The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-05
THE EVENING STORY
The Rejected Story.
(By Maud Macmillan. }

Some young ladies decide to become |
literary only after having given the |
matter as much as half a days serious |
thought. but Miss Nina Harper saved |
eleven and half hours by deciding
within thirty minutes after reading a |
certain. sketch of Ouida's
As soon as pen and ink and paper
could be procured she began work on
story, and before sunset on the same
day it was finished and sent off to the
waiting editor of a magazine.
Like Ouida. Miss Nina didn't start
out to write for money. Her widow
ed mother had been left a fair COM
petence. Like Ouida, she had a sud-
den desire to uplift sentiment and i'm
prove the social status of the world
around her. Like Ouida, again. she
had thoughts and she wanted the mil
lions to share those thoughts with her
and profit by them.
This, IN way. was praisewortny
in a girl of twenty. who had half
dozen admirers and nothing to do but
to be entertaining and handsome and
wait for the right man to touch her
heart. Unfortunately for her, the
various publishers didn't share in her
object or enthusiasm. They were out
for the dollar, instead of sentiment
or for the sentiment that brought in
the dollars. The literary effort was
returned with thanks.
If that greedy publisher chuckled
over the idea that he had nipped a lit
"
back that manuscript he was very
much mistaken. Some young ladies
would have stopped right there and
turned to crochet work. but Nina did
not belong to that bunch. She shut
her lips tightly and determined not
to be killed off. At the same time
she determined to kill that editor II
ever opportunity offered.
In this determination she was back
ed and encouraged by Fred Waterman,
of ne
showed the manuscript and related
how it had been "chucked" back at
her as il 1t had been copy for a fam
| lily almanac. Fred was a iisper in his
| speech, but that only made his voice
more tender as he said:
miss Harper, take my word for 1T
| that you have gone beyond Ouida
even in your first attempt 1t is glor-
ious. 1t is grand. 1t is ennobling.
1 feel the better man for having
heard it read"
But they didn't publish it," pro-
| tested the girl
II see. but it was too high-class.
don't you know?-It's beyond the ed
! itor. He isn't up to the sentiment or
| it,
| This declaration Modified Miss Nina
and she selected another publication
| and another editor. Mr.. Waterman.s
| generous offer to call on and punch
| the head of the first editor was de-
| clined on the ground that the said ed
| itor might already have regretted MS
haste in returning the manuscript
\ The story came back from the sec
| ond publication just as request for
| charity would have been returned -
| mot Just what we are looking for.
1t hurt and inundated, but 1T did not
| uuench. Ouidas first delicious little
sketches went begging. MISS Nina
| shed one tear, doubled up her fists ana
consulted Mr.. Horace Elkins.
| Mr. Elkins was another admlrer'
though he didn't lisp. He had on many
| occasions written the menu cards Tor
entertainments, and therefore was al
| nfred as a literary man. He read the
| manuscript with the utmost care.
looked at the back of each page as ne
| laid IL down. and then announced MS
solemn verdict:
| "My dear Miss Harper, it is grand.
IT is a gem. Indeed, the only fault pos
sible to be found is that it is too gem
| NV. The modern magazine editor is
| not up to it. 1t is as far beyond him
| as Shakespeare is beyond the average
like this crowded among mawkish
| love stories in which the heroines can
| not talk ten words without making a
/ grammatical blunder! Heaven for
bid :. -.
can I get it before the people?" asked
the author with anxiety in her tones:
| ssI could call on those editors ana
! call them ignoramuses and scoundrels'
| I could prove to them that they were
| s,1ppressing the brightest and most
charming thoughts of the century.
but that would anger them
| Mr.. Elkins picked up the manu-
script and carefully studied the backs
| of the pages again. and then s1gned
land raised his eyes to heaven. He dld
not saw so in so many words, but his
attitude plainly betokened that he was
out of 1t.
TWO days elapsed and then the story
was sent away again. Ihere surrey
must be one editor in the country VINO
could rise to the sentiment of 1t. In
due time. which was about week,
1t came back for the third time. There
was a cold b1ooded typewriter notice
enclosed to the effect that its rejec-
ton did not signify any lack of literary
merit: but there was no consolation
in this. Indeed. If 1t did not lack lit
erary merit why not publish it?
This question was asked of young
Sanger, a third caller and admirer,
and he promptly replied:
Because it is Ouida over again, and
you know the jealousy against Ouida.
All these magazine editors are a trust.
| They won't permit new writer to en-
ter the field and make a reputation.
| Why, Miss Harper. I once wrote a
story and sent it away and had it
come back on me twenty-four times.
| But for this Jealousy I might have
been a Wilkie Collins in time. Have
Il got the name right-was it Wilkie
or Tom Collins? Have you spoken to
Mr. Granger on the matter of the
story?''
"why, no, and that's funny be-
cause I've heard that he was literary
man. He hasn't called here for two
| or three weeks however,
HE is the editor of the very maya
zine that sent it back to you for the
third timei"
Then = then when he calls
again."
And Miss Ninas eyes flashed and
she flushed IN. and she didn't have
to finish the sentence to make young
Sanger understand that there would