The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-27
MONKTON'S
SCHEME T.:
By F. A. Mitchell


Monthly Magazine. Il want IA story
written on certain lines. and you are
just the man to do the job. Get away
from the city. You can't do such work
in town. Go down to the Mascot
House, in Florida. where you won't
have anything to think of but your
creation. Here's check for your ex-
penses going and coming. and I'll write
my old friend Charlie Burton, the land
lord of the hotel, to send me the bill
for your keep"
Winterhorne was given the theme
lie was to work up and charged to find
a 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 he
found little to distract him at the ho-
tel where he stayed. He was max
ing a beginning when one morning
after breakfast who should come up
| the steps from the hotel conveyance
| but Miss Febiger.
For heavens sake" exclaimed Win
| terhorne. what brought you down
| here?"
What brought you?"
"Monkton 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.
81 wonder" said Winterhorne. what
he sent us to the same place for?"
Il 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?'
mo. He proposed this hotel because
he wanted to patroniZe the landlord.
who is an old friend of his. He was
very busy when l came away. and |
think he forgot about your being here. ="
L
denly.
"What?'
His 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 you take me for
model without either knowing that
the other is doing SO. He'll make an
announcement to that effect-just how
he'll manage it | don't .know-then
publish the stories one Immediately
after the other
What. Give us away"
He'll 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. If 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 splashing
] waves. Now and again both of them.
conscious of taking money for work
that they were not doing. made spas
n.odic efforts to get something done.
They agreed to humor their employer
by taking each other for a model.
The season came and went before
they brought their work to a finish
When they returned they submitted
the manuscripts to the editor. who tool,
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:
What have you two been doing
down there in Florida? l sent you
down for a purpose. but l don't see
that anything has come of it..
Indeed. Mr. Monkton." said Miss
Febiger. I'VE OWNED your purpose and
did the best we could
OWNED my purpose. eh? What
was it,
why. you had a scheme to get two
stories wherein the authors should
take each other for a model
"Oh, did. did r.
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 l got most awfully
sold. You've made Winterhorne out to
be prig and he's made you talk like
an idiot
Both authors flushed at this.
Il didn't send you off for that pur-
pose at all. | had a different one in
view. You. Miss Febiger. have been
trying to earn a living at scribbling
| which You are not fitted for. and We're
breaking down. You needed a husband
70 support Won. | concluded that Win.
teghorne would fill the bill and sent
You to Florida to make a match. I'm
pleased with the success of my scheme