Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-05-05
Cupid Turns
The Tables.
y alklRylA COBB SANFORD.


mauu1cr1pE
rEitber an author or an editor" mus
ed Henrleth and soon allowed her Gu
riosity to set the better of her to the
extent Of looking over her neighbours
shoulder and reading the story with
VUlo be love story, and, as
L progressed Henrietta stole surrep-
titious glance at the man every now
and then But mis- expression gave no
clew to the impression the story might
be making.
Once, as he turned a page, he looked
up suddenly and became aware that
Henrietta was following the story.
She blushed and started to apologize,
but he put her at her ease in quite an
unexpected manner.
I'm glad you've been reading the
story" he said, with friendly smile.
"A woman wrote 1t, and hope you'll
give me your opinion when we've I'm
lshed it." s,.,z.,-,-s.
30 they read on together.
When they had reached the end they
sat for q moment silent, each evident
~ absorbed In thought
"Wen," 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 viewpointy' ven.
tured Henrietta. her interest In the Sit
uation overpowering momentarily her
natural shyness. Are you judging II
i Id
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.
81 am Judging it." he said, las an
editor who tries to imagine himself
just plain man. But what do you
think about tit"
"Tm 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. ut counts supremely. 1t is the
opinions of just such casual readers as
yourself that I have to study and learn
to understand almost intuitiyely, as 1t
were
But to get back to the point In ques-
ton. You mean that love at first
} sight isn't worth writing about-that
the type Of woman who would consent
to marry q man on short acquaintance
isn't the stun that heroines are made
of" s
mot exactly that perhaps. But any
one could make the story end happily
have them marry, mean. That
would have been the ordinary way. II
must have taken some Courage to end
it the other way. and 1t seems to me
the story's stronger for it."
4 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 er
rapport Why, then. does the author
never have them meet again aftel
making her reader feel that they ought
by all that is happy and harmonious
to belong to each otherT
Henrietta smiled at the mans ear
nestness.
WE'LL onC bCkuA oCACAoiECsJt PS.
haps the author was trying to SHOW
that, although a man and a woman
!. may meet by accident, like that Aant
even feel and admit each to himself o
herself that they really do belong b
each other. yet neither one quit
dares- Oh. I'm afraid don't jus
It know how to express It" she broke ofi
E blushing consciously at having spokel
Q so freely TO an utter stranger.
THANK you," said the man. and hi
manner was both sympathetic an
thoughtful. II begin to understand
But Tm<still unconvinced as 70 Its b
ing the popular or natural viewpoin
II could talk to the author herself.
feel quite sure that could"
"Goodnessr' said Henrietta, startin
suddenly. .rhis is my station Goo
night"
The more Henrietta let her thought
dwell upon this unusual little discul
sion the more she found herself yielt
ing to the editors point Of view. TheI
was no real reason. after all. why II
man and woman in the story shouldn
have married and continued to ''liy
q happily ever afteG
Still that would be most common
place ending, after all, and she accuse
herself of being Influenced, as was Il
editor, not by the artistic but by Il
commercial value Of the story.
So she tried to think of new arg
ments to defend the authors denou
ment. The heroine, she imagined. WI
very much the same type of girl
herself and. like herself. therefore pr
ferred to keep those few moments
chance acquaintanceship an idealiz'
memory upon which she could lo'
back forever and a day with joyf
satisfaction.
An ordinary person might yield
4 the temptation Of following up I