El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-05
A LAST CHANCE
By DorOthea COnyers.

-HE editor Of the Kingdom bent
frowning over some papers,
\ looking up as the office boy,
slightly breathless, knocked and ap-
peared simultaneously
"a lady says she has an appoint
ment. sir" There was doubt in the
youths tones. He consulted a card in
his hand. Name Of Melville"
..No-no one But the boy was
brushed aside. eclipsed by tall fig
ure in black
The editor got 70 his feet and looked,
pointedly, at the clock
ooh. it's not the boys fault" The
intruder talked in tired. quiet tones.
81 left the waiting room and followed
him here. You see, I meant to see
The boy disappeared. faint echo
of ribaId exclamation drifting from
the passage
manners forgotten. This storming OF
his citadel was without precedent He
stroked his upper lip and took out
his watch, both unhappily- Ihe IN
truder was q woman, and Of course
one searching for work, the usual
roll OF manuscript in her hand. Ine
experience to carry her writing In rat
parcels was even lacking. As Hughes
looked he saw a tall, thin woman,
whose rusty black dress sighed for
the better days it had known. A big
hat flung kindly shadows on thin
worn face, heavily lined for her age
which he supposed to be about 80, and
from the shadows dark eyes flashed
and glittered, facing her world as
man in sore straits faces his death.
The silence grew oppressive, and
Hughes broke II as gently as he could
You bring a stOry? he said 1
am very busy, and also rear That we
really have no space
aOh. OF course, I know and under
stand sU that" she brushed his words
aside with logged insistence. This
is more than story, Mr.. Hughes, It Is
a human document I want you To
spare me five minutes, no more, from
your day. ] want yOu not TO accept
these things'-she held ont the crum-
pied dirty roll-"but TO read them
You will not take long. Oh. you must!
you mustr
The woman faced him now, her body
tremulous, her eyes glittering, and as
the editor looked he was amazed by
their beauty-liquid- blue or gray,
their youth standing out almost weird
" in the thin face.
An honest opinion It's all I want
You WIFI You mustl'
Godfrey Hughes bent forward In
meek establishment, bent by this storm
wind, bowling to the command in the
angry eyes.
certainly, 7 will obey He opened
the roll and sat down.
There was silence then, broken only
by the occasional click Of the lift
doors outside, by the distant whir of
machinery, and the subdued hum Of
voices from the next room Hughes
looked quickly at the copy. The stor-
les were typed, soiled now as though
from many postings Blue pencil
smudges; one R, more obstinate than
its fellows. glazing in defiant faint
ness from a first page.
His eyes were trained to travel
quickly; they slipped from line to line
as he took in the meaning Most
ordinary little tales Well known pup
pets, called men and women, moved and
talked and lived listlessly through
the pages. and we're duly happy at
each ending. Old situations made
strained bows; there was no reality,
no freshness or crispness Of 6ialog
to clOthe the worn mumnners- But
once in manuscript. even dirtier
than the rest, the editors attention
tion-a word sketch on sky and NOV
ing wind, OF hanging blossom and
stretch Of sunlit fields, which made
him raise his head to look at the w0-
man who waited
The rest was narrow, uninteresting.
No worse than scores Of stories he
had read. but, save for that touch Of
word painting, with no thread Of
power, Of promise, running through
them
The writer had done her best; she
would never do better.
With a crisp rustic Of paper, he laid
the copy down
II fear" he began, we
Il told you I knew all that" was
flashed at him
Then hardly know" said Geof-
frey Hughes blankly-
You've no room. You've Her
soul was in her eyes. None Of that
But tell me, as a man and editor
combined, not as the mighty we You
shelter behind is, is there any hope
for me? If I work, slave, shall I
the truth" she said. moving nearer,
her thin face aglow.
Hughes felt as though a whirlwind
had been loosed upon him He coined
that before the words had left the
girls mouth her lips had frembfed. and
she shrank as a child who expects
scolding. To tell her his honest opin-
ION seemed as beating a tied up dog,
which waited patiently for the pain
1t knew muNt come.
He temporised. "In time, perhaps"
ne said. you might learn to write
more easily. If you tried small stud
les OF the country and peasant life;
time
In time. Thank YOU" She COM
menced to tie up her manuscript A
note OF hopelessneSs was i'm her voice
But frankly'-he spoke slowly
openings are hard to find. Cannot
you try-something else2'
shal nave to" Her liDs twisted
as II at some grim Joke. Now, for
give me. I'll not waste your time.
Editors are so hard to meet. de-
termined to find one and wrest an
opinion from him fOrcibly." Here she
You see, I thought I had
no hope. yet I suppose I bad preserved
some. and this opinion of yours. so
rudely sought, was my last chance
for life itself Goodbye" The last
words were spoken half below her
breath as she slipped ont quietly
Hughes jumped up. adjusting a be-
brain, but his visitor had