The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-02-23
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Short Heroes for Tall.
tGopyright 1917 by the Mcclure News.
paper SyndicatcO

+ ,NSSRSAA6hN 1915 ny the WCtluIS NSWS-
paper Syndicatc.)
A THOUGH Betty possessed no
"A very great literary genius her
self she felt quite sure OF gain.
ing the audience of almost any maya.
zine editor she went to see. For she
was the granddaughter of one OF the
greatest Of ourNmen OF letters, andJhis
very unusual full name used as her
middle and last name or her card,
ferYed as wedge past Office boys and
secretaries. right TO the editorial sane.
tum, especially when she wrote at the
loot OF the card liue to indicate her
exalted relationship. When Betty de.
cided TO write short stories as a means
OF earning her living she was rather
wise in going personally t. see the cd
itors with her wares---not only be.
cause her little explanation that she
was the great mans only living grand
child aroused interest. but because
there was something in her wide
open soft rown eyes that appealed 10
men and made them take an interest
in her.
When Betty went 10 the Office OF
the Black and White" magazine with
a portfolio full OF mediocre love stO-
ries she was uShIr2d right into the IN.
ner sanctunl, and the specialized,
brow-eyed stoclly young man at the
desk offered ner chair aud forgot
for the moment his pile OF manuscripts
two yards high that was his task to
read before the day wanted. Betty
knew she interested him, and she
, knew that the man with spectaclcS
would accept her stories if there was
any possible excuse III the body OF
tho story for their acceptance.
They talked for five minutes, touch
ed lightly on the weather Gu Bettys
distinguished grandparents ard or
story writing as a vocation. Then as
they rose and Betty saw that with her
own only medium stature she could
LrSee over the head of the young man
~ spectacles, she paused a minute.
a 'Please pardon me for being so stu.
pid," she said, but before you read
over those stories l want to make a
little correction. It's simply a matter
OF spelling. l meant to do :. lore,
but must have forgotten. Ill Just
keep the stories day and then send
them in" And the man in the specta-
cles gave back the manuscript, and
Betty, smiling. left the Office of the
Black and White magazine
The trouble was that Betty hal fail,
en- into the very usual fault of describ.
Ing all three heros in all three stories
as men of unusual height. The frs.
was a great big over grown boy of
man whose six. feet two of height
made him tower over the Amazon her.
pine and gave her that delightful
sense, so rare to women of her height
n actually being petite" Then in the
next story there was an E1gIishman
whose tall physique indicated at
glance his noble line of ancestors and
Norman blood that cour7el through
his veins" And finally there was the
Italian count who was six feet also,
and who was "as different in appear
ance from tn eusual Immigrant type
of Italian as the high and exalted orr
gin was different from theirs" Peggy
saw her mistake. II those heroes were
going to be passed on by a man who
was perceptibly shorter than she was
they would have to ba dwarfed con.
siderably and the Amazon lady would
have TO cease asing an Amazon ana
begin to be doll like petite creature
to go with him.
So the overgrown boy turned into
I sthe stocky young man whose intensi-
ty OF thought and action was express
ed in an absence of supernons inches"
And the English gentleman turned
into a blond graceful young man who
like the reicning family was somewhat
bslow fiddle height; and the Italian
whose splendid characteristic Italian