Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06
The Fortunes Of F. Mari

own room where we could work undis-
turbed, and one common room where we
could discuss plots and style and criticise
each others work. Artists do the same
thing and profit by the fellowship 1t
worked pretty well, and we got lot of
each other
At first, each man was for himself, but
Adoniram wasn't satisfied with that as
we found it hard to pay the rent after
the second month, and so, under his direc-
ton, we became frankly commercial and
started the syndicate. We had had good
bunch of reflections that week and a radi-
cal change seemed necessary
See here" Adoniram said, we've got
to pull to gether more. Divided we stand
to lose our last cent, and united we
fall-from our ideals but win the COIN
We must organize and use modern meth
DDS. We must cooperate Personal in
fiuence with the editors Is what counts
nowadays, and we must get our stuff
pushed that way, Who's going to push
itT' He paused dramatically for q reply
He always was keen on the Socratic
method of argument
But none of us seemed to answer We'd
had some personal experience with edi-
tors and had failed to secure a sphere of
influence. Somehow none Of us had the
magnetism, the charm and the certain
something necessary to change MSS. into
copy"
Adonlram waited for us to become suf-
his-bolt- What we've got to have" he
exclaimed, waving manuscript, 'Is a
girl--the prettiest girl we can hire-to
cajole editors with Who is the prettiest
girl in Railway"
There was only one answer to that ques-
ton. CLARA Foster" we cried as one
man.
CLARA Foster is elected" said Adoniram
She is now typewriting for ten per in
Hoboken, at the spool factory. and on that
stipend she arrays herself like the Queen
of Sheba with marcel wave. and goes
to matiaeeS in New York. Query: Can
we raise the ten week, and perhaps raise
1T to eleven. and train her to bewilder the
Gotham editor with our genius: Answer:
We cant hereby appoint myself a COM
mittee of one to investigated arrange
brfbe and report. The collection for in
ciaental expenses will now take place"
We made it unanimous. Adoniram got
away with $2f and disappeared. Three
days later he appeared at the headquarters
of the S. S. S. with the Prettiest. paid for
a fortnight in advance.
The Prettiast knew something about bust
hess methods from her experience in the
spool factory, and this wisdom she COM
bined with the use of her blue eyes in pro-
portions that made the ordinary man throw
up his hands and empty his pockets. She
was very patient when we gave her her in
structions as to how to approach the throne
rooms, but it was evident that she intended
to see the thing through in her own sweet
way.
We loaded her up with fresh, new-laid
MSS as she declined to carry any shop
worn stock. That put us behind about n
week, but in the meantime she had been
in New York doing editorial sancta. and
had inserted few wedges. We asked no
questions, the way she had hypnotiZed us
being pretty good security for her ability
to soothe and charm. In her idle time.
while we watched her, with the points of
our pencils in our mouths, she sat about
and made pictures of herself in the S. S.
S. Office and ate chocolates.
She set out in earnest, loaded for big
game with two short stories of Adoniram's,
a humorous article of mine Hearing
New York Ghe scheme was to bottle the
noises and sell them as remedy for
nostalgia. and half dozen Christmas
poems of Macs 1t was July then, but they
were all written under the influence of her
azure glances etc, etc, and they did have
zip to them. To our mad surprise she
sold 30 per cent of them and returned with
$40 spot cash. We raised her salary i'm
mediately to twelve week and expenses.
Then we got busy turning out stuff. You've
no idea how it helps to have few things
sell!
She used the common meeting room as
her headquarters but she seldom had 1t to
herself, for would work like mad to get
chance to read our things to her ana
watch for her expression to change.
She had only about three-patient bore
dom, patronizing amuseUent and rapture.
We seldom drew rapture, but we always
hoped for it and expected it. The Prettiest
reader as, 1t would be possible to find. If
you boiled down the whole Mississippi val
ley into one brain, that would be Clara
Fosters. We reverenced her opinions ac-
cordingly 1t was an education and a joy
to have Old Subscriber always ready to
listen and give her verdict through lips like |
these of the Prettiest. 1t began to dawn |
upon us that art and common sense needed !
no divorce. She said one Of two things: |
Either II like It," or don't like it!' She |
didn't bother you with analysis and rea- |
sons.
Our next step IN cooperation was to pool |
our interests and. abandoning our lust for |
private fame, we sent everything we wrote |
out under the name of E. Mari. Fiction and |
poetry, humor, pathos and essay, 1t all trav- |
eled to New York in the Prettiests green |
cloth bag attached to that short, romantic |
name. Before long E. MARI began to win a |
mild renown in the magazine field, and we |
didn't dare split up the partnership for fear !
of sinking back into the ranks of the great !
unknown. Our best customer was the Pub |
lie Magazine. brisk. new illustrated paper !
and E. Mari was getting four cents word |
for everything sold. But it wasn't always !
easy to satisfy the editor, who seemed to |
have more personality than most of them |
and not even the Prettiest Girl in Railway |
could force all our manuscripts down his !
throat. She went to see him regularly twice |
q week, though. and we worked like ele- |
plants to keep her provided with ammuni- |
ton.