Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1913-08-14
WAS A QUIET man
But He BabbIed in His Dreams
About the Plot for a Story.
by MICHAEL }. PORTER.

Of tWenty.three when he fell In love.
He was ready to marry and would
have married the girl Of his choice had
she not run away with an animal
trainer. When the news reached the
young man that his true love had gone
to be trained he jumped into the river
but was rescued BY man with large
and growing family. who charged one
dollar for working over time.
These things happened In village
and the friends OF J. Harrington got
together in convention and resolved
that he ought to depart from pastoral
scenes 70 the mad hustle OF the city.
His heart had been wrenched and his
brain given a jar. and II permitted to
brood over II he would surely fetch up
in q lunatic asylum.
In the city j. Harrington would
meet up with free lunch palaces. conn
dence men. grafters. chorus girls and
investigating committees. and would
soon regain his confidence In human
nature and fall in love again. II was
suggested to him that while he was
waiting to regain he take up the writ
ing Of stories for magazines. II would
be a little sideline that would comfort
him and add to his shekels.
Amanda Penrose Phillips had an in
come from an estate. It provided her
with food and ralment and three
nights q week at the moving picture
shows. She had got along In years to
somewhere between twenty-five ana
forty-fve when gentleman who
owned a mineral spring warranted 10
cure rheumatism II taken according
to directions (barrel per day. asked
her hand In marriage. After an In
terval of three or four seconds she
gave 1t to him. Everything was lovely
and the wedding day was approaching
with the speed OF the state senate
whitewashing a CRATER when a dread
full thing happened. A man who had
come to the spring to be cured OF
rheumatism, was not helped OF that
trouble in the least, but what did the
capricious water do but cure him OF
backache that he had been drawing
a government pension on for "a years.
He al once instituted suit for $780,
900, and the owner OF the spring fed
the country and left the waters bub-
bling behind him.
Leaving the country included leav'
ing Amanda Penrose Phillips. She had
attended every bargain sale for two
months 10 get her bridal OUTFIT to-
gether, and had written as far west AZ
Kansas, that she was going 10 be mar
ried and have mineral water on the
table three times day. The blow fell
as suddenly as hired girl missing the
top step Of the cellar stairs. At the
very moment that the news was
broken the poor girl was buying her
third pair OF Ascent stockings, reduced
from SO cents to make room for the
fall stock Of potatoes.
II was awful. II came SO near kill
ing Amanda Penrose on the spot that
the village undertaken bought a new
hat on the chance that his luck had
turned. For eighteen hours Amanda
remained In a comatose condition.
Then she rallied and took chicken
SCUM, and In a few days could walk
down to the post Office again. Her
friends said she must go to the city
to get over what was gnawing at her
heart-strings. She would see sky
scrapers and trolley cars and Brooklyn
bridges and Coney islands, and in
time she would smile and cavort again.
Meanwhile, as sac had once had q
poem published in a weekly paper,
she should turn TO writing stories for
the magazines. II was something war
ranted to turn the troubled mind into
a new channel.
Behold the rooming house OF Mrs.
Aiken. Behold ]. Harrington Beach
an inmate. Behold Amanda Penrose
Phillips another. Behold them seated
at their respective tables engaged at
their literary labors. The two had
been introduced, but they had not
cared for more. Their bleeding hearts
still bled, and they were selfish in
their grief and loneliness. II was J.
Harrington who first got page Of his
story completed and read It to the
chambermaid for her criticism. She
said It was a hummer thus far, and II
he could keep up the interest Of 1t 1t
would Jump from n hummer TO .
thriller.
It was to be the story Of a million
aires daughter who fell in love with
her table waiter at a summer hotel.
He was a count in disguise, and she
alone had penetrated the disguise. She
loved him for the way he carved the
lobster and mixed the salad. OF
course her father caught on to the
racket AFTER q bit and ordered her
home, but while waiting for the hotel
nus to take her to the depot the wait
er sneaked ND and suggested suicide,
and hand In hand they sprang over
A cliff into the briny.
Il was a story that J. Harrington
Beach had read in an old magazine.
and he was simply changing names
and the color Of hair and eyes.
The next day Amanda Penrose Phil
Inns had the first page Of her story
done. and she read Il to the chamber
maid and asked her opinion. She got
II.