davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

Who's going TO the fair?" En-
NETT Lane demanded. bursting in
upon the Ashtons, his three pretty
cousins. \ chorus of Nobody" an
severed him-crescendo, and ending
i'm a sort of groan.
why on earth" Emmett be-
gan. Lois, the eldest Ashton, took
the word from his lips. saying: Just
what we want to know-dad says we
shan't. and there's an end of it. Not
the least little smidge of a reason
why"
Upon MY word" Emmett ejac-
Ulated--then wheeling upon En-. the
youngest of the trio, withal the
wickedest firt: Confess. miss. What
have you been doing 10 make a per-
fectly good father act up this way
Nothing at all. I've had no
chance whatever" EN- pouted, but
with the ghost Of a dimple playing
about her lips Been over at Grand
pa Bean's-which is next thing 70
solitary confinement So lonesome
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

It was a cheap little restaurant on
the east side. The food was not
bad. neither was the service. but
there was sense of barrenness
about it all.
Watrous went there for his mid
day meal because it was inexpensive
An attraction for Watrous. He
didn't have much money and had
scarcely a hope of ever having any.
He was the type, that blessed.
happy go-lucky type, that finds hap
piness in the moon. the flowers and
in the very fact that God has given
US life
His position was an indefinite sort
Of clerkship in a department store
in the neighborhood. In the evening
he wandered over 10 one of the BO-
hemian restaurants, his violin under
his languid arm. and there played
while artists. actors. futurists
not-ate Heterogeneous mixtures OF
food
daily toll lie found huge interest in
the animated or languorous or ST.
lently melancholy beings who styled
themselves temperamental souls. He
always longed for third hand that
ne might sketch them as he was
wont 10 sketch each day the inmates
Of the cheap little east side rest
aurart But with his fingers busy
with bow and fiddle, he could only
imagine their quaint attitudes on
paper.
So Watrous went his way making
rather wonderful if assorted. col
lection OF friends as ne drifted along
the bubbling Bohemian current.
In the cheap little restaurant he
usually sketched attitudes while ne
Iabsently swallowed whatever his
waitress had considered nourishinc
I and had placed on the polished sur
I face before him.
Had Watrous been observing he
would have known that he was. per
Ihaps. the best cared-for patron ir
/ the place Molly Carey. who waited
on him. always saw 10 that while
she waited wistfully for the day
when ne would turn his eyes in her
I direction. She had that motherly
Ilender look in her eyes that an ar
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12
By WILLIAM K. GRIMM.

as Robert W Chambers-no. she
was more like Mary Roberts Rine-
hart and Caroline Weus-was to be
the favored one which would have
the distinction of putting out the
first work CT Lucrettia Gordon.
The publishing house put the
work out-by mail. back To Mary
Sanders. With il they sent out a slip
light blue-which mentioned that
the manuscript was unavailable as
book copy.
Nothing daunted the authoress
selected another house. and once
more sent the story on its way. The
first one would be sorry when they
saw the success OF the book. Mary
was sure. Strangely enough. the
second house also did not see III TO
use the manuscript.
Another attempt met with the
same result But the fourth attempt
was different a Chicago publisher
not as weE known as the first one
she had sent the story to-kept the
story four months-which surely
looked good At the end Of that
time came a letter. NOT A PRINT
ED SLIP. The capitals are entire
ly inadequate to express Mary's
feelings.
Dear Madam: After a careful
reading, the manuscript you so kind
" submitted has been turned over 10
the management with the recon-
mendation that il be put out in book
form. if satisfactory arrangements
can be made. AS soon as a decision
is reached. we will advise you"
Do you remember your first great
Gas you considered IT'D achievement?
Perhaps il was the first dollar YOU
earned-maybe the first pie YOU
baked or the first meal YOU pre-
pared-or perhaps the first time
YOU spoke a piece" al school What
ever it was, if YOU remember it,
and Of course you do. for who could
forget such a memorable happening
you will realize what that letter
meant 10 Mary Sanders. Those long
nights at school We're as nothing
even the times she had tOiled i'm the
hot stuffy room rather than have
the window open We're paid for now.
The little chance that the manage
ment would over rule the decision Of
the readers seemed small in her
eyes.
A week later came another letter.
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12
By Henry Waldron

