. I was awakened by a pair Of
arms being thrown around my neck
and kiss.