The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-07-21

for one.
The authors infammable imagina-
tion blazed up at this spark into a
vivid fash Of generalization. This un-
precedented circumstance promptly
translated itself into boundless wealth.
His daily expenses, II paid by checks
not too large in individual amount,
would be eagerly provided for by his
admirers, while his income remained
intact. It was a fortunate condition
Of things beside which the resources
Of Monte Cristo became insignificant.
He applied his nimble pen to this
new task with zeal. He worked half
the day Gay upon his new novel, and
devoted the remainder to the congo
nial labor Of writing checks, equally
imaginative in point Of value, that
we're never to be paid In short time
his second book duly appeared, and
its popularity exceeded, If possible.
that Of his first Thus encouraged.
Ticklemore employed an attractive
young woman as an assistant to do
the drudgery Of filing in the amounts
and other details Of the checks. and
saved his own strength for the labor
Of signing them, thus doubling bis
daily output.
His wholly unimpaired capital he In
vested IN real estate in choice locali-
ties and In good bonds, displaying
considerable shrewdness In both lines
Of investment But he did not permit
the cares Of business to interfere with
the remunerative labor of writing
checks His literary labors suffered
somewhat from these encroachments,
but still be contrived, with the invalu-
able aid Of HIS pretty amanuensia. to
get out his third novel by the end Of
the second year. Upon the day that It
was finished, after signing the usual
batch Of checks made ready for him
by her careful hand, he signed an Ad-
ditional one In blank-a most unwiBe
thing to do-reQuesting her to make It
out for a specified sum to her own or
der.
Pray accept this, my dear" said he
with an engaging smile, 'as slight
testimonial Of my regard and appreci-
alton"
1t may have been due to the fact
that two very striking books by other
authors appeared At about the same
time, or there may really have been,
as the critical press insisted, a falling
of in his work from the old standard
which had made him famous; but II
is certain that his third novel fell
rather fat, barely reaching a second
edition in the first year. This, how
ever, he accepted philosophically, say.
ing, Better luck next time.' and went
on writing checks with the same reck-
less hand
One day, to his great surprise, he
received a polite notice from the bank
calling his attention to an overdraft
which be was requested to make good.
He went down to see about II, and
found that six or eight hundred Of hia
recent checks had been unprecedent-
edly Yfesented for payment, quite ex-
hausting the comfortable balance
which he had left after his last puE'
chase OF bonds. This disconnected
him little, but be sold few securi
ties and made the loss good. At the
end OF the month the balance which
he had thus restored was again ex
hausted by an influx Of checks which
made a package so large that they had
to be returned to him by express
On looking them over the sans
evening he discovered with dismay
that among those Of recent date wer'
good many earlier ones which bors
upon their backs stains Of the mucll
age by leans Of which they had beer
attached to the pages Of autograph
albums. sun he did not grasp the full
consequences Of his fall from popular
ity. but met what he regarded as I
temporary reverse with the nonchal
ance OF a man Of large resources.
He began to notice, however,
change In the manner Of the people q
the bank which Disconnected him. an,
the notices OF overdrafts became 8
the same time more frequent anl
more peremptory. In response 4
these he sold by degrees all his securi
ties and finally his real estate and PEI
sonal belongings. b''t still the food 0
checks returned upon and absorbeI
the proceeds Of his sales.
The crisis came quickly. In answe
to an urgent demand for funds, h
had sold his last remaining assets &
the amount OF some SIS. coo, and hal
lntrueted this sum TO his typewriter .
deposit it She had hardly time t
reach the bank when the cashier tsls
phoned for more money.
But / have just paid IN nearly $50
000," easped Ticklemore.
IAN checked out" came over tn
. unsympathetic phone.
Ticklemore fell back stunned in hi
} once chair. where his typewrite
found him ten minutes later
{ well. Mary he said feebly, st
. all up"
Not on your life,' said Mary, whg
though gifted IN a practical way, stil
lacked the higher culture.
En- said Tieklemore. sitting u