Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1916-03-18

story as you have told II to mel" she
exclaimed, when the man had finished
But that's where the art comes In
That is where experience and training
count. II a man like Norris could
only handle II"
A shadow OF disappointment came
over the young mans face. Il thought
you were going to forget those high.
brows. l thought you and were go
ing to do something original. going
to beat them at their own game. Now
here goes. l don't know how to be-
gin stories OF how to end them like
those regular writer's. so don't let's
have beginning. Just let's start right
in at the places where you begin to
catch your breath and wonder what's
going to happen next. Here, I've got
it," The young mans eyes flashed
With excitement. His manner of diff
fidence and reticence had vanished.
Get the paper and write what tell
you. We can do the polishing later.
You can show me how to do that"
Every morning Betty Brown and her
farmer sat under the apple tree. Some
days the farmer would be all ANNA
ton, all ideas. as he had been the day
they began. other days he would be
dull and discouraged. He would be
In a murderous frame of mind, when
he wished to go back over the fabric
NJ ho 90 nj ol-
tiers he had created. Then Betty
would be at her best. Then she would
take the thread Of the story where
the man had left off, adding touches
here and there and bringing order and
FEASIBILITY out of the chaos in which
the man had left the tale.
1t was small wonder that Betty and
the farmer man, sitting day after day
In the. shade of the solitary apple
tree. working together over the thing
in all the world that interested them
most, dreaming and planning together,
and cropping away to bring to a real
ization their dearest dream-it was
small wonder that Betty, who was
very pretty in spite of the fact that
she wore pince-nez and had ambitions,
and Tom Fem, who in spite of his
overalls and his swarthy skin pos
sessed a pair of frank brown eyes
and a deal of rugged charm, should
have got to the point where the dear.
est treasure in life seemed to be the
enjoyment of each others society.
But how shall we MANAGE" Betty
asked one day after the usual pre-.
liminaries-always more or less the
same and yet always a little different
from anything else since the world
began-"how shall we manage? I'd
share your life with you anywhere
Tom, but | would be too much of a
present. If you had a Lit.
lie farm of your own it might be diff
ferent."
I'VE can buy farm with the money /
We get from the story"
Betty explained how hopeless 1t was
% expect sale from their first story
Dr. to expect, even II II were sold,
enough to make a first payment on
arm. Toms optimism would permit
10 doubling. And so it was agreed |
hat IL the story were sold, even at a |
'ery low figure, Betty would consent
o wed the farmer man and trust to
God fortune for the rest.
So the story was finished and Betty
yped it on her little portable machine
{ the farmhouse and, handing the
recious manuscript to Tom to carry
D the post Office, she resigned her lot
the decision of the publishers read.
RS. And Betty knew by experience
hat when publishers return manu-
crtpt they are not very prompt
But within ten days Tom flourished
n envelope from the publishers glee.
lilly before Betty's face as they sat at
ne old trysting place under the apple
rec.
You see, had the audacity to open
ne manuscript before | posted it and
lip in a little note for myself. That's
ny they sent it to me instead of to
ou-" But Betty was reading:
In our opinion, it is quite the best
hing you have done. You have got
lore OF the real smack of the soil,
lore of real flesh and blood, into this
ian ever before. II is just what was
eeded to make your stories as sue
essful with the average reader as
hey already are with the critical.
lease accept our humble congratula.
ons."
Then. as Betty's eyes dropped 10 the
'wer left-hand side of the page, she
lad the name that told the story
Mr.. Ridgeway Norris"
They are right. too. dead right" the
ian in farmers garb was saying
What you said about my other stun
ling hard to understand was right.
hats why left the crowd and got
TO these jeans and followed the
ow. But that wouldn't have helped
all. dearest little collaboration in all
o world. What l wanted was a real
woman to show me the