The sun., 1908-04-05
MADE COPY or MARITAL WOE
THE LITERARY LAUNDRY OPENED
BY THE HONEIMOONERS.

BY THE HOAElMOONBhS'
Progress Of DisllluslOn Recorded BY Poems
and Stories ~ Ions as the Market
Would stand n -Ihen They Agreed 70
Novel Proposition Tho POets Ideals
After their marriage the Honeymooners
continued their literary work. 80 the world
found the match more charmlngly appro-
pirate than ever, A young poet with an
additional u lent for very charming fiction
and . writer Of stories distinguished by
their delightful truth TO feminine character
who could also be tenderly poetic when she
took TO verse e-ooud there be any two per-
sons more adapted TO each otherl
Surely more than one Of their friends
suggested, "this match was made In
heaven
That was the conclusion Of all when there
we're disoernible In Darbys verse tenderer
gems Of poetic thought than had ever
dwelt there before and Joan's little stories
we're warmer and penetrated more deeply
than they ever had previously into the
mysteries Of womans heart.
1T was just as We said murmured the
friends again, this marriage was made In
heaven
1t was the eye Of the magazine editor
peeled to human interest IN any OF its
phases not too intensely interesting. that
first detected a lack oi harmony In the
house Of the Honeymoonss. Nothing In
terfered with the amount Of their literary
output. Poems and fiction followed In the
old time alienation from both sides Of the
family.
II was In the themes that the difference
lay. Mrs. Honeymooners heroines did not
get out Of their difficulties Of heart and
home with their old fashioned optimism.
They remained in their unhappy condition,
Mr.. Honeymooner's poems ceased entirely
10 dwell on the deli ghts Of the man Whoee life
was crowned with the lovSof woman,
This change in the character of their
literary creations could not fail 70 impress
itsef on the usually unimpreeslonable
editors. The situation showed itself 70
the world and the friends Of the couple
when one editor accepted from the dis
couraRed pen Of Mr.. Honeymooner story
logical problem, according to the magazine
announcement. It's thesis was the greater
happiness Of widowers and an attack on
the supeBtition that men were unhappy
merely because their wives died.
PERHAPS even this use OF the family
lingerie for purposes Of copy would have
ESCAPED notice II the story had been few
words longer OF shorter. In the iirst in
stance II would have come down TO the
bottom Of the page and no more would
have been required there. In the second
it would have ended at the bottom OF the
previous page and there would have been
"a little need OF one Of the magazine filters
used for Just such eXigenoies and indeIed
as verse.
But Il was necessary TO I'LL the page and
in the hurry Of making up the magazine
for publication the editor was delighted TO
And a poem of exactly the right length.
N was called THE Wife Deserted Weeps at
| Home" but neither its context nor the fact
that II was the work OF Mrs. Honeymooner
interfered with his delight at finding pieoe
that fitted exactly.
In anybody but q magazine editor sucn
| a juxtaposition would have been considered
proof OF sense Of humor. As II was, NOBODY
suspected anything else than accident. ~
| had the effect, however, OF opening the eyes
! OF their friends to the unhappinese OF the
Honeymooners and il explained the changed
feeling in their literary works. So when
| the oouple finally agreed 10 part after a
short married life and had this decision
made permanent by the aid OF the law there
was less talk about heavens share IN their
| promising union.
II was not 10 be supposed that the minds
| OF writer's should be taken quickly from
! subjects that loomed big In their liyes. II
was no longer necessary Tor Mr., honey,
mooner TO intimate delicately to the WoTld
/ his unhappy state OF mind by means OF .
magazine story at the rate OF two cents
1 a word.
Equally superhuous was the ehort oI
Mrs. Honeymooner TO let her friends know
| her state Of mind through a two stan1s
poem. Now that they we're divorced, every,
! body knew what they meant and they coulo
have resumed the CHEEKY. happy ending
inofensiye literary style Of their pre-mar
Wage days. But they didn't. =.
! They kept right on with Misunderstanding
| wives heartlees husbands, unAylnpathetlC
spouses and the stock N trade that cas-
| daniper over their compositions eoon attel
their wedding They naturally never met
HIT the magazine world threatened TO b'
! Inundated by this vsV" ~ marhnl uh
happiness 49,.
n had gone very veil in the beginning
by way Of a change. and the parted couple
EaW no reason why il should not continue
With their usual perversity the edlton'
thought otherwise and the manuscript
began TO come back,
they continued 10 come back, and theil
return meant that there was nothing more
doing in the marital unhappiness market
The financial crisis that threatened th'
former members OF the Honevmoonel
family was nearly rs serious rs their per
sonal disagreements had been.
Perhaps, perhaps, advised the masa
zine editor 10 whom the former husbanc
turned for advice. there might be mar ket
for some OF the marital unhsppinees stories
Although as q rule we don't 60 in much
vol know. for unhappiness Of any kind
our readers don't caro- for II. II, for in
stance, only you wrote them, or only th'
former Mrs. Honeymooner did, they nigh
be sold. but with both Of you turning then
out right along, ] am sorry TO say. trank \
that don't think the market for them vii
Herr was a problem, They we're yery
easy lust now 10 both of them, thoee NJ. Y
stories, II they only could be made to sell
But with the two typewriters busy on th'
NJ Z. stories there would be a continued
gut. ,.,,,
az you could arrange 20 divide tha a5)i,
the editor went on, 1T might then be 2oS
sible to nee them. But with sch
M. Honeymooner realized the trutl