Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-15


! Miss ChampIin to tell him what she
was doing In the country. but ELECTED
| no satisfactory response. He thought
her reason for not explaining her posi-
| ton might arise from the fact of his
not having told her anything about
himself He preferred not TO do so,
| for. If he admitted that he was writ
| ing a story, she would with a natural
| feminine curiosity, wish to know all
| about it. and he feared he would 'let
| the cat out of the bag" that he was
using her for a model. Besides Bar
| rows had advised him that If he found
| a satisfactory model to keep his pur-
| pose secret.
| June came, and with it q letter from
! the editor saying that he must have
| the story by the end of the month
| He had reserved space for 1t in the
| October and November issues. Smith
| son wrote back that 1t would be i'm
! possible for him to finish the work by
| that time. whereupon Barrows wrote
| asking how much he had done. and
he was obliged 10 reply chat he had
! merely formed his conceptions. He
/ could now work briskly. but could not
| have the story ready before the first
! of July He received a reply stating
/ that he might have till the first of
| July, but no longer. He advised the
| author to give up studying his model
and go to work.
Srithson Redeemed slightly at what
! he considered an imputation and re-
| solved to do better. But by this time
| every hour he spent away from Miss
! Champlin seemed an hour lost Be
! sides, when he began to work. his
model. what she had last said to him,
! whether it was to be interpreted as
! encouragement or the reverse-in
short, her personality-would insist on
| thrusting itself between him and the
! paper before him and interfered with
| his writing The consequence was
| that the middle OF June came and the
! story had not taken any shape what
| ever One serious trouble was that
| his model was constantly showing diff
! fercnt traits. He tried to get hold Of
| them, to group them. but they were
! like q handful OF firef1ies, constantly
crawling out between his fingers.
/ On the Goth Of June he wrote Bar
rows that he must have at least an
/ other month or give up the job. Bar
| rows replied that he could not have q
day. He said he believed it was
/ case of a character getting away with
an author instead of an author put
ting his character in limbo. Barrows
| waxed facetious also In saying that
| the heroine of the story was doubtless
| no misty being, but real flesh and
blood.
Smtthson saw nothing for it but to
| return to the city. He concluded TO
go and announced his intention to Miss
| Champlin. He found her getting
ready TO depart also. He concluded
they might as well take the same
train. During that evening they sat
on the top step of the porch where
they had spent their first morning to-
gcther n half moon looking down on
them from the southern sky. Smith
son told her his story'-not the one
he had intended to write, but true
love story-and they sat till near mid
night talking 1t over.
The next day they returned to the
city.
Smitbson called on Barrows reIuc-
family He was very shamefaced about
! his failure TO write story, especially
as the editor had shown n knowledge
| Of why he had failed. Barrows kept
him waiting half an hour, then he was
admitted to the sanctum. Smithson
stood astonished. There was Miss
! Champlin.
| Barrows smiled.
| al have put up job on You two"
he said. 81 sent you, Smithson. to the
/ country to write a story. 1 sent Miss
| Champlin 10 the same place to write
| 7 hot
should take Miss Champlin as n model
| for your heroine and that she should
use you for her hero. l wished to see
what kind of work such a scheme
would produce. 1t has convinced me
that character drawing is not a mat
ter of feeling, but of art. There has
evidently been love story. but neither
yours nor hers got on to paper. Neither
of you, so far as 1 can learn, has writ
ten the first chapter"
DO you mean" snapped Miss Cham
pin. addressing Smithson. that you
were studying me as puppetF'
what were you studying me for"
he asked.
For the same purpose" Barrows
butted in.
Miss Champlin scowled at Smlthson
for a few moments, then turned upon
BarrOws.
''I'hat was a mean trick Of yours"
she said.
What? mean trick to kindle love
in two hearts. You two Will thank
me for the balance OF your lives"
81 won'tr cried Miss Champlin.
81 will" said Smithsen triumphantly.
'That will do" said BaTows. I'm
busy
Miss Champlin and Smithson walked
ont together. They stood waiting for
the elevator. She looked at him. and
they both smiled a sickIy smile.
II mil IA IN Il Hnnarinarn III