to Grafton with me. I hear that
there are lots of blackberries to be
picked around there"
"Yes'm."
At noon, when Mr. Richards found
Miss Nellie missing. he made tracks
for the Widow Burns to tell the
news.
She and that Haskell have eloped,
OF course" was the comment.
But how-how could she?"
why YOU idiot, any girl can
elope if she's not sick. / don't think
I want TO marry man without
brains
And when the daughter was told
that the marriage was all off she
shed tears and walled out:
And YOU are as bad as he is,
Now she has gone and / can never
snub her"
After three days the newlyweds
came home To face the music. There
was no music. Mr.. Richards extend
hand to either and said:
Children, I'm glad you did it
darned glad"
Copyright, 1919
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12
Waiting for Watrous

tistic soul needs in the eyes of his
partner-and seldom chooses. If
Watrous was conscious of this at
tention no one knew it but Watrous.
He sketched on the menu cards
whatever came within his vision and
tossed the quaint little sketches aside
when finished just as he cast aside
his serviette when the final mouthful
of coffee had passed his lips.
He always left a dime on the
table. Molly Carey saved all those
dimes. What her dreams were or
what intentions she had wound
about them was her own secret. She
preserved them no less systematical-
~ than she saved every sketch that
Watrous made on the menu cards.
The sketches We're far more clever
than she realized-portraits of pa
irons in various characteristic atti-
tudes. The very tone, or. perhaps,
lack of tone, of the cheap little res
taurant was wildly drawn.
The only sketch he had made
which Watrous did not leave in the
restaurant was one Of Molly. Some
thing about her wistfulness. her en-
tire lack of elf-consciOusness. had
dragged a hasty likeness of her
from his pencil He had il in his
room on his shaving stand. Dreamy.
semi-conscious appreciation had
prompted him 10 put il there.
Watrous was never definite about
lunching anywhere. There were
DAYS when the last quarter had gone
somewhere in the world OF spent
money" However. his lunches had
been regular since he had the Bo-
hemian restaurant 10 play in. That
brought him a decent cheQue each
Saturday. which. with his salary for
clerkship. provided Watrous with
regular Hourishment.
But because he never quite knew
whether his coat was on or not. nor
remembered having purchased
clothing at odd optimistic moments
Molly Carey supposed him 20 be des-
perately poor and most unhappy. II
was difficult. however. for her 10 re-
concIe misery with the sunny blue
ravs uttered always from Watrous's
eyes
Molly never craved temperament
She only wanted 20 be human and
make other people comfortable but
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

like three hundred and fifty pages
OF typewritten matter. However.
she realized that writing was serious
business. and therefore proceeded in
dustriously with the work.
By the time she had written fifty
or sixty pages Of what she referred
20 as her masterpiece. Mary began
10 change her mind. Her ordinarily
fertile imagination was beginning TO
fail her She labored on through
another ten pages, however. invent
ing incident after incident desper-
ately. She began 10 write space
padded her sentences with useless
| and redundant words, strung out de-
scriptions 20 great lengths. used
much Of that wonderfully elastic
space-hller, conversation. Twenty
five thousand words was only one
fourth Of her goal, but there she
stopped: it seemed utterly impossible
10 20 further.
Her school work began TO suffer
Luckily. it was nearing the end of
the term. and her work the last few
weeks didn't do a great deal Of harm.
| because she had always been a bril-
liant student before. When the term
ended she packed up her typewriter
and the stack OF paper which rep
resented the opening chapters Of
The Ghost OF the Gauges" and went
| to the summer home OF her parents
"a cottage at a lake in northern
Michigan. There. she decided, she
would complete her novel or die in
the attempt
But dance music. floating across
the water. has a peculiar tendency.
II calls from afar TO all human be-
sings who are even in the least ro-
mantically inclined, and beckons
them TO come and join the gay party
Of folks who are swaying 10 its
rhythm. The first night Mary start
/ ed to work she heard the music. but
tried TO turn a deaf ear 70 it, Not
succeeding in this. she shut her
windows, although il was a very
warm evening Three hours work
| resulted in less than a thousand
words Of manuscript Time after
! time she jerked a spoiled page saw
! age1y out of the rollers Of the ma
| chine, and inserted fresh paper with
mingled emotions of anger and self
pity.
The second night she shut the
window before the music across the
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

