The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-03-04
The Little
Authoress
By WILLARD Bl.AKEMAN

suavity that is required Of the editor
Of a magazine When authors came In
with their manuscripts be would grasp
them cordially by the hand, smile upon
them. ask them TO be seated and listen
to their long. talks about what they
had to offep &.
One day the pretnest little girl In the
world was admitted to Mr.. Ewing's
sanctum. She came In with smile
not only to heat the one with which he
greeted her. but. In slang phrase. ito
beat the band He drew up chair
for her close TO his rosewood desk and
relieved her at once Of q package she
carried by which he knew her for an
authoresss Then he brought his ex-
pressive cyes upon her as II 10 say:
DO tell me. what can do for you. l
am dying tO serve you"
Then she. began to talk. About
what? Everything--her bashfuIness
about entering the field Of literature.
the great responsibility that must nec-
essarily rest upon editors. what won.
derfuI powers Of discrimination they
must have. the characters In her work,
a novel; her difficulty in finding motif
and the many times she had rewritten
certain parts. For half m hour she
talked, the editor listening rather to
her sweet voice than what she snid-he
had heard Il all q thousand times be.
fore--sometim fancying that she was
a bird that had flown into his sanctum
to rest him from the hardest work In
the w0rld--that of reading one manu-
script after another through the long
day.
When she went away he had prom
ised her that In order to give her story
especial attention he would take 1t
home with him and read 1t. far away
from the Interruptions constantly oc-
CURING during business hours. For
some time after she had gone he sat.
with her warble still sounding sweetly
In his ears. then began to write In
blue pencil the word return" on the
covers Of pile Of manuscripts on his
desk. throwing each into basket be-
side him. such as Is commonly used
as receptacle for soiled linen.
| cNVn0hS. uuC " uAs PtOnAoG,
he took the manuscript. home with him.
intending ~ read 1t at an early date;
but. whether. the little authoress had
made deeper impression on him than
the bundle or whether he had been so
taken with her that he was In no hur-
ry 10 get rid OF her, he put on its ex-
animation from day TO day. Now and
again she. would call upon him. He
would greet Der With the same ana:
bility as before. telling her tbat he
was deferruG the examination Of her
novel TIL he felt In . mood to appre
ciate its merits. The more delicate the
style and sentiment In n story the
more dificult II was Of detection
Doubtless within another week he
would feel inspired TO read the manu-
script and decide upon its merits,
Tho patience, the good nature, OF the
little authoress were inexbaustible.
She appreciated the editors kindness
to her. II stranger. and hoped he would
not hurry lie invited her to drop In
occasionally. since he would always he
glad to talk with her about her liter.
ary aspirations
One day when the editor felt lin.
spired' to read the manuscript he had
taken home lie looked for II In his
room and did not ind II. Calling his
landlady, he made inquiries and learn
ed that she had gathered up some "olc
truck" among them a lot Of paper
done up in u bundle, and II had been
taken away by the scavenger.
The editor turned pale. The manu-
script of the little authoress had doubt
less gone To the dumping ground
whence II woald not be recovered. Ill
wrote her at once to know II she hat
another copy. since he wished frient
on whose literary Judgment he great!
relied TO reado the story and had no
yet finished 1t himself. She replict
. that she had given him the only copy II
existence. If,s slN
The six months that followed wer
wearing on the editor. For that periO,
he put the little authoress on with ex
cuses. Then, there being NO other wa!
out Of the trouble-at least 80 he put !
, to himself he ed her to marry him
|. When she refused him she took ava
his last prop He had faint hop
that the eslrangement which usual
comes between a man who has bee
refused aud the lady who has refuses
him would lead the little authoress I
keep away from him and the los
manuscript would In time bs forgottey
but she cosunued to call for Il In pei
I son. always with the same good natuI
. sd smile. never Gliding him for th
{ delay. and every time she left him b
assured her that by the time she cam
again he would susuly b. ready to Riv
her his literary opaqiop on her wor
0 and did not doubt that = would be ~
J. septed By the magasine.
The lady's refusal pf him made ht'
r sognixant Of The fact that she VI
much more to him than he had suI
posed After month more OF ment'
Distress he confessed to the loss Of Il
manuscript aud that he couldn't 20
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