The Topeka state journal., 1911-04-08
The EVENING STORY
william Acquires Wisdom.
(By Stacy E. Bakery

Gaylord-the serious, angular, spec
tacled William-had long Travelled con-
. spicuously in the train of Miss Mamie's
admirers, and although she deigned
him barely more than a curt nod and
pleasant salutation on any occasion.
there were those who averred that she
cared more for him than for all the
| others.
| The Montclair damsel was thorn in
the sides of the envious feminine con-
tlngent of the town. When Mamie, u
gawky girl in pigtails, had been thrust
upon train and sent to Mrs. Gentry's
| finishing school at Savannah there was
| no one to prophesy the mighty change
| that was to take place in her during
| her two seasons with the famous south
ern beauty maker.
| Mrs. Gentry deplored Mamie's dimin-
utiveness, but she marveled much over
| the maids complexion, and astutely
saw great possibilities in her dark but
clumsy braids.
| There had been no bevies of men ad-
| mirers in those days. Willie Gaylord
had peered mistfly at the departing one
| through thick and ugly glasses-and he
| had been all. His hand had gripped
| hers in a tight clasp, and after several
attempts he had convulsively spoken
| formal good-by and hurried away.
| Mamie was young, but she had under
stood.
| Now it was different. Willie was
only an humble one in the group nf
| fluttering male moths around the flame
of Mamie's personality. At least, this
| seemed to be the existing condition to
the denser brains of the men who
watched. With the women it was diff
| ferent. They could see the trend Of
Mamie's thought
Much of the Montclair currency-the,
| family Golfers were kept replenished
from the profits of a factory manufac-
turing popular hand soap-was spent
upon Mamie. She was given trips
yachts and automobiles were at her
! disposal, and, in fact, anything for
which she wished was laid at her little
feet. She ran the gamut of innocent
pleasures. She sounded the depths of
every mans affection-that is, every
man except the slim, narrow-chested
| William. Serenely he watched her
triumphs, but his lips remained mute.
In these days William had begun to
destroy much good white paper, and
with two fingers he was laboriously,
| painfully, learning the intricacies of
| the typewriter
His attempts at fiction were crude,
| his unskilled pencil generally building
a stick for hero and a trump for a
| heroine. His stuff was unreal life
| less. His effusions hastened promptly
| back when submitted to the maga-
zines.
1t was well that the Gaylord for
tune was large-ample enough to al
| low the attenuated youth to favor his
| profitless fad. There was no money
| in the production of fiction for Will
| liam.
Just before Mamie had taken leave
| of Toddytown on another sudden
| schemed, mother-chaperoned trip
| across the seas she had given the
youth a whole afternoon.
| William had not wholly improved
his opportunities. He had not spoken
a word of love.
He had, however. broken into the
crypt of his heart to parade his am
bilious secret before her.
Mamie Montclair had listened Sc
riously to the budding genius.
Have sold any of your stories?"
she asked deftly arranging a dark
curl.
| mot yet" acknowledged William
/ bravely, but I have received two let
ters from editors-outside of the regu-
lar run of refusal slips, you know
asking me to submit more of my
work"
| Keep it up" encouraged the girl.
'T-I am sure you can win, if-if only
you will believe in yourself. You
| haven't enough self-confldence. she
blushed at some subtle thought not
| plain to the admiring Gaylord, who
was now watching her with admiring
| eyes.
'1 believe I can do much-if you
want me to-" he said simply, and this
| was as near sentiment as he approach
/ ed during the afternoon, although the
! fore1ock of opportunity dangled
| temptingly time and again before his
| fingers.
After Mamie had been gone for
some time, there came back to Cay
lord a letter bearing a foreign stamp.
Il Willie recognized the handwriting.
From her." he murmured. and as
/ there was no one there to see. he
pressed his lips to the envelope.
Mamie, it seemed, was interested in
Willie ambition to become one of the
/ producers of popular fiction. She
wished to keep in touch with him, to
learn of his triumphs. to condole with
i him over his failures, to encourage
him. Some of this was implied; some
i boldly told him in frank sentences
Il Through the letter, however, ran a
thread of romance, not wholly agree
able to the youth.
i 'I have met a perfect dear OF
man here the girl wrote. He is a
i duke or a count or something, and ne
is just too sweet He shows me
marked attention." Several other al
lusions were made to this scion of no
bility; so many, in fact, that William
felt impelled to answer promptly
and he gave much space in his effusion
to the national duty of an American
i girl, viz, to marry an American"
i In tardy answer to this she spoke
II again of the count-it now seemed
II that he bore this title-and assured
her old Toddytown friend that he was
different than the usual run of small
fry lordlings. This count. said Mamie
was a perfect gentleman. In tinio
II sentence she confessed that the count
was even then with t1em-he hac
joined her party. They were II
II France.
| Latent personality developed in VIII