Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-10-02
THE. PLOT FOR
THE STORY
Ne Found II In the Chance Meet
Ing and the Parting.
BY M. J. PHILLIPS.

chorus or bird songs aTouSeu S"it
right at sunup, and. yawning. he walk
ed 10 the window. From some prehis
toric ancestor who killed his food with
a stone az while the grass was sill
wet Cartright had inherited passion
for tramping through the dew. Ht
dressed quickly and started out for d
brisk walk.
Cartrirht was a literary free lance
who was slowly winning his way. lie
had awakened that morning with q
feeling known TO all who dishgurc
;ood white paper with pen or typewrit'
,r-the desire to write and JOY In the
power 10 write. A certain great maya
zine editor in a kindly letter had asked
Cartright for n story. His request was
the magic password that admitted one
clad In purple and fne linen. to the
society of the truly elect OF the liter
sry world.
But inspiration refused to come at
Cartright's bidding. With an instinc-
tive grasp OF the magazines style he
had sketched the principal characters
Of his story There must be two-a
man and a woman. The former must
be fine and sincere and honorable. a
gentleman IN every respect. who had
made n place in the world by his own
efforts. The girl must be sweet and
true. with softly curling hair and wide,
frank. innocent blue eyes. The char
acters must be ideal companions.
warm friends. but not lovers. Cruel
circumstances and their own ideals OF
honor must send them through the
world apart. even though their very
souls, as If alone In the wilderness.
cried each unto the other.
He could get no further. Plan as he
would. Cartrigbt could find no reason
TO separate the children OF his brain.
The characters became almost as real
to him as living persouages. A regret
grew up within him at the necessity or
parting them. but to preserve the value
Of the story separation was inevitable.
He had been mistaken in his feeling
that morning that the plot was about
to disclose itself. for after breakfast
Il still eluded him. He could not think
effectively in his study. The free. wind
swept porch and his easy chair and
pipe were not the solaces and aids to
thought he usually found them. In de-
spair he seized a fishing rod and start
ed for the river. half mile away.
There. sprawled on grassy bank.
the noon sunshine Offering through the
trees and dappling the velvety carpet
about him, he set himself anew 10 his
task. Situation after situation. plot on
plot. passed through his brain. each TO
be rejected in turn as impracticalAe.
At the end of an hour the obstinate
characters were still together and hap
by in their companionship
A log bridge for the accommodation
OF the rare pedestrians aud the rarer
vehicles crossed the stream few
wards from where he lay. Squirrels
chartered In the trees: birds fitted
overhead Only faint hum from the
busting little city reached him Ii
was an ideal spot
A splash in the water and little
CRY awakened Cartright from the rev.
erie IN which he had fallen. a girl
was standing on the bridge. Her sail
or hat had blown into the river and
was floating lazily toward him. The
fishing rod was brought into requisi-
ton. and u moment later. bowling. he
was presenting the dripping hat to its
owner.
She was the girl OF his story person
fled. He had imagined his heroine
with wavy hair curled softly about her
temples. Just as this young lady's did.
She was very young. aud In her wide
blue eyes were the fearleSsness OF a
child and the soul Of a woman. Her
lips we're scarlet. and In the creamy
cheeks the color came and went. In
slight details perhaps she was differ
ent. Yet so quickly did bis brain child
merge with the charming personality
before him that on the instant they
became one. To Cartright thereafter
she was the girl Of the story"
A single glance and she knew him
lOT II kCutitAaAI CROn wv. NNAN 800
cd side by side talking like old friends
He discovered that her name was
Ruth Broadhurst and that she was Wis
ting at Banker Lawton'S. Miss Broad
hurst knew Of John CSrtright - had
read some OF his stories The young
mans character and achievements had
been highly spoken Of by the Lawtons
and. although the irregularity OF tbeil
meeting at 6rst troubled her. the lacl
OF a formal introduction soon ceased
to make Itself felt
That VIII ever be a golden after
noon in Csrtrights memory. At ime'
be read sioud from the book OF poem:
with which Miss Broadhurst had plan
ned 10 while away an hour alone ,.
the river More often they chatted o.
nsEy thincs-plays. books. mutual &C