Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-14


IL out"
He went over to the table and pick
Cd nm a popular novel upon which his
yaza had rested while the haberdasher
snun his fabric of love and gloom. On
the cover was a picture OF very dash
ing maiden.
DO YOU see that girl?" he asked.
she IS beautiful, is she not? Even
Arsbella in her most splendid mo-
ments could get few points from her.
I fancy. Perhaps you are not familiar
with the important part such picture
plsys in the success OF novel today.
The truth is. howe that the noble
art OF fiction writing has come to lean
more and more heavily on its iliustra-
TORS. The mere words that go with
the pictures grow less important every
dsy. There are dozens of distinguish
ed noveIists in the country at this
moment who might be haberdashers IL
il weren't for the long. lean. naughty
ladies' who are scattered ~tastefuiiS
through their works"
Mr.. Bland stirred uneasily.
81 can see you are at loss to know
what nv search for seciusion and pri-
yacv has to do with all this" contin-
r.. Il
wears have drawn these lovely Indies
who make fiction salable to the masses
Many a novelist owes his motorcar and
his country house TO my brush. Two
months ago l determined to give up IL
lustration forever and devote my time
to painting. 1 turned my back on the
noveIists. Can you imagine what nap
pened:'
"My imagination's little tired.
apologized Mr.. Bland.
Never mind. I'll tell you. The lead
ing authors whose work | had so long
illustrated saw ruin staring them In
the face. They came to me on their
knees. fguratively. They begged. They
pleaded In order to escape them and
their really pitiful pleadings i had to
fee. / happened to have friend in
volved in the management of Baldpate
inn. am not at liberty to give his
name. He gave me a key. So here |
am. / rely on you to keep my secret.
II you perceive a novelist in the dis
lance lose no time in warning me-.
Mr.. Magee paused. chuckling inward
IL. He stood looking down at the
lovelorn haberdasber. The latter got
to his feet and solemnly took Magee's
hand.
"I-I-oh. well. you've got me beat
a mile. old man." he said.
you don't mean to say began the
hurt Magee.
"Oh. that's all right" Mr.. Bland as
sured him. az believe every word of
it. It's all as real as the haberdash-
cry to me. Ill keep my eye peeled FOR
novelists. What gets me is. when you
boil our two fly by night stories down.
I've come here to be alone. You want
to be alone. We can't be alone here
together One OF us must clear out
'Nonsense." answered Billy Magee.
'.III be glad to have you here. Stay
as long as you like.
The haberdasher looked Mr.. Magee
fully in the eye. and the latter was
startled by the hostility he saw In the
others face. $500
..Tbe point is" said Mr.. Bland. 81
don't want you here. Why? Maybe
because you recall beautiful danes
! on book covers-and in that way, Ara
bella. Maybe-but what's the use: L
put 1t simply 1 got to be alone-alone
on BaIdpate mountain. ! won't put
you out tonight
.See here. my friend cried Mr.. Ma
gee. ..your grief has turred your head.
You won't put me out tonight or to-
morrow. I'm here TO stay. You're
welcome to do the same. il you like.
But YOU stay-with me- l know you
are a man of courage. but it would
take at least ten men of courage to
put me out of Baldpate inn
~
moment. BANDS thin lips twisted into
a sheer. We'll see" he said. wen
settle all that in the morning. His
tone took on more friendly aspect
I'm going to pick out a downy couch
in one of these rooms" he said. land
Law me down to sleep. Say. L could
greet a blanket like long lost friend.
Mr.. Magee proffere6 some of the COW
ers that Quimby bad given him and
I accompanied Mr.. Bland to suit 10.
! across the ball. With brisk good
night Mr.. Magee returned to No. ..
/ But he made no move toward the
! chilly brass bed in the inner room
Instead he sat a long time by the nre.
/ He reflected on the events of his hrst
Z few hours in that supposedly uninhab-
/ tied solitude where he was to be alone
with his thoughts. He pondered the
way and manner of the fiippant young
man who posed as a lovelorn haber-
! dasher and under whose fippancy
there was certainly an air OF hostility.
/ Who was Andy Rutter, down in Reu-
/ ton? What did the young man mean
when be asked il he should "close up
/ shop?" Who was "he" from whom
came the orders. and. most important
OF all. what was in the package now
resting in the great safe?
Mr.. Magee smiled. Was this the
stuff OF which solitude was made?
He threw of his dressing gown and
began to unlace his shoes.
There has been too much crude
melodrama in my novels" he reflected.
'Its so easy to write. But I'm going
to get away from all that up here. I'm
going"
Mr.. Magee paused. with one shoe
! poised in his hand. For from below