Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-23
D FASHIONABLE FANCIES FOR THE WOMAN AMI
The Daily Story
Call of the Red Gods"

| read the story again,
! II brought great breaths of fragrant air
| into the stuffy room. He could see the
open meadows and woodlands-the dash
| ing, over1owing brooks where the trout
were rising-the throbbing new life burst
ing out into the sunshine. He felt it all
kceny, for he had spent most Of that
happy boyhood of his up among the hills
OF Connecticut. Yes, the busiest editor
in New York sat there dreaming, while
below in the general office people with
important business were being turned
away by the dozen.
The story was signed simply NJ. b Tur-
| ner with an address somewhere UP in
! Connecticut II never saw any one catch
! the real spring feeling as that man does,
| the editor said to himself. He must be
good angler and general sportsman"
! Instead of sending the usual printed
slip accepting the article. he picked up
his pen and wrote the following note:
MIR. NJ b. Turner.
Dear SIr-t have just read your manu-
script The Call of the Red Gods and
| l like 1t so much that 1 shall try to make
/ room for it in the May number which is
already made up. / want to tell you per-
sonally how much I have enjoyed reading
Z 1t and how 1t took me back to my boy
hood home. |, too. am an angler by
choice, though an editor by necessity. II
| you have other stories 1 should be glad
to read them Very truly yours.
JOHN MONTEITH"
The editor of the Twentieth Century
was still young and genial and his outer
shell had not yet hardened.
Then he went back to his work and for
got the story But sometimes in the
midst of the rush and confusion of the
great magazine office there came faint
sweet scent of violets and damp spring
earth and the roar of the city streets
was confused with the rush and roar of
the brooks over1owing with the spring
floods. 1t was then that the story was
uppermost in his mind
One or two other MSS. came from the
same writer, but none was equal to the
first.
He ought to stick to nature" mused
the editor one day in a leisure moment
II wish ] could see him and have a talk
on the subject"
lie wrote Il little note to Mr. NJ. B.
Turner and told him that when he was
in town he would be glad to have him
call at the office of the Twentieth Cen.
tury. In reply came a little typewriter
note thanking him for the invitation but
as NJ. B. Turner was setting out for a
long summer trip through Canada he
could not be In New York until the early
fall. 1t made the office seem very hot
and stuffy-the thought of that Canadian
trip.
The last of August Monteith managed
to get two weeks vacation. When he
returned from the Maine woods the city
looked dirtier and more dingy than ever.
II was refreshing to find a note from
Mr.. Turner, stating that he would call
at the office on Wednesday morning al
1880 o'clock if that would be convenient
to the editor. That was Montelth's
busiest day, but without hesitation he
sent cordial invitation to the young
author to come at the specified time
When he went to the office on Wednes-
day, he had a strange feeling of eXpecta-
tion which he could not explain until he
remembered that this was the day that
the disciple of Izaak Walton was to call
Even while debating letters to his type
writer his mind was wandering off to the
woods and fields he loved so we'll His
thoughts were called back by Miss Jones
and the cessation of the click of the type
writer, II did not catch that last sen
tence, Mr.. Monteith." she said looking
up. Something about pines and brook"
Monteith sat up and a flush deepened
on his face even through his tan. "Oh,
no." he said, politely. you must have
misunderstood me. But that will do for
this morning, Miss Jones. thank you"
He had left word down stairs that al
fggN Ha
Turner If he called.
1t was 1o:45 o'clock when the office
boy, with most perplexed and worried
expression, threw open the door and an
nounced Miss Turner"
Monteith rose to his feet. There on
the threshold, hesitating. flushed, stood
slight girl in a trim tailor gown The
faint perfume OF violets foated into the
room
II am Miss Turner" she said II
really should have told you before. I
only realized 1t was quite wrong when
they almost refused to let me see YOU
and would not believe that was the
eXrectcd person."
She looked SO much embarrassed that
Monteith recovered himself sooner than
he could have done otherwise in order
to put her at ease. But he, too, flushed
II am very glad TO see you. Miss
Turner" he said, shaking hands with
llSA III tlAS NOIuldl way 30 you are the
author of The Call OF the Red Gods?
You really must forgive me for being so
surprised, but you see had always pic
tured mana regular sportsman-and
! cannot quite get adjusted to this
change. Really, how could you have
done it?" he finished abruptly.
81 am rather fond Of fishing" she con-
fessed rather apologetically. II go out
constantly with my brother and so /
thought l would try to write UP one
of my experiences, | was more surprised
than any one else when you accepted it,
| used my initials, hoping that you would
think ! was a man. / was afraid you
would not accept anything about fishing
If you thought 1t was written by a
girl"
Monteith laughed. 1T does not mat
ter who wrote it," he said, lit was de-
lightfuL"
The girls eyes sparkled. ''I am so
glad" she said, II have so wanted TO
write things that would bring all the
freshness OF outdoors into other peoples
lives
Il did not know that girls ever cared
much for that sort OF thing. or if they
did l fancied they were different from
you-more masculine, / mean" He
flushed and hesitatsd.
Lots Of girls care" she said, "only
you don't know them. Now, | am never
so haDDy as when fishing or framing