Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1913-10-10
M II, s
SCHEME 1.
/. By F. a. !. Mitchell / j { J.

..Winterhorne.' 2 said Mr.. MOnkton.l
proprietor and manager of Monkton's:l
! Monthly Magazine, Il want a story
written on certain lines. and you are
| lust the man to do the job. Get away
from the city,. You cant do such work.
| in town. Go down to the Mascot
House, in Florida. where you won't 'rrt
have anything to think Of but your
creation. Here's a check for your 81 ex-.
penses going and coming, and NIL write l1'
my old friend Charlie Burton, the land and
lord of the hotel, to send me the bill
for your keep" 7
Winterhorne was given the theme
lie was to work up and charged to hnd5
! real model for his heroine. He was
much pleased at the prospect before
/ him and started with a light heart.
On the way down he tried to lay out
plan, but he found that plans usually
came to him after he began to write.
not before. The season had not yet
opened at the southern resorts. and ne
found little to distract him at the no
tel where he stayed. He was max
ing beginning when one morningl
after breakfast who should come upl
the steps from the hotel conveyancel
| but Miss Febiger.
:For, heavens sake" exclaimed Win-1
terhorne. what brought you down.
| here?
what brought you?"
"lonkton sent me down to write
story on a special plan he's taken
desperate fancy to-"
He sent me down on the same err
rand"
They compared notes as to the char
acter of the work each was to do and
found they had been given different
themes and different lines of treat
| ment.
II wonder" said Winterhorne. what
he sent us to the same place for?' r.
II can't imagine
Hes got some scheme on hand
something for feature to attract at
tention to the magazine: And he said
nothing about my being here?
NO. He proposed this hotel because
he wanted to patronize the landlord.
who is all old friend of his. He was
very busy when l came away. and
think lie forgot about your being here.
II have it, said Winterhorne sud
denly. ...
.'What?" *.s' s
Ills scheme Didn't he tell you to
find some real model for your hero!"
Yes. he did"
And he told me to find some real
woman for my heroine. His; plan is to
| have ME take you and yeu take me for
q model without either knowing that
the other is. doing so. He'll make an
announcement to that .etfeet-just how
he'll manage it l don't know-then
publish the, stories one Immediately
| after the other
What. Give us away?'
Hell probably use the stories under
| assumed Names"
"Mr. Monkton is very bright man."
"He'll gain thousands in circulation
by this scheme alone"
The scribblers found the genial
warmth more conducive to lOunging
than working II they had hit upon
| the editors scheme their having done
| so foiled it. They sat together under
the exuberant tropical foliage listen
ing to the birds sing or on the sands.
lulled by the music Of the splashinel
waves. Now and again both of them
| conscious of taking money for work 1
| that they Were not doing. made spas
! modic efforts to get something done.
| They agreed to humor their employer
by taking each other for model.
The season came and went before
they brought their work to finish.
When they returned they submitted
the manuscripts to the editor. who took
them home with him to read. One
day when they were both in the, Office
| he called them into his private room
| together and said: & A:a
"What have you two been doing
; down there in Florida?s l sent you
down for a purpose. but don't see
that anything has come Of it,
"Indeed. Mr.. Nlonkton.'' said Miss
Febiger, I'VE OWNED your purpose and
did the best we could"
OWNED my purpose, eli? What
was it,"
"Why. you had scheme to get two
stories wherein the authors should
take each other for a model i
ooh, did. did ! 2"
Il don't see what other purpose you
could have had" said Winterhorne
do you suppose would have tried
to rope you in with so thin scheme.
as that? If did | got most awfnfly
sold. You've made Winterhorne out to
be a prig, and he's made you talk nike
an idiot a.
Both authors flushed at this.
II didn't send you OF for that pur-
pose at all. had a different one IL
view. You. Miss Febiger. have been
trying to earn 4 living at scribbling,
which you are not fitted for. and were.
breaking down. You needed husband
to support you. concluded that Win.|
terhorne would fill the bill ana sent
you to Florida to make a match. I'Inl
nj 7vvv%fnn