The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-26
Practicing
At Literature
By ALAN HINsDALE

met Maud Erskine. 1t was springtime.
They were together in the country
with nothing to do. Jones was feeling
for a literary career. Persons inocu-
lated with the literary fever usually
show the symptoms in verse. Jones.
mistaking his literary ebullitions for
love, veered between letters and poetry.
both addressed to Miss Erskine.
Miss Erskine. not being able to
throw an x ray upon Jones' heart, nat
urally supposed these illusions to be
genuine lovemaking. Had Jones not
felt them to be such himself they
would not have been as commendable
as they were.
Miss Erskine was not a beauty. but
while Jones was writing verses and
love letters to her he considered her at
least comedy. She sang ballads, and
to Jones her voice was melodious.
Jones became separated from her
for a period of six months. When they
met aga.R he was surprised to see
woman very plain of face and figure.
and as to voice, hers was like the
wind whistling through telegraph
wires, though not so musical He
would not have believed that he could
have been infatuated had it not been
for the letters and verses. She read
some of them TO him. They were very
good as literary productions; they
bespoke genuine love. But 1t seemed
to the author that they must have ex-
pressed the love of some one else.
Jones decided that what had been
evolved must be permitted to die out
as gradually as it had come. He went
to another city, wrote Miss Erskine
commonplace letters further and fur
Their apart and finally stopped writing
to her altogether.
Jones literary attainments became
known in the place Of his sojourn. and
he was pointed out as an author. In
order to divest himself entirely of Miss
Erskine he adopted a nom de plume
and a nom de hide in one. He became
Alonzo Poindexter. One who is at
tempting to hide from a sheriff or a
woman is always looking out for dis
covery. Jones was no exception.
When Miss Philomena Andrews
heard that Mr.. Jones oindexter was
an author she secured an introduction.
"Mr. JONES'" she said, why do you
authors hide under assumed namesT'
"How did you know my name is
JonesY' he asked, with suspicion.
"a little bird told me-"
Jones got away from her as soon as
possible and later asked one of his
friends, ''who is Philomena AndrewsY'
"She's not Philomena Andrews at
all: she's Mrs. Susan Eldredge."
Jones trembled. Could it be that
Maud Erskine had objected to being
left in the lurch and had sent detec-
| tive after himf
Then 1t was that those letters, those
verses he had written to Maud came
up to strike him with terror. What ex'
| cellent evidence against him In q
breach of promise suit! He was and
had been for some time thoroughly con
scious that he had been practicing as 0
literary producer, but what avail wouic
such an excuse be when his effusions
were read to twelve good and true
(practicaD men? Could he say his pro
auctions were simply literary bubbles
And IL such a statement were believed
would he be considered to have thu
right to practice for authorship on
girl who could not but take the efru
sions 70 be genuine expressions OF hi
love for her? Suppose that he attempt
ed to excuse himself on the grount
that the literary fervor within him wa
SO strong that he could not distinguish
It from love? He would be laughed al
One day the so called Philomena An
drews tackled him, saying:
"You might as well confess, MI
Jones, that you are after me In behal
of Mr.. Jenkins, who wrote those low
letters to me-.
after your"
: Eyes. But assure you l viii nc
give up the discriminating enusions. ID
and I are merely excellent friends
When he began to scribble he aske
me to play Beatrice to his Dant'
Beatrice was a good wife and mothe'
so am 1. His wife in her Jealousy ha
been ridiculous. made up my min
to disappear for awhile. hoping tha
she would come to her senses and II
] matter would be dropped.
"B-b-but," stammered Jones, is
{ usual for literary men to gather insp
E ration by means Of fancied lover
"It should be. How would arts'
GET on without modelsT'
"Just so. l never thought OF u
/, that light"
&Do no sensible. know you hay
been employed to get evidence againi
NV friend. Go back and say that 70
have been convinced that ! have bee
simply his literary model"
am do II. / don't know any one
. nresent your case who is better eqm
. ned for the purpose than l.
Jones fixed this matter up satisi :.
torfly. but he did not dare try to Oh
nose of his own affair in the same wa
However. on his return he heard Tn
. his literary love was engaged to ma
I