lake began. That helped some. for
she added three thousand words
that night. but worked until nearly
one o'clock in doing il. She went 10
bed feeling somewhat better as she
thought OF the steadily climbing to-
tai. II was twenty-nine thousand
four hundred and fifty one. now.
The third night she didn't write.
At four o'clock in the afternoon she
had received an invitation 10 the
dance, and since the fellow was
perfectly stunning" and otherwise
desirable as an escort, Mary desert
ed her good intentions to finish the
book If it cost her life. Beside. she
hadn't vowed to give up pleasures,
she reflected.
For a whole week the typewriter
was neglected. Then, deciding 10 get
the thing out OF the way once and for
all, Mary determined 10 finish the
story in one fell swoop and be done
with it, Accordingly, she settled the
ghost-had a scientific party pour
something on the marshes TO kill the
mosquitoes. and this. fortunately for
Mary's story, also prevented the for
nation Of mist. through some Won
derful chemical process, which Mary
was in too much of a hurry to eX-
plain. OF course, since the mist
didn't form, the ghost was forever
bottled up in the river. and the girl
married the fellow and lived happily
ever after-THE END. Mary wrote
those words with great deal Of sat
isfactiOn.
Thirty-one thousand words.
story Of mystery and romance. done,
It felt wonderful 10 be the authoress
of such a work. She world read it
over tomorrow, correct H. and send
it to a publishing house. which. she
was sure. would certainly take it. At
last she would get her name in print
above a story in a magazine-nO,
she would have it printed as a book,
and have her name in gold letters on
the cover. The cover would be blue
grey, like the mists Of the Gauges,
and would be printed in dark green
and white. The Ghost of the
Gauges, by Lucrettia Gordon" That
she decided. would have 10 be in
gold letters
A week later she sent the story
away. The largest publishing house
in the country-the one that printed
the novels Of such famous writer's
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12
TEIE GHOST THAT NELIER WA KID


mem bered. IS 20 ghosts. she was as
much at sea regarding them as any
body. but that didn't make any diff
ference.
Nobody knew what the ghost
was-not even Mary herself Every
night at promptly twelve o'clock the
ghost would be seen rising out of
the marshes which Mary described
along the banks Of the stream named
i'm the alliterated title Of the book.
Whether there really are any such
marshes or not didn't affect Mary
she didn't even take the trouble 10
find cut. The fact remained that
the mist which could be logically
supposed 10 arise out of a marsh
would be a good entrance for such
"A supernatural thing as a ghost, and
that was enough.
Just what the ghost was sup
posed 10 do was a mystery-there
wasn't any explanation in the story
perhaps that was the mystery
part Of the plot. 1t apparently flew
edo ghosts hy?) aimlessly about un-
til nearly dawn. at which time it re-
turned TO the marshes and dissolved
into The mists again. OF course
there was girl and a man connect
ed with the affair-the ghost was the
departed spirit of a distant relative
OF the girl. a spinster lady. who not
having been able to catch a man
herself. didn't want any Of her fe-
male relatives 20 enjoy that eXper-
fence So the ghost Of the Ganges''
was continually butting in on the
otherwise peaceful romance of the
pair, and causing all kinds Of trou-
BILE.
Some of the passages i'm the book
were very well executed. There
was a description Of the coming of
the ghost which was better than any
other part. although that. perhaps.
wasn't saying great deal. You can
be your own Judge Here il is:
THE moon had set. and only the
stars cast their wierd light over the
shifting fog which was arising from
the marshes Beyond the fringe of
bulrushes which skirted its banks.
the Gauges flowed silently on its way
from its origin high in the Hima-
layas 10 the waters of the ocean.
which washed the shores of India.
The mists were light, at first. like
thin threads of gOssamer. but they
increased, one by one, until they
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

