Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1914-10-02
The Mysterious
Stories
By EVERETT J. MARKLE

After amusing myself at this work for
awhile constructed story that I
thought pretty good and tried 1t on a
magazine. To my surprise, it was ac-
cepted. sent out more and was re-
warded with more acceptances.
When ] came to be troubled with In.
sournia my story writing furnished me
with occupation during hours of wake
fulness. ! have written many a story
or part Of story between l and 4 in
the morning. ! boarded with a lady.
Mrs Stoughton. and her daughter.
Kate. ] may admit in passing that
when a man boards with lady who
has daughter. especially If that
daughter is attractive, be is likely to
put matrimonial rope around his
neck. At any rate, an affair was
brewing between Kate Stoughton and
myself. She used to twit me for sit.
dng up In the middle Of the night
scribbling. for ! didn't admit that
was troubled with Insomnia. But Kate
was always joking me. and anything
she said was acceptable.
One evening ] went up to my room
N1Asy LIS q "dSuLIHc Will me 10 rouO
during my evening awake. Turning
ever the leaves. l came to a story by
some one who had the same name as
myself. ! read the story. and It seem
ed to me as If might have dreamed
1t myself. But our mental faculties
are very subtle. and 1t occurred to me
that my seeming connection with II
might have come from an ntinitesimal
~ small period of suspended ANNA
Z ton. at the awakening from which !
fancied had seen the story before.
But this did not explain my name
being used as the author of the stories
J was puzzled over this. especially be-
cause was not familiar with any
magazine writer of my name-Truce
II Is not IN uncommon one, and doubt.
less there were other scribhlers bear
ing 1t. but / knew none such, especially
with my initials.
! didn't think much Of this at the
time, for my business. which had been
running so smoothly. began to give
me lot or trouble. and ] was finally
on the verge Of closing 1t out. | was
hanging by my fingers. so to speak.
Oh uuOtneT story Win L0N
name to 1t. and. strange to say, there
was the same faint dreamy knowl.
edge OF 1t that had pertained to the
former one. The fellows stories evil
IDENTIFY pleased magazine readers, for
they began to appear quite often.
read every one | came across, and my
establishment grew with each, for
there was none but reminded me OF
something 1 had heard or read or
dreamed
Then II occurred to me to go to
some Of the magazine offices and lind
out who the writer was. | went first
to an editor knew best
"Hellor' he said. You're Just the
man l want to see. sent check to
you the other day for one of your
stories, and the letter inclosing 1t came
back unopened. Have you taken to
scribbling for no pay?''
Il haven't sent you story for
months"
"Not The MoonshinerY
"NO." This was one Of the other
fellows | had read.
The editor looked at me. puzzled
Then I told him what had happened
He had supposed the stories with my
name attached to them came from me-
and he had no explanation OF the mys
terry to offer. He handed me fat
check. but ! declined 1t and went to
see other editors In whose magazines
the other scribbler's stories had ap.
peared- They had all supposed that
/ tho ntpfh nr ~ h, I,>%s
sent In. and all had credited me with
the amount due-in all more than a
thousand dollars.
Now. had got through my business
troubles, all but a thousand dollar note
coming due in few days. All had
to do was to accept checks in payment
for my stories and would be "out OF
the woods" But l had not written
the stories and had no right to take
pay for them. Besides. If l did so and
the real author turned up | would be
liable to prosecution for swindling.
was in condition OF mind where
q man needs to confide in some one
That evening ] saw Kate Stoughton
and told her the whole story. including
the fact that the use of thousand
dollars would save my business.
'"Then 60 to morrow" she said, land
draw the money from the magazines
One morning mother found a manu-
script In q ORA wer of your desk; then
another and another Mt intervals. One
night she saw you writing and spoke
to you. You didn't answer. You were
writing in your sleep or some similar
condition. l read the stories. and it
occurred to me that it would be good
Joke to send them out to magazines
] did so, and they were oil accepted
In some Instances letters came for you
from the magazines. Some | opened
and found checks inclosed resealed
the envelopes and returned then
Such is my confession. ! am sorry
now that didn't give them to you."
was 30 delighted at having the
money TO pull me through In my busi-
ness affairs that I threw my arms
around her neck and thereby put the
halter OF matrimony that ! spoke OF
around my own.