The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-08-23

Il novel.
And here his alteration for Evelyn
Forbes came in handy. He made her
The heroine Of his novels and himself
the nero. The consequence was that
when the hero talked to the heroine the
words were impressive. The audience
that read5 novels is more easily touch-
cd through the Imagination than real
itv. Though Evelyn had not appre-
ciatel B~onnycastle's love letters, II
would doubtless have done 50 had she
read them as the enunciations OF an
imaginary nan to an imaginary wo-
man.
When BonnycaStle finished his move
he was more in love with his heroine
than ever and more in love with his
n0ycl-for a brief season-than with
the real Evelyn. This is not surprls-
ing. He was not in love with the flesh
and blood except as a thing Of beauty,
but with the product of his magma
ton. Therefore it was natural that
after the full development Of his mag
mary heroine. whom he was many
months in building. he should be more
in love with her than with the original.
But the original had the great adyan-
tagc. while the imaginary development
would begin to fade from the author
as soon rs finished. Evelyn, with her
golden hair. smiling lips and round
neck and shoulders. remained the same.
BonnycaStle'S novel was a work or
genius. At any rate, there was enough
feeling in it for half a dozen novels.
He asked Thriftleigh to read the manu-
script. He did so. pronounced it very
fine" but predicted that B~onnycastle
would not find a publisher for it.
For the first time in his life the latter
doubted his chum's opinion on Il prac-
tea matter. He sent the work to pub
fishers, who kept it each an average OF
two months, and at the end of Il year
il had been declined by six publishers.
Then the author gave up trying to Sc
cure its publication and asked his
friend the old question. How did you
know that" Thriftleigh didn't try to
explain how he knew it.
ThriftHigh about that time o a
position in a publishing house, not on
account of his critical or literary at
tainments. for he had no such attain
ments, but because he was willing to
work for so much a week. Bonny-
castle at once jumped to the conclu-
sion that his friend had influence with
the concern to get his novel published
Thriftleigh handed it in. No word
came from it for four months, when
B~onnycastle called on his friend to get
a decision. 1t was then discovered that
the manuscript had been mislaid. In
other words. it had been lost.
Bonnycastle by this time had secured
a position as reporter on a newspaper
and drifted away from his friend
Thriftleigh and his love Evelyn. 1t
was twelve years before he saw either
Of them again. He found making a
living very dificult-indeed, it was
all he could do to keep body and soul
together. He was the most pitiable
creature on the face of the earth-an
u~nrecogniZed genius.
Owing largely to his SenSitiveneSs
he ceased to communicate with his
friend Thriftleigh. and, as for Evelyn,
since he couldn't marry her. he accept
ed the inevitable and forgot her. There
was nothing to forget except her beau
ty and the soul he had created to fit
her body. He did not see the former,
and the latter must necessarily fade
away in time.
One day B~onnycastle, who at this
time did odd jobs about a newspaper
Office. was sitting before a pile of new
books he was reviewing. The man
aging editor tossed a novel at him. say
ing: There's a story that's been on the
market some time. Recently it has
been pronounced a work of genius by
Howard Pugsley. the great literary crit
ic, and it's beginning to be talked
about. Write it up on those lines
Bonnycastle took it up and looked
at the title page, then began to e 1t.
The first few paragraphs seemed IA
miliar. and before he had read three
pages he recognized it as the novel he
had written more than a dozen years
before. the manuscript Of which had
been lost. He read on. and as chapter
after chapter was turned he began to
wonder if he could have really been
the author, so far above what he sup
posed he could do was the work he
read. When he had finished he was
repaid for all he had suffered in the
degradation of an u~nrecognized genius.
All the world was talking about the
new novel written by 90" the only
name given on the title page. The lost
manuscript had turned up in the pub
fishing house where it had been offer
ed. and, since no owner could be found
and the authors name was not on 1T,
! some one was designated to look 1t
over. A favorable report vas made of
il, and the concern decided to publish
1t and pay the author his royalty if he
ever turned up. He did turn up even
tually; but, since there were several
claimants for the authorship and he
could not prove his case, he got moth
ing.
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