she had cleaned from the CORES
uoudence course on How 90 Write
In Nine Lessons" to which she had
been q subscriber.
But in spite Of all her study, and
an the work SHE had done. the green
slips stl continued To- escort re-
iected manuscripts back 90 their
producer. The slips. To- be exact.
weren't always green, just those
from Scribblers' were Of that par
ucular hue. but the subject matter
contained bv them was invariably Of
the same tenor, meaning. i'm con-
else language, we don't want this"
ON the story IN question she had
spent many happy hours-happy be-
cause she enjoyed writing.-but now,
with its failure. the JOY was all TAX
en- away. Scribblers' had been the
fourth magazine 20 refuse the oppor-
tunity 10 add the work OF the Won
derful new writer 10 its publication
Regretfully must AIN Ost say
tearfully Mary put the package
away i'm a large box. already more
than half fun Of other vain attempts
20 get her work into print. Each
story was carefully inscribed. as 10
when il had been written and when
and where it had been offered for
sale system whereby il was pos
sible for her To send a story away
perhaps years after it had been
written. and vet not send it any
where where it had been rejected.
For day or so the ardor OF the
enterprising authorizes was cooled.
The book she had decided TO write
was put aside. and instead the girl
went 20 the library and perused sew
eral more volumes on the proper
methods Of writing fiction The
books were optimistic been
written with purpose, YOU see
and so shortly Mary was back at
work ON her book once more.
10 was 10 bee a wonderful tale OF
mystery humor. pathos. horror. ro-
nance. and all the rest of the things
which go 20 make a story interest
ing. THE Ghost of the Gauges" il
was 20 be called. Mary didn't know
great deal about the Gauges. out
side the fact that it was a river
somewhere i'm India, but she remem-
bered something about it that she
had read when she studied geOg-
raphy back i'm the eighth grade. and
which for some reason. she re-
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

formed almost solid masses Of grey
ish white. which. though seeming
solid, were constantly shifted 10y the
vagrsnt breeze which blew up
stream.
"One mass seemed more alive than
the rest. II glowed. seemingly. with
light of its own. and seemed 20
have some control over its move
ments. Had a watcher been station
ed there i'm the heart Of that un-
earthly spot. ne would have seen one
of the mist-streamers reach out. like
an arm. and in the faint light. could
imagine fingers and hand at the
end. But would it be Imagination ?
Clearly and yet more clearly the
likeness to a bony human hand could
be seen. Then, on the other side.
another streamer would extend it
self. and out of the nothingness
would come another hand.
The top of the cloud would roll
itself together. and presently a face.
half concealed. as by a veil, and yet
startlingly clear. would form The
lower part would stretch out like a
long skirt dying in the wind. and the
whole, appearing Tor all the world
like a woman, would rise above the
other mist clouds, and float silently
away on the wings of the wind"
Ghastly? Hair-raising? Indeed,
The night Mary wrote that part of
her book she was unable 20 sleep.
for the moon, shining in at her win
dow, made the shadows Of the trees
seem. living things, and the swaying
movement of a white garment on a
chair made her think Of the mists
changing into a ghost. But when
she read il 10 some OF the other girls
she was more than repaid for her
sleepless night by the shudders and
whispered words she could detect.
Certainly, she felt. her power OF de
scription was wonderful
Mary had never attempted the
production of regular book
length story before-never had
Lucrettia Gordon been the authoress
of a novel In order to ascertain the
length which would be required
Mary selected a book and laborious-
" counted the words on a hundred
pages. found the average per page,
and multiplied this number by the
pages i'm the book. The result as
tonished the girl a hundred thou
sand words, That meant something
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

