The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-03-31
Practlcjng
At Literature
By ALAN HINSDALE

Wilbur Jones had In MIN Lteidls
fervor that was seeking an outlef. DE
met Maud Erskine 1t was springtime
They were together III the country
With nothing to do Jones was feeiins
for literary career Persons inocu
lated with the literary fever usually
show tie symptoms in verse Jones
installing his literary ebullitions for
love. veered between letters and poetry.
both addressed 10 Miss Er>kine-
Miss ErSkine. MOI being able TO
throw an ray upon Jones heart. nat
urally supposed these effusions to be
genuine l0vemaking 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 IN her he considered her al
least comely She sang ballads. and
| 70 Jones her voice was melodious.
| Jones became separated from her
| for period of six months When they
i tlicl d-dll ilC was sui ittANCd ~ s7NS a
| 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
ZONE of them to him They were very
j fhov
| bespoke genuine love. But it seemed
TO the author that they must have ex
| pressed the love Of some one else.
Jones decided that what had been
| evolved must he permitted TO die out
as gradually as ii had come. He went
TO another city. wrote Miss ErSkine
commonplace letters further and fur
TO her altogether
Jones literary attainments became
known in HE place Of his sojourn. and
he was pointed ont as an author In
order to divest himself entirely of Miss
Erskine he adopted nom de plume
and nom de hide in one. He became
AlonZo Poindexter One who is at
1 ltiiiftllIS III ulue tIOl1 SlicIiu vi q
woman is always looking out for dis
covery. ZONES was no exception
When Miss Phlomena Andrews
heard that Mr. Jones' Poindexter was
an author she secured an Introduction
MIR. Jones' she said. why do you
authors hide under assumed names?'
How did you know my name is
|
, = little bird told me-
. Jones got away from her as soon as
possible and later asked one of his
, friends. Who is Philomena Andrews?
: shes not Philomena Andrews a
all: she's Mrs. Susan Eldredge."
. Jones trembled Could it be tina
Maud Erskine had objected to bein:
, left in the lurch and had sent detec
: tive after him.
Then it was that those letters. those
verses be had written to Maud came
up to strike him with terror. What ex
!, cellent evidence against him In
: breach Of promise suit. He was ant
D had been for some time thoroughly con
: scious that he had been practicing as
literary producer. but what avail would
such an excuse be when his effusion
were read to twelve good and true
practicaD men? Could he say his pro
6 auctions were simply literary bubbles
: And If such a statement were believed
would he be considered to have tn,
right to practice for authorship on
girl who could not but take the effu
. sions to be genuine expressions OF hi
c 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
D 1t from love? He would be laughed at
i, One day the so called Philomena An
c drews tackled him. saying:
You might as well confess, MI
Jones, that you after me In behal
Of Mr. jenkins no wrote those Low,
' letters to me.
j After you?"
/ Yes. But assure you l will no
Il give up the discriminating illusions III
]. and are merely excellent friends
! When he began to scribble he aske,
!, me to play Beatrice to his Dante
Beatrice was a good wife and mother
so am l. His wife in her jealousy ha
been ridiculous | made up my min
J. to disappear for awhile hoping tina
e she would come to her senses and tn
matter would be dropped"
"B b-but," stammered Jones, rs |
usual for literary men to gather inspi
ration by means of fancied love?'
1T should be. How would artist
: get on without models?"
? Just SO. l never thought of it Il
: that light"
DO be sensible. | know you hav
been employed TO get evidence agains
: my friend. Go back and say that 20
have been convinced that | have bee
> simply his literary model
. III do it | don't know any one t
:, present your case who is better equiv
ped for the purpose than l."
: Jones fixed this matter up satisfat
| tOrily. but he did not dare fry tO dis