The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-11-08
THE AUTHOR OF
.FETTERS UNLOO SED."
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rorigtnai.1
a number Of gentlemen were sittinl
around q tabls In . New York club som
posed Of publishers. printers and au
thors. l mention them in the order Of
their importance ~ the practical world
considers them. The publisher ID thu
most important since be requires thu
most money In bis business, though thu
printer u not usually far behind him
There were more of both these classea
In the club mentioned than Of authors,
few Of whom had money to pay the
dues.
But this II DEPRESSION. The party
were discussing a new book that had
Just been published by q 6rm, . Of
tine Junior members Of which was pres
ent, "Fetters Embossed" II had met
with instant success. The authors
name vas not given. the nom de plume
being Emery Perwinkle. 1t was one
Of those gilded pills the world-that
world which reads sensational novels
loves to swallow. It gave an excuse
for what many people desired, but re-
Trained from doing, and some do with
more or less resistance. 1t would have
been well enough except that Its prin-
ciples II carried into effect would break
up perhaps n family In every three
or Ave.
"Come, Stanton" said one Of the
men present to the publisher; tell Us
who Emery Periwinkle Is"
Couldn't possibly. 1t would be q be-
trayal Of confidence"
"At least tell US II the author of
'Fetters Embossed Is man or woman"
Couldn't do that, either"
"No woman would ever have taken
that view Of the subject" said n Of
the party"
why notY'
"She would need to have been cor
rupted by a bad world, and my expert
ence is that only women who wish to
be corrupted are corrupted"
II don't think much Of that argu-
ment," said another. but 1t Is not
needed. Everything In the book II
from a mans standpoint"
"Ill tell you what I'll do" said Stan
ton. "Ill make q pool. There are four
Of you. I'll put In IS for each of you.
Then I'll give a supper to twenty peo-
pie. the author Of letters Embossed to
be among the number. You shall
throw dice for choice. The one throw |
ing the highest number may pick out
Eve persons, each man In succession
thus picking out i've. Whoever has
Included the author In hts number |
wins the pool"
where do you come inr'
II? Oh, Wen make the number Of
guests twenty-one. This leaves one |
lnchosen. I'll take the one left out"
Stanton could well AFFORD the treat,
md the others were much pleased to
'ccept It. A few days later each one
Il the four received al invitation to 4
upper party at Etanton's house to
AXE place at II o'clock. after the the
tiers were out They found there
leven men and ten women. Some Of
men and some Of the women were
to be authors. some ambitious
o be authors and some not known at
III as aspirants for literary honors.
They were as different from n an
Their as could possibly be. Some were
eli conscious, some modest, and there
we're some who did not seem SUN.
iently gifted In ideas for ordinary
Ise, let alone writing a book. There
we're two men with a sensual look
bout them. n woman who appeared
trthe loud and a girl of nineteen who |
II any one spoke to her.
During the supper-the order Of
hoice had been decided before It b.
of the four members Of the /
'ool selected Eve Of the guests. The
oud woman and one Of the sensual
nen were taken up in the irst choice.
he other sensual man and a member
I the Woman's Press club were in the
ext lot. The man having third choice
licked all the rest who looked as II BY
my possibility they could write 4
'ook. The fourth man was oblised to
axe what was left, none Of whom Z
ave the slightest appearance Of being \
winner. The girl who blushed. not ;
'aying been chosen, fell to Stanton. ;
The party was too incongruous to )
eep long together. and when It broke :
p the four pool members remained be- )
Ind. Stanton called on the man who :
ad nrst chosen to name the winner }
rom his number. He named first tie I
'ud woman, then four others In suc. )
ession. but Stanton shook his head n !
very one. Second choice then made ;
is euesses and JAILED. The guessing I
ow came to be exciting. When third j.
noice failed to name the author. nil I
ere struck with wcnder, and when Z
'urth choice failed every man &C. F.
used Stanton Of having gone back on :
10 agreement. y
mot at all, gentlemen" he said soft. I
;. There still remains one person not +
what! That stupid looking child NOT ;
Mt to be out Of the nursery who fell +
} you? She doesn't count"
Every one In the party counts. 7
greed that the author should be pres. =
1t at the sunnor and 7 h.v. j.