The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-17
HOWIBECAME
FAMOUS
BY BARBARA PHIPPS

We go through the world seldom tax
ing note that our every condition Is due
to some insignificant cause. l am q
literary woman whose works are uni
versally read. am married to a lit
erary man whose works are drug In
the market And yet when l met him
he stood high with litterateurs, while
had not yet written line. What was
the insignificant cause OF this bouiever-
sement2
win tell you.
One SUMNER was then twenty
two years old got out my trunk to
pack it before going to the country to
spend a month at the Sacacachet inn.
Glenwood- The trunk was SO dilapi-
dated that 1 dared not trust 1t in the
hands Of baggage smashers. I could
not well afford a new one, but went
out to see what could do in the mat
ter. / hit upon a secondhand trunk
too good to be called such. and bought
1t for a reasonable price. On one end
were the letters s. l. o. Those were
not my initials, and directed the sell
CT W eNuSc luelh anu put AAafo bucKo
instead. When the trunk was deliv-
cred TO me he had neglected to do so.
had not time to send it back, so took
It away with me as 1t was.
In the reading room took up city
Newspaper, and my eye fell on notices
of the movements of celebrities. One
was as follows: "Miss Sarah Louise
olmstead is sp ling the month Of
July at the SacAcachet inn, at Glen.
wood" Miss Olmstead was a novelist
Of reputation. l congratulated myself
that I would have an opportunity to
meet her.
was sitting on the hotel piazza In
the evening twilight when q gentle
man stepped up to me and said defer
entialiy;
"Miss Olmstead, we scribblers, l. pre-
sumo, do not need an introduction.
am Sidney Hall. May l claim your
acquaintance? I have enjoyed your
works immensely and have felt that II
my especial line and yours could be
Joined we Gould do something remark
able. l am fortunate In meeting you
here, and with your permission will
explain what have In mind"
While he was saying this light was
breaking in on my dull brain. l had
been taken for the famous Miss Ohm
stead. At the same time desire to
see. II something interesting might not
COME of the mistake, as well as curios-
ity, led me to ask Mr.. Hall what had
led to the discovery Of my identity. he
told me that my initials on tAe end of
my trunk had been observed and a
newspaper had announced my coming.
1t was evident that the real celebrity
had not arrived OF IL she had, was In.
cognita.
formed no plan with regard to per.
sonating Miss Olmstead; simply drift
ed into doing so. She did net appear
to expose me, and It would not have
troubled me II she had, for permit
ted Mr.. Hall especially to continue In
error simply for lark. / listened to
bis plans for oollaboratio between us
with interest and was reckless enough
to assent to them.
He left the inn early the next morn.
ing, but during the evening l spent
with him he elaborated his scheme,
and l promised to devote myself dur
ing the next few days to laying down
a skeleton Of the work he proposed.
The truth is was quite delighted with
his proposition and eager to see If
could make any success OF my part
Of 1t.
In couple Of days sent Mr.. Han
the result OF my labors, and he wrote
me that he was delighted with It. His
reply, addressed to Miss Olmstead, was
put In my box by the hotel clerk. l
wrote my collaboration that would
continue my work. suggested that he
proceed with his part and as soon as
returned to the city he might call on
me and we would confer further.
OF course there must soon come an
end to all this. and In truth my reck
lessness in playing the part Of another
soon began to wear on'me and caused
an earlier return to the city than had
expected. AS soon as / arrived l mott
fed Mr.. Hail. He came to see me, and
confessed to him that was not Miss
0lmetead, was not a scribbler and
16AE nothing about writing fiction
He looked at me, dumfounded ani
iRcredulous, for a few moments, ther
said:
whoever and whatever you are
you have laid down a scheme for {
novel so original and capable Of be
ing worked to advantage that 1t will
surely be a success. All l ask tina
you act with me an carrying it out"
Within a year our ncSeL "a Mskri
monial Venture" was published an(
was the literary success Of the year
Before its publication Mr.. Hall and
perpetrated another matrimonial ven
ture which was equally successful
Ny literary venture was followed uI
by another work independent of m,
husband, and from that day, while M
lightweight productions continued t
grow in favor, his deeper ones grad
ually lost caste. This regarded as ;
proof Of my insipidity and Of bis rea
value. Had 1t not been for bis sug
gestions In our joint novel mere wouit
have been no real merit In It It CAV
me the entry to the reading public.
Whether the real Miss Olmstead eve
heard Of the mistake In my beinl