The editors Of Scribblers' Maya
zine regret that the enclosed. manu-
script does not ft in with present
editorial needs. and wish 20 thank
you for your courtesy in submitting
g. This IS by no means "a criticism
OF fits literary merit"
The green slip. neatly folded with
the first page of The Mailed War
nor" was all too familiar 90 The eyes
OF Mary Sanders. whose pen name.
by the way was Lucretra Gordon.
Familiarity had not as set bred CON
tempt. however. because with that
hope which springs eternal ia the
human breast" she never expected
20 receive another Some day. she
felt conndent-and each time she
mailed a story 20 publisher she was
sure that day was at hand the
green slip would resolve itself into "a
check. Not that she wanted the
money. for the chances are she
wouldn't cash her check for weeks
after she did get &C.. but she wanted
10 see her name in print above a
et0ry Ia a magazine
How many words the girl had
written Heaven only knows. The
typewriter her father had purchased
Tor her two years before could have
testified more accurately than any
thing else. Hundreds OF thousands
az words had been formed by the
keys actuated by her flying fingers.
fingers, and still she wrote more.
Before the acquisition Of the type
writer. she had used a pencil. but
that was too slow. and besides. as
she learned when she had sent her
first story away 20 its fate. only
those manuscripts which were tvpe-
written were even considered by .he
stan readers on the magazines.
Mary Sanders vas n year out OF
high school which meant she was
attending q school for girls Every
moment she could spare from her
lessons and the other activiti-s of
the place was spent before the ma
chine IN her room. which ate box
after box OF expensive typewriter pa
per and gave forth episode after
episode and chapter after chapter
OF thrilling reading matter. Copious
ssotes were ever near her. about plot
formation. about character treat
5nent. about climaXes and anti-cli-
suaxes ami all the other intricate
details Of the writing business which
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

should ask her to ride with me-"
ct see"
Doesn't business ever call you
oveSto Grafton"
81 go over occasionally"
Better go over Friday and see
tailor. If you are near the pOstoffice
at II o'clock you may see Il young
lady looking anxiously around. Per-
haps she'll lead you To the house Of
a minister"
And about the fee" asked the
client
"Oh. as I am on my vacation. I
shall charge you nothing. Ten years
ago, before / was welded 70 the law,
1 think 1 might have been an elOper
myself. had anybody suggested it to
me"
Miss Nellie Richards took a walk
next morning as soon as her father
left the house IL ended at the school
house door She was sitting on the
steps when a lady drove up in a
buggy and asked.
HAS the little girl got her lesson
perfect"
Yes, ma'am Nellie answered.
Then she shall have a ride over
South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-12

II was from the management this
time. Yes, the story. I'm their opir
ion. was exceedingly Eood. and thes
would be pleased TO publish IT, En-
closed We're styles OF binding. which
did she prefer, Also before be-
ginning the work. would she please
deposit uve hundred dollars go COW
er expenses
That request she took 20 her
father Five hundred dollars meant
that her book would De published.
and then what great lady she
would be. Father. however. couldn't
see it that way fIo would investi-
gate first.
He did. He discovered that the
publishing house 70 which Mary had
submitted her story was "a very small
affair, and that il made a practice
Of printing books for people who had
the money 20 pay for the printing
He also learned that many or ~.
customers of the place had about
ninety percent of the first edition of
their work still ON hand and that
large part OF the other ten percent
had been given 20 friends Therefore.
he refused 10 advance the five hun
dred dollars According 90 his ir-
formation the company wanted moth
ing more than q straight order for
printing the book. and that was am
Mary was disappointed. but She
was cured Never again would She
write "a story she uvt her type-
writer away i'm the attic. and covered
il over with an old sheet. Her life.
she decided. would be devoted to
such things as learning 90 De good
cook. and making a home. which.
perhaps YOU viii agree. is the proc
per thing for any woman % DO. r.
she can do writing ON the side. wen
and good
That however was nine Years
ago. before she was married. Lately
il has been rumorcd that n ticking
sound. not unlike that OF a type
writer. has been heard issuing from
the lovely little home of Mary ami
her family Perhaps with tie
knowledge and experience she has
gained. she viii be better able now
to portray the characters and emo
tions Of people And IL she has
gained that ability. she may yet see
that name. Lucrettia Gordon. in
print