Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-18

know l done it," argued one "I
ketched him between the sights, jests
fair as could be-"
"G'wan, he fiummuxed jest's 1 cut
loose!"
"Well, boys" called the leader, i'm
patiently, get along!"
A man came forward and silently
threw a loop about Severne's neck.
In Wyoming they hang horse thieves.
Severne realized this, and told them
all about everything. They listened to
him and laughed delightedly. Never
had they hanged such a funny horse
thief. They appreciated his efforts to
amuse them, and assured him often
that he was a peach. When he paused,
they encouraged him to say some more.
At every new disclosure they chuckled
with admiration, as though at a tre-
mendous but splendid lie. Severne
was getting more realistic experience in
ten minutes than he had had in all his
previous life; but realistic experience
does not do one much good at the end
of a rope on top of a Wyoming noun
tain. Then, after little, they deftly
threw the coil of rope over the limb
of tree and hung him up and left
him. They did not shoot him full of
holes, as is the usual custom. He had
been a funny horse thief, so in return
they were lenient. Severne kicked.
"Dancin' good" they observed as they
turned the corner.
Around the corner they met the
frantic James. They cut Severne down
and worked over him for some time.
Then they carried him down to Placer
creek, and worked over him lot more.
The Triangle x boys were distinctly
aggrieved. They had applauded those
splendid lies, and now they turned out
not to be lies at all, but merely an eX-
tremely crazy sort of truth. They re-
fhai hxy
drunk and shooting out the lights.
1t took Severne week to get over
it, Ten days after that he returned
east. He had finished a masterpiece.
The fight down the canyon was pic
tured so vividly that you could almost
hear the crack of the pistols and the
hero's sentiments were so well de-
scribed that in reading about them you
became excited yourself Severne read
it three times, and he thought it as
good the third time as the first. Then
he copied it all out on the typewriter
This is the severest test a writer can
give his work The most sparkling
tale loses it's freshness when run
through the machine, especially if the
unfortunate author cannot make the
thing go very fast. 1t seemed as good
even after this ordeal.
Behold" said he congratulating
himself, "this is the best story l ever
wrote! Blamed if it isn't one of the
best stories I ever read! Your roman
ticists claim that the realistic story
has no charm, nor excitement nor ply
sical thrill. This'll show them"
So he hurried to deliver it to Brown.
Then he posed industriOusly to himself,
and tried hard to 60 some more gloam-
ing, but it was difficult work. SOmeway
he felt his cause not hopeless. The mas
terpiece would go far to convince her
that he was right after ell.
Three days later he received a note
from Brown asking him to call He
did so. The editor handed him back
his story, more in sorrow than in an
ger, and spoke reprovingly about de-
serting ones principles. Brown was
conscientious. He believed that the
past counted nothing in the face of the
present. Severne pressed for an ex-
planation. Then said Brown:
"Severne, have used much of your
stuff and I have liked it. The sell
tences have been crisp. The adjec-
tives have been served hot. You have
eschewed poetic connotation. And
above all, you have shown men and life
as they are. am sorry to see you have
departed from that noble ideal"
But" cried Severne in eXpostula-
ton. "do not these qualities appear in
my story?"
"At first they do" responded Brown,
but later-ah!" he sighed.
what do you mean
"The ride down the canyon" he ex-
planned "The sentences are crisp, the
adjectives are hot. But, alas! there is