The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-07-17
,ass
The Results
Of a Blunder
BY EDWARD STEWART


young lady. 1t could not be helped"
II have been counting on this story
to give me literary reputation. You
have ruined all these hopes"
This was ridiculous. The story was
below the average
The truth is that Howkins. the edi-
tor and proprietor Of the magazine, mad
no business to go away and leave me,
q scatter Drained youngster. In full con-
troll. / had hosts Of friends, and my
mind was absorbed with youthful pleas
ures. AS to my work at the editorial
rooms. Howkins had arranged every
thing before his departure. SO that
there was nothing to do but take the
copy for the next issue out of his desk
and send 1t to the composing room.
Among other copy l sent up story
called whats 1t All Aboutf' by Miss
Mildred Eaton. was locking my desk
one Friday afternoon preparatory to
going into the country till the follow
ing Tuesday when a message came
down from the composing room that
the story whats 1t All AboutT was
incomplete. called for the copy and
found the last two chapters missing.
Here was a pretty kettle Of fish.
ransacked the Office without success;
sent for the author and was Informed
that she had gone on trip, no one
knew where. What was to do? Give
up my outing to search for needle In
a haystack? Not l. My resolution was
taken. 1t was then 2 o'clock. BY 4 l
could skim the manuscript, by could
write the last chapters and be ready
for the Z o'clock train instead of the
o'clock, as had intended.
Had / taken more time and put my
mind on my work instead of dwelling
on the outing was to have, afraid all
the while that would miss the train
the last till the next morning. might
have done fairly we'll AS 1t was |
made a frightful mess of the job.
mistook the hero for the villain and
brought the story to close by putting
in his mouth a high flown, virtuous
enunciation. The heroine l made to
take a back seat, but fortunately on
the same bench with the hero. | fin
ished the work at half past 8, gave 1t
to a composing room messenger who
was waiting for it and made dash for
the train.
Well, the story came out, and with
It came the author, pretty girl of
twenty, who sought me in my office
with tears in her eyes. Had she storm
ed could have stood up against her
manfully. AS it was, could only pre-
tend to weep, not at the position my
blunder had placed me, but that
should have ruined her hopes of liter
airy fame. | told her that ! seriously
meditated drowning myself. Since
made the threat with my head buried
in my arms, both head and arms rest
ing on my desk, my whole body shak-
ing convulsively, she feared / would
carry 1t out When she raised my face
with her own soft hands and looked
into her tear dimmed but forgiving
eyes, was filed with shame.
my dear Miss Eaton" sobbed. 'let
us hope that out of this misfortune
may come some reparation for you
which, taken at the food, will lead to
fortune. I am one Of those fellows
whose lives are a chain Of lucky and
unIucky Incidents l am constantly
meeting with misfortune-my own
fault, / dare say-but I always come
out ahead in the game. Write new
story, and / will use all my influence
with Mr.. Howkins to have 1t published
as a special feature Now tell me
that you forgive me-
She put out her hand, smiling through
her tears, and went away.
When the first batch of criticisms for
the number of the magazine came in !
braced myself to bear the references to
the story | had ruined as one about to
be executed nerves himself for the or
deal. With the first / caught faint
CLEAN Of hope Here 1t is:
The story by Miss Eaton, What's II All
About?" is, judging from its name. what
It is doubtless intended to be-a puzzle.
What principles are covered under the
strange ending probably only students OF
plain satisfactorily. In this respect the
story will excite great interest.
The next was evidently a criticism
by some critic who was possibly hurry.
ing, as had done, to the country and
had only skinned the early part Of the
story, for he pronounced the ending
"just what might be expected in this
sn<orior class of work /" The third
spoke of the pleasant style in which
whats II All AboutT was written
an easy way of criticising a story the
critic is too busy to read. Seven critics
gave hypothetical explanations or the
mystery attending the closing chapters.
In the whole batch OF criticisms there
was not one which indicated that the
ttory had been slaughtered by grace
less scamp in a hurry to get away on a
pleasure trip.
In view OF the attention these criti-
cisms called TO the story the author
found no difficulty in securing pub
Usher for it in book form. 1t was con-
sidered too deep to have a large sale
except among critical. analytical, philo-
sophical and skeptical people, but II
made a name for the author. and she
has made a fortune.
suppose / should have had the mod
esty to consider myself well out OF a
bad scrape and acknowledge my fault
To Howkins did: to Miss Eaton did
NOT. I threw out hint that seeing the
..o-x. as she had written IL was doomed