The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-05-02
IN QUEST
OF COPY
by Helen Brandon.


hair and the softest eyes conceivable.
\ pathetic air of helplessness seemed
envelop her. and this was the mag
that first attracted Martin. being
self an athletic animal of somo-
ng over six feet. and as little like
80 popular notion Of the popular
Jyelist as possible.
She was idling away summer
.lonth with her aunt, Mrs Randall,
uL the Manor, where Martin, who
lived in an ivy-clad cottage at Sax
ton, was frequent and ever-wel-
come visitor. Thus they met.
When he came to talk TO her, he
found her less helpless than at irst
she had conveyed the impression of
being-which is often the way with
women Nor were her eyes always as
soft and gentle as the first glance
from them had seemed to him
which, again. is often the way with
women. Those eyes were of a deep
brown, widely set and thoughtful,
and they had disconcerting trick
of rivetting themselves upon you un-
til their glance appeared to pene-
trate into the privacy of your inmost
thoughts.
Charmed at first, Martin was da2-
zled presently. He found her bright
and witty, with a subtle. scholarly
wit which would have pleasantly sur
prised him in a man, but which he
found ineXplicable in a woman, for
he was one of those who-freQuently
to their undoing-have rather low
estimate of the intellectually of the
so-called weaker sex.
He went home inspired by pro-
found admiration for Rose Gerard,
and promising himself that so long
as she remained at the Manor, he
would find his way there even more
often than usual
He kept that promise so very well
that from frequent he became a
daily visitor. He was busy at the
time upon one of those anemic novels
which had brought him a fair meas
ure of fame with a decadent public,
and each afternoon, when his four
hours work-Martin only worked
four hours a day-was done, he
would stroll over to the Manor for
tea.
Saxton waited on tiptoe for the
announcement of the engagement of
T.. popular novelist to Mrs. Randall's
h."ming niece. But SaXton was dis
y; cinted Martin Vossicker was GER
lly making love to Rose, but the
was purely artistic-without yet
o., .ng of that art which conceals art.
lJr the first time In his career he
had come upon an opportunity OF
making copy out of a real, live per-
son.
He set himself to make it, and she
appeared to be assisting him with
degree Of verve, sympathy, and un-
derstanding which, while 1t amazed
him considerably, pleased him still
more. His favorite pose was that of
a victim of unrequited love. This the
exigencies Of his case demanded, for
such we're the circumstances under
which the hero Of his anemic novel
was laboring. Never for moment
had he permitted himself hopeful
tone.
Rose had fallen victim to his
mental suggestion, and she accept
cd the situation which Characters
tic--if hardly feminine-readiness.
She seemed to play the part he had
assigned to her Just as he-half con-
sciously only-was playing the part
he had assigned to himself She was
capricious, petulant, arch and mock
Ing by turns, but rarely tender, and
then It was a tenderness that faded
almost as soon as II took shape.
But It was affording Martin some-
thing more than amusement. It was
eQuipping him with much rich mate
rial. The mental notes he made
while In her company he transferred
to paper each evening, to be anon
nodded into his novel. And so his
book grew apace, and the frothy
brilliancy which his readers had
come to look for in his work was
reaching in "The Futile Quest" a
height to which 1t had never SCARED
before.
At last the time drew near for
Roses departure from Saxton. The
hero OF "A Futile Quest" had come
to the stage Of proposing to the hero
Inc, and Martin had been unable to
decide whether to rely purely upon
his imagination for that which
should be the eliminating scene of
his book. OF whether to avail himself
once more of Rose Gerard and to
nrst live through the scene.
He feared this might be driving
his copy hunting a little too far; but,
on the other hand. the benefits his
work might derive from it were-to
Judge by the past-likely to be con-
adorable. He was tempted very
sorely.
At last he took his resolve. He
would propose to her He was as
sured that she was no more in love
with him than he was with her. She
would be amused by this consumma-
ton Of all the poses they had hith-
ertO assumed and he never dauhtad