Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-08-08
WAS A QUIET MAN
But He BabbIed in His Dreams
About the Plot for a Story.
BY MICHAEL J. PORTER.

J. Harrington Beach had an income
| from an estate. 1t wasn't terrible
| income. but it did very well for q
man Of quiet tastes.
J. Harrington had reached the age
of tWenty-three when he fell In love.
He was ready to marry and Woulo
have married the girl Of his choice had
she not run away with an amman
trainer. When the news reached the
young man that his true love mad 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 a village,
and the friends of J. Harrington got
together in convention and resolved
that he ought to depart from pastoral
scenes to the mad hustle of the city.
His heart had been wrenched and his
brain given a jar, and II permitted 10
brood over it he would surely fetch up
In a lunatic asylum.
| In the city J. Harrington would
meet up with free lunch palaces, conn
| dence men, grafters, chorus girls ana
Investigating committees, and would
soon regain his confidence in human
nature and fall In love again. 1t was
suggested to him that while he was
waiting to regain he take up the writ
ing of stories for magazines. 1t would
be little sideline that would comfort
him and add to his shekels.
Amanda Penrose Phillips had an in
come from an estate. 1t provided ner
with food and raiment and three
nights a week at the moving picture
shows. She had got along In years to
somewhere between twenty-five and
forty-five when gentleman VINO
owned mineral spring warranted to
cure rheumatism if taken according
to directions (barrel per day. asked
her hand in marriage. After an In
terval of three or four seconds she
gave it to him. Everything was lovely
and the wedding day was approaching
with the speed of the state senate
withdrawing a CRATER when dread
full thing happened. A man who mad
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 at once instituted suit for $780,
900, and thesowner 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 to get her bridal outfit to-
gether, and had written as far west as
Kansas, that she was going to 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 96 cents to make room for the
fall stock of potatoes.
It was awful 1t 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
soup. and in few days could walk
down to the post Office again. Her
| friends said she must go TO the city
l - urI,o wi n q
| 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 she had once had
| poem published In a weekly paper,
she should turn to writing stories for
| the magazines. 1t was something war
| ranted to turn the troubled mind into
| new channel.
Behold the rooming house of Mrs.
Aiken. Behold J. 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
CdISQ lOT U1CCulAS A0H1 70
still bled, and they were selfish in
their grief and loneliness. 1t was ].
Harrington who first got a page Of his
story completed and read it to the
chambermaid for her criticism. She
said it was hummer thus far, and II
he could keep up the interest of it 1t
would jump from hummer to a
thriller.
1t was to be the story of million
aires daughter who fell in love with
her table waiter at 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 bit and ordered her
home, but while waiting for the hotel
bus to take her to the depot the wait
er sneaked up and suggested suicide.
and hand in hand they sprang over
cliff into the briny.
IA To