Smyrna times., 1908-04-22
-lr 3
The !G les.
By MARTHA COBB SANFORD.
copyrighted, 1903, by f. c. PARCELS

! II "VSdH Oh lne GfeenWiCh local Tho
man sitting beside IIcnriettn ON tbo
cross seat was reading a typewriter
manuscript
El,hef an author or an editor" mus
ed Henrietta and soon allowed bor on
riosity to get the better of her TO tbo
eXtoLt of looking over her neiobhor,s
| him.
IL proved to be a love story. and as
II progressed Henrietta stole = surran-
tltlouS glance at the man every now
ana then But his expression gave no
cieW to the impression the story might
be making.
Oice, as lie turned page. he looked
up suddenly and became aware that
henrietta was following the story.
she blushed and started to apologize
out he put her at her ease in quite an
unexpected manner.
I'm glad you've been reading tbo
story. he said, with a friendly smile
"A woman wrote it, and hope vouTI
give me your opinion when we've fin
ished it,"
so they read on together.
When they had reached the end they
sat Tor moment silent. each evident
~ absorbed in thought
well, said the man at length. ..that
is perhaps what would happen in real
life, but the ending isn't satisfactory
from my viewpoint"
"And what is your viawpoint?" ven
tured Henrietta. her interest in the sit
uatlon overpowering mOmentarily her
natural shyness Are you Judging it
as Just plain man or as an editor?"
Her query seemed both to please and
amuse him, and Henrietta was sur
prised to find herself answering his
smile quite as if they were old &C.
Quaintances.
Il am Judging it, he said. "as an
editor who tries to imagine himself
just plain man. But what do YOU
think about it?"
I'm afraid | agree with the au-
thor" answered Henrietta. somewhat
timidly, but really my opinion doesn't
count in the least, because
ION the other hand" interrupted the
man. lit counts supremely. 1t is the
opinions of just such casual readers as
yourself that have to study and learn
to understand almost intuitively. as it
were.
"But to get back to the point in qucs-
ton. You mean that love at first
sight isn't worth writing abOut-that
the type of woman who would consent
to marry man on short acquaintance
isn't the stuff that heroines are made
off,"
'Not exactly that perhaps But any
one could make the story end happily
have them marry. | mean. That
would have been the ordinary way. 1t
must have taken some courage to end
it the other way. and it seems to me
the st0ry's stronger for it,
But you see," persisted the editor,
everything in the story goes to show
that this man and woman, though they
met just once casually, as you and
are meeting. were most remarkably en-
rapport Why. then. does the author
never have them meet again after
making her reader feel that they ought,
by ali that is happy and harmonious,
to belong to each other?"
Henrietta smiled at the mans ear
neStness.
"Well," she began defensively, per
haps the author was trying to show
that. although man and woman
may meet by accident, like that, and
even feel and admit each to himself or
herself that they really do belong to
each other. yet neither one quite
dares- Oh. I'm afraid | don't Just
know how to express it," she broke off,
Dlushing consciously at having spoken
SO freely to an utter stranger
"Thank you" said the man. and his
manner was both sympathetic and
thoughtful. 81 begin to understand
But I'm still uncOnvinced as to its be-
ing the popular or natural viewpoint.
If | could talk to the author herself.
feel quite sure that l could
"GOOdnessw said Henrietta, starting
suddenly. This is my station. Good
night
The more Henrietta let her thoughts
dwell upon this unusual little discus
sion the more she found herself yield
ing to the editors point of view. There
was no real reason, after all. why the
man and woman in the story shouldn't
have married and continued to "livc
happily ever after"
Still that would be-a most common
place ending. after all, and she accused
herself of being influenced, as was the
editor. not by the artistic but by the
commercial value of the story.
So she tried to think of new argu-
ments to defend the authors denoue-
ment. The heroine, she imagined. was
very much the same type of girl as
herself and, like herself, therefore pre-
ferred to keep those few moments of
chance acquaintanceship an idealized
memory upon which she could look
back forever and a day with joyful