Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-10-27
The PLOT FOR
The STORY.
he Found 1t In the Chance Meet
ing and the Parting.
BY M. j. PHILLIPS.

BY M. J. PHILLIPS.
1t was an ideal June morning.
chorus Of bird songs aroused Cart
right ut sunup, ana, yawning. he walk
Ell 70 the window. From some prehis-
torlc ancestor who killed his food with
stone AK while the grass was still
wet Cartright had Inherited passion
Tor tramping through the dew. He
dressed quickly and started out for a
brisk walk.
Cartright was literary free lance
who was slowly winning his way. He
had awakened that morning with a
feeling known to all who disiigure
good white paper with pen or typewrit-
er-the desire to write and Joy i'm the
power To write. 4 certain great maya
zlne editor in Il kindly letter had asked
Cartrlght for n story. His request was
the magic password that admitted one.
clad In purple and fine linen. TO the
society of the truly elect of the liter
airy world.
But inspiration refused To come at
Cartrights 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 woman. The former must
be fine and sincere and honorable, n
gentleman in every respect. who had
made place i'm The world by his OWE
efforts. The girl must be sweet anc
true, with softly curling hair and wide.
frank, innocent blue eyes. The char
4. II
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. rs if alone in the wilderness.
cried each unto the other.
He could get no further. Plan as he
would. Cartright could find no reason
TO separate the children Of his brain
Tho characters became almost MS real
TO him AZ living personages. A regret
grew up within him at the necessity OF
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
1t still cluded him He could not think
effectively In his study. The free. wind
swept porch and his easy chair and
pipe were not the solaccs and aids to
thought he usually found them. in de-
spair he seized fishing rod and sSart-
ed for the river Il half mile away.
There. sprawlCd ON grassy bank
the noon sunshine Offering through the
trees and dappling the velvety carpet
about him. he set himself anew to his
task. Situation after situation. plot on
plot. passed through his brain. each TO
be rejected in turn MS unprecedented.
At the end Of an hour the obstinate
characters were still together aud lap
by in neutrality-suspicious.
\ log bridge for the accommodation
of the rare pedestrians and the rarer
vehicles crossed the stream few
yards from where he lay Squirrels
chartered i'm the trees: birds fitted
overhead. Only flint hum from the
busting little city reached him II
was an ideal spot.
splash i'm the water and a 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 reaulsI.
ton. and moment later. bowling. he
was presenting the dripping hat to its
owner
She was the girl OF his story person
flied. lie had imagined his heroine
with wavy hair curled softly about her
temples. just as this young ladys did
She was very young, and I'm her wide
blue eyes were the fearlessness OF a
child and the soul OF a woman. Her
lips were scarlet, and i'm the creamy
checks the color came and went. In
slight details perhaps she was differ
Ont Yet so quickly did his 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"