Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-08-31

That Last
Chapter
How a Detective Story
Was Finished.
N NAR~NHnCI
BY F. A. Mitchell

4 BY F. A. Mitchell 5
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"Hellow
"WenT
"Are you Mr.. MacKinnonT
Eyes. What is it?'
I'm Hayden, composing room. The
last chapter of that detective story Is
missing"
"Missingr"
Eyes"
"Great Scottl What are we to dor
Connolly read 1t, and I sent up the
manuscript just as received It from
him. You say 1t IL detective story?"
Eyes. That's what the title indi-
Gates"
Here was q beautiful situation. A
detective story with the last chapter
missing! Connolly was the only per
son connected with the Office who had
read It, and he had gone away. or
dered a search made for the missing
chapter without success. Nothing re-
NAMED but the author. I called to
the telephone operator, "Give me No.
2O78 Penfeld."
It seemed an hour, though It was
but forty seconds, before I heard
click, and a woman's voice answered:
"Well"
lis this Miss QuigleyT
This is Miss Quigley's home, but
she's hot here She sailed this morn
ing for Japan"
The groan I gave was doubtless audi
BILE to the woman On the other end OF
the wire, for she asked II anything
was the matter. In reply I asked her
II Miss Quigley had left any manu-
scripts or parts Of manuscripts with
her. The reply was that before leav-
ing the authoress had burned every
scrap Of paper she had except q de-
tective story in the hands Of her pub
fishers. 1 groaned again and hung up
the receiver without even thanking
the person for her Information.
There was nothing for 1t but to read
the story and write the last chapter
myself. Just think-make an ending
to q detective story, detective story
written by woman famed for weav-
Ing plots that no human being but her
self could unravel! must first wade
through a labyrinth Of incidents in
tended to throw the reader OF the
track, my head ut the same time being
full of other matters. Connolly attend
ed to such work, and knew little or
nothing about 1t. He had gone into
hiding to escape legal summons and
no one but himself knew where. With
the authoress In the middle Of the big
gest ocean on earth, there was no res
pite for ME. l took up the telephone
receiver again.
"Send me the manuscript Of that de-
tective story ut once. There's been
some COMPOUNDED carelessness some
where, and whoever is to blame Will
get his head taken Off,
The latter part Of this message was
superfluous. 1t was merely blowing
Off Of the mad that was in me. The
manuscript came down, and, placing 1t
on the desk Mt one side, the rest being
covered with an infinite variety Of
matter. principally galley proofs, page
proofs and everything else that can
come from printers to distress an ed
itor, turned to the first chapter and
began to skim. for had altogether too
much to occupy me to give the matter
undivided attention. While reading
the first chapter gave orders concern
ing the making Of pictures. the buying
Of supplies, the turning down OF sub
mitted manuscripts. l apologized for
having offended suffragists, anti-suf-
fragists. prohibitionists and winebib'
bers.
have given this information re-
specting the Interruptions attending
my reading Of the first chapter simply
for sample Of the rest. When / fin
ished all of the story possessed /
knew no more about the plan on which
It was written than of the last chapter
But / had formed some idea Of what
might possibly be thrown In to worry
the reader-it certainly worried me
and I went over It all again, this time
to get a comprehensive view. and the
result was more satisfactory. But as
to who stole the watermelon-it was
either watermelon or sapphire as
big as q watermelon-I had not the
faintest conception. However. since
there must be a conclusion selected
from a number Of intended misleaders
one that thought would be the easiest
to make fit the conditions. This done,
locked my desk and went home to
dinner.
At 8 O'Clock I sat down to write the
last chapter Of 1.-The Gem Of Good
Hope" My work consisted in fitting
my denouement to the rest Of the sto-
~. or, rather. in fitting the rest Of the
story to my denouement. Whoever
has tried to work out one Of those puz-
zles in which there Is always one
piece which cannot be made to fit in
its proper place will understand the
nerve racking task in which was en-
gagged. Just rs I had come to believe
that l was meeting with some success
I smelled smoke and heard a commo-
ton below.
Running downstairs. found an in
cipient fire in the kitchen back Of the
range and set about putting 1t out.
Some one had turned in an alarm. and
in a few minutes the changing fire en-
gines were pulling up before the door
The house was filled with f1remen.
small boys. water and smoke. Fortu-
nately the disturbance did not last
long. but after 1t was all over and I
returned to my literary labors was
obliged to listen to the sounds Of the
crowd attracted by the noisy f1remen.
It was 2 o'clock In the morning be-
fore I finished writing the last chapter
of 1.-THE Gem Of Good Hope" and,
throwing myself Ito bed. tried to
sleep. But l was tortured by fear
that I had left something unconnected
that would make the story ridiculous.
However, managed to get four hours
slumber and, after hasty breakfast.
went to the office with the manuscript