Smyrna times., 1909-05-26
THE REJECTED STORY
BY MAUD MACMILLAN


matter as much as half a dav,s sorio,,a
thought but Miss Nina Harper saved
eieVen and half hours by decidino
within thirty minutes after reading :
certain sketch of Ouida's.
As soon as pen and ink and paner
could be procured she began work on
story, and before sunset on the samo
uay 1t was finished and sent off to the
waiting editor of a magazine.
Like Ouida. Miss Nina didn't s+or+
out to write for money Her widowed
mother had been left a fair CONNIE
tence Like Ouida. she had a sudden
desire to uplift sentiment and improve
the social status of the world around
her, Like Ouida again, she had
thoughts and she wanted the millions
to share those thoughts with her and
profit by them.
1hls' IN a way, was praisewOrthy in
a girl Of twenty who had half a dozen
admirers and nothing to do but to be
Tor the right man to touch her heart.
Unfortunately for her. the various pub
fishers 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
literary career in the bud by sending
back that manuscript he was very
much mistaken. Some young ladies'
would have stopped right there and
turned to crochet work, but Miss Nina
didn't 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 if ever
opportunity offered.
In this determination she was backed
and encouraged by Fred Waterman,
one of her admirers, to whom she
showed the manuscript and related
how it had been chucked back at her
as if it had been copy for a family
almanac. Fred was a lisper in his
speech. but that only made his voice
more tender as he said:
Miss Harper. take my word for it
that you have gone beyond Ouida even
in your first attempt! 1t is glorious!
1t is grand! 1t is ennobling! feel
the better man for having heard it
read"
But they didn't publish itw pro-
tested the girl.
81 see. but it was too high class,
don't you know. It's beyond the edi-
tor. He isn't up to the sentiment of
it."
This declaration mollifed 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 edi-
tor might already have regretted his
haste in returning the manuscript.
The story came back from the sec.
ond publication just as a request fol-
charity would have been returned
mot just what we are looking for
| 1t hurt and humiliated. but it did not
quench. Ouida's first delicious little
sketches went begging. Miss Nina
shed one tear. doubled up her fists and
consulted Mr.. Horace Elkins.
Mr.. Elkins was another admirer
though he didn't lisp He had OF
many occasions written the menr
cards for entertainments and there
fore was admired as a literary man
He read the manuscript with the ut
most care. looked at the back of eacl
page as he laid it down and then an
nounced his solemn verdict:
'My dear Miss Harper. 1t is grand
1t is a gem. Indeed. the only faul
possible to be found is that 1t is to-
gemmy. The modern magazine edito
is not up to IT, 1t is as far beyont
him as Shakespeare is beyond the av
erage farmers hired man. For n
other reason was it returned to you
What. A gem like this crowde,
among the mawkish love stories 4
which the heroines cannot talk te
words without making Il grammatica
blunder! Heaven forbidp'
"But if they won't publish it hoy
can get it before the people?" aske
the author. with anxiety in her tones
81 could call on those editors an
cali them ignoramuses and scoundrel!
could prove to them that they wer
suppressing the brightest and mo:
charming thoughts of the century"
"But that would anger them"
Mr.. Elkins picked up the manuscriI
and carefully studied the backs of th
, pages again and then sighed an
raised his eyes to heaven. He didn
say so in so many words. but his a
titude plainly betokened that he Wa
out of It.
Two days elapsed, and then the stor
was sent away again. There sure
must be one editor in the country WI
! could rise to the sentiment Of It.
due time. which was about a week,
came back for the third time. The
was a cold blooded type written noti'
Al. 4Ers, ,ar.4o u