The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-01-16
MAN NOT A MODEL FOR NOVELIST
Suit Dismissed in Which Publishing-house Was Made
Defendant-Many People Think They Are
Used as Basis for Fiction.

you said. I wondered at times because
you showed such extreme agility in
hurdling from one pole to another, if
1t could be- possible that you were
inconsistent. knowing our family and
how consistent they always are, how
true to principle, how loyal to an idea.
could scarcely believe"
Look here, BILL" says Templeton,
I'm a busy man. II you have anything
to say I'll take time to listen. But
these beetlings about our noble fam
lily and it's virtues are not, confess,
of absorbing interest to me. especially
when ! reflect what a set of old hypo-
critics and frauds they all we're"
do you mean to insinuate," begins
Cousin William. that l."
Lord, no, Billy" says Templeton.
grinning. You know the high esteem
in which have always held you"
"Of course if you didn't mean any
thing" says Cousin William notified
II confess, indeed. that l came in to-
day to expostulate with you concern
ing some very personal remarks in
your column last Wednesday. l took
it. since your subject was the deadly
menace of the relative. that you must
have been thinking of Uncle Solo
mons family and feared the public
might think"
The public doesn't think" says
Templeton. THE public never thinks
The public has it's thinking done for
it,"
Surely, Cousin William, you cannot
suppose that l rely entirely on my rel
atives for inspiration" with which
TempletOn burst into such profane and
uncomfortable laughter that Cousin
William, highly offended, withdraws.
And that's the way it always is"
says the cynic. Writers are accused
of things as far away from their
thoughts as Arabia was from the Muir
"ay theater at lie time the Magic
Horse scared so gracefully over the
footlights."
And it's egotism. Grass. wallowing
egotism," continued the cynic, that
makes people think they are the mod
els for the creators of fiction7.-for so
take it," said the cynic politely to the
man at the next desk, you may be
ranked"
You must remember" said the lat
ter. that my copy passes through the
city editors hands before it reaches
the public. l. myself, stick strictly to
facts. Because I have found that facts
are indeed stranger than fiction"
Now this man Daley" went on the
cynic. probably wanted notoriety-or
at least he thought he'd like to get in
to the headlines. If the truth were
known he no doubt was far from being
affronted.
He probably, on the other hand,
public might not know that he had
been immortalized by a celebrity like
Gelett Burgess he put it into the
courts and thus succeeded in getting
into the headlines all right, even If he
didn't get the 100000, nor still a sou
markee."
"Of course" said the cynic, Il have
heard it intimated that it was an ad-
vertising scheme framed up between
the Daley man and the publishing
company although such suggestion
could only emanate from a base and
degenerate source.
II would not, naturally, take any
stock in such an Interpretation myself
For I regard this decision as great
moral victory.
1T should forever lay the ghost Of
writing up People will now know that
however familiar the portrait may
look, it is an illusion.
ut will be a great disappointment,
too" continued the cynic. For there
is nothing people enjoy more than
thinking some one of their acquaint-
ance is getting jabbed in the back.
While they have the warmest friend
ship and admiration for the former it
still gives them an unacknowledged,
but nonetheless intense and fearful
Joy, to think their friends are being
held up to the light and poked full of
holes.
And now" said the man at the
next desk, you think this decision des-
troys this villainous pleasure.
well, you're mistaken.
1T won't
Decisions never decide things.
They write 'em down in a book and