The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-26
The Eueni1,g Story

(By Molly McMaster.)
Mary Ammo gaxed long1ngly at the
newetandn It was the fifteenth Of
the month and many Of the new mag
wfstful-eyed though the girl was. she
realized that she could not possibly
afford to buy more than one or two
| of the 10-cent issues.
Mary Anne was q writer in embryo.
She had not as yet arrived" although
| many editors had found her stories
acceptable. She felt her lack of cur
rent reading matter very deeply. 1t
was difficult to know tho market
when she could not buy the publica-
tionA.
Always. at the 1st and 18th Of the
month, Mary Anne could be found
hanging hungrily about the news
stands. She sometimes felt that to
have yearly subscriptions to half
dozen OF the best magazines would be
her nearest approach to heaven on
this earth.
! On very rare occasions Mary Anne
bought one Of the 35-cent magazines.
With untold joy she perused every line
Of her dearly bought treasure and
drank milk in place of having q good
square meal.
It was in one Of the English pub
that Mary Anne found a solution to
her problem.
| She wondered why the idea had not
occurred to her before.
der the Books and Music column.
! there were two appeals for. old mag
azines.
! In consequence there appeared in
the New York papers q small personal
which read:
sey, Scribner, Mcclure and others one
week late. Half price. Urgent. NJ. A.
Druce. 204 West Seventy-eighth
street.
When young Tommy Deane read
that advertisement his heart Ieapeo
within him. For some months Tom
my's limited bank account had been
whispering to him that he would have
| to curtail outgoing cash. His maga-
zines were in the nature OF q luxury.
although they helped him to dispose
Of an occasional bit of verse or q
short article. Tommy had aspirations
in the literary field as well as week.
| ly salary from a brokerage firm. He
longed to give up all Tor q career. YET
he was far too level-headed to let 60
a regular salary for meager irregular
checks from editors.
The advertisement Of M. A. Druce
came in the nature OF q de1gnt1uI
solution to his difficulty. Tommy
could still have his luxurious amount
/ of current reading matter without
really injuring his bank account an
Improbable degree.
He sat down and ticked off a short,
business-like letter to N. A. Druce: IN
| which he stated that he was willing
to dispose of ten magazines eacn
month one week from date OF publica-
tion. The price to be half of the orig
inal cost.
A. Druce would call for the magazines
SO as to save the postage.
I So it was that Mary Anne obtaineo
her precious reading matter. Sne
called twice q month at the boarding
house where Tommy nao ROOM anu ,r
/ the maid gave her the neatly done up
package in return for a sum OF money.
Recefpts were given and taken IN
lperfectly business-like manner.
Tommy Deane was often curious az
to the personality OF the person wno
souls with that person. whoever II was,
vet heing at business all day, the two
never met.
the corner of particularly eooo
story. and once a short note had been
left in which NJ. A. Druce agreed with
him on. a tale of unusual merit.
Tommv rather fancied the writing and
wished the note had been longer ano
a trffle less impersonal. He mad PIC
ttured Mr.. Druce as q man OF unusual
mental qualities
mv's poems graced the page OF one OF
1.-The better magazines. He underlined
his name in red ink ana wrote nu-
merous marginal notes. somehow ne
felt in close sympathy with M. Druce
He was at loss 10 Anow 'uss why
when he had read his own poem
over again he galnced through the
magazine.
story by Mary Anne Druce. Is there
q chance in the world
The maid with q letter cut short MS
surprise and conjecturing.
.Dear Mr. Deane," he read. Il want
to thank you for the help you have
: afforded me in placing my stories
The magazines. at half price. made II
possible for me to study the market
more systematically. and In conse-
ouence / have sold many stories. One
; of mine is out this month. hope you
will recognize the name. although
believe you have been under the i'm
pressoin that M. A. Druce was a man
Your poem is splendid and wish you
every success. was far too anxious
Ito see If my story was In this month
to wait two weeks old. so bought q
, magazine. Sincerely yours.
MARY ANNE DRUCE."
i Tommy whistled. There seemed nc
other way of adequately expressing
. the Joy that had swept over MIN like
q mighty tidal wave.
That, then, had been the reason fol
: Tommy's feeling OF kinship. 1t had
been a woman's wiles luring hii
thoughts through the medium oi
maRaxines. A mans mind would
never have crept out from the situa-
: tion and tangled itself about his
fTommy's own.
He read Mary Anne's story with
, great interest and recognised writer
that would in q short time find herself
, / in all of the magazines.
FL Tommy sat thinking for more than
an hour. His own writing and literary
: l..-~n~ ~~>vnnd fhira0a ~ M yFaNyYaQs1f