The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-11

the big monthlies?" I've asked him.
You can surely get away with it..
Because I'm not sure of my
ground he'd insist. They want
stories about Europe and society, or
I the West, or the East, or the North,
or the South, or the Fiji islands. |
don't know those places and people.
In the face of Kipling's dictum that
Accuracy is the tombstone of all art
easy enough TO make up plots for
I those Patterson stories"
But Monty disappeared,
! II dawned on me one day that he
! hadn't been around for a couple of
weeks to be tided over. Nobody else
had seen him, / found, and when the
third week went by without sign of
him, started to investigate at a hint
from the editor in chief. His next
| tale was long overdue.
At his lodging house in West Four
teenth street the landlady told me,
with genuine regret, that he had left
suddenly nearly month before, with
out word as to where he was going.
And there the hunt ended.
| Without hiring private detectives,
we could do nothing until he chose to
send us word,
| A day or two later he did, but 1t
| didn't help much | got picture post
card from him. dated at Cairo, Egypt.
Having the time of my life" it
said. Sorry | couldn't get around
to say good-by Will write But he
never wrote. was considerably sur
prised and inclined to be angry with
him. Where had he got the funds to
travel?
Six months went by.
For four of them we ran the Pat
terson stories, as usual; then the sup
ply gave out The chronicles of the
brilliant master-rogue were not in the
magazine for August.
Hardly had the September number
reached the newsstand when storm
of protest began.
Readers all over the country wrote
indignant, facetious. or aggrieved let
ters, wanting to know why we had
failed twice in succession to print the
Easy-Money" stories.
Looks as though we were going
} to lose some subscribers" said the ed
itor in chief and with that to think
: about | went out to lunch.
, In Fifth avenue, not a block from
: the office, ran square into the van
, lshed author.
Monty Purse" I cried. Where
under heaven have you BEEN"
why, blessed if it isn't Sponable!'
, he exclaimed heartily, squeezing my
hand in strong, brown fingers, Gee
: I'm glad to see YOU Isn't this OLE
!, hamlet a Joy and delight of the hear
) and a comforter Of Affections? Com'
:, and have . drink. I've forgotten wha
: a cocktail tastes like"
I As we turned through the crowd
! sized him up. II was new Monty
no longer our beloved M. T. Purse"
= Gone was his careless dress gon
the worry that used to shadow hi
) face. That face was now tanned
{, rich brown and was lighted by an q
|, preston that belongs by divine RICH
: only to persons of wealth
e Z, Where have you been?' | repea
i, ed as we found seats in a cafe. II
I, turned to waiter.
i Bring me- he said with decision
4 "a Manhattan. Make it two"
q Hold on" | began.
+ Two" repeated Monty frml
% Whats yours. old man." Ar
d when the man was gone Why. "
q been studying Europe and society. al
Pc the West and East, and various oth'
49, things
- And left us in the lurch just fol-
FL stories to the good, and now--see VIII
our readers think about it, shove
n him one of the letters.
Monty Purse returned 1t with rath
a guilty look.
Had no idea l was SO importan,
he defended himself. 81 suppose
really shouldn't have done it; b'
Lord, man, it was a temptation
But what on earth did you do?"
Il told you-went abroad. Took
Europe and Asia and sections of !
RIGA. I'd be there yet if | hadn't 6
so homesick for certain insign
cant village on the Hudson. And l
learned heap, Sponable. I'll be al
to write now Want something diff
ri ent?"
~ Indeed we do. But where did y
ever get the money TO travel on?'
demanded bluntly. Somebody lea
you fortune?"
&& Why, no; from my stories.
III found new market; that's all"
TN For whom are YOU writing nov
E inquired rather coldly.
I'D Haven't the faintest idea" s
Monty Purse.
- stared at him in amazemt
- well, for Look here, YOU seem
k be sober. suppose YOU tell me
~ about it"
"a Well" he began thoughtfully,
- ward the end of last January | was
IL in my room working on a Patter
g story and feeling bad Sponable
- there's one form of unmitigated Ha
Is it's being in debt. | was.
- 1t was getting late and | was al
"a ready to turn in. when the landl
"a came up with a visitor.
rs lie was a queer.looking guy.
~ A. b,;rb+ faf hold ond-Uall 60