, 1916-04-20


IF we can only get it into tho
exclaimed, when the man had finished.
But that's where the art comes in.
That is where experience and training
count. If a man like Norris could
only handle it."
A shadow of disappointment came
over the young mans face Il thought
o were going to forget those high
brows. l thought you and l were go
ing to do something original, going
to beat them at their own game. Now
here goes. don't know how to be-
gin stories or o to end them like
those regular writer's, so don't let's
have a beginning. Just let's start right
in at the places where you begin to
catch your breath and wonder what's
going TO happen ext Here, I've got
it" The young mans eyes flashed
with excitement. His manner of diff
fidence and r%eticence had vanished.
Get the paper and write what l 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
of the story and weed out the charac-
ters 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 INT
the farmer man, sitting day after day
il the shade of the solitary apple
tree, working together over the thing
in all the world that interested them
most, dreaming n planning together,
and cropping away to bring to a real
iZation their dearest dream-it was
small wonder that Betty, who was
cry 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-.
MISUNDERSTANDING 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 o anywhere.
Tom, but / would be too much of a
burden-at present. II you had a lit,
tie farm of your own 1t might be diff
~ferent."
1--WE a buy a farm with the money
we get from the story"
Betty explained how hopeless it was
to expect a sale from their first story
or to expect, even II it were sold,
enough to make a first payment on a
farm. Toms optimism would permit
no doubling. And so 1t was agreed
that if the story were sold, even at a
very low figure, Betty would consent
to wed the farmer man ant trust to
good fortune for the rest.
So the story was finished and Betty
typed it on her little portable machine
at the farmhouse and, handing the
precious manuscript to Tom to carry
to the post office, she resigned her lot
to the decision of the publishers read.
ers. And Betty knew by experience
that when publishers return manu-.
script they are not very prompt.
But within ten days Tom fiourished
an envelope from the publishers glee.
fully before Betty's face as they sat at
the old trysting place under the apple
tree.
You see, ! had the audacity to open
the manuscript before ! posted it and
slip in a little note for myself. That's
why they sent 1t to me instead of to
you" But Betty was reading:
In our opinion, it is quite the best
thing you have done. You have got
more of the real smack of the soil
lore of real flesh and blood, into this
than ever before. 1t is Just what was
needed to make your stories as sue
cessful with the average reader as
they already are with the critical.
Please accept u humble congratula-
tons"
Then, as Betty's eyes dropped TO the
lower left-hand side of the a she
read the name that told the story
Mr.. Ridgeway Norris"
They are right, too. dead right" the
nan in farmers garb was saying
What you said about my other STUFF
being hard to understand was right.
That's why left the crowd and got
INTO these jeans and followed the
pillow. But that wouldn't have helped
at all dearest little collaboration in all
h world. What | wanted was a real
hesh-and-blood woman to show me the
way. And Wen sign the book Betty