Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-04
The Daily
Short Story
A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT.
By F. A. Mitchell.

when a very pretty girl appeared i.
the doorway ] knew by the uaek.s.
| she carried that she was a wouId-ss
playwright, and was disposed IN -
very short with her. She asked mo =
read her play, and I told her that
had already accepted more PLAYS thar
could produce in my lifetime.
| "Please," she said, with a mos. h.
witching smile and lovely pleadis.
in her eyes. l wiIted, and told bas
that il she would leave the managers,
/ would have 1t read. But thin ~.
not what she wanted; she wanted ma
to read her play myself To set ria
OF her. 1 promised her that / wonls
take the manuscript home with me
and look it over. We LETT the of,ca
together, and when we parted / toni.
a trolley car l was worrying ave,
play I was getting ready to produas
and forgot all about the mansscr,s.
for three or four days, when the rirl
appeared again in my office. Shs
smiled as sweetly as ever. and sassd
me il / had read the play. Fsinkis,
to put stop to the matter at once
told her that it would not do az nj.
She looked so heart-broken that hs-
fore she left admitted that had not
read it over carefully. but would give
L it attention that very evening.
After dinner ! went into nv HON.
sanctum with the intention of forti.
flying myself against her important.
ties when | should next see her. hv
skimming her production, ransackea
the room for the manuscript. and did
not find it.
Great heavens. Must I admit to he-
that / had lost it,
! spent the whole evening irving "a
remember what / had done with the
package, but could not remember
any further than taking 1t from its
author. The next afternoon she cane
into my Office again, smiling as usual.
and asked me for criticism on her
play. I saw that there was lob Of
deception before me. My object was
to put her off, hoping that the manu-
script would turn up.
did you spend much time on your
scenario I asked, before putting in
the dialogue?"
What's a scenario?" she asked.
This encouraged me- II she did not
e know what a scenario was. could
G not be stuck for big damages in case
I had to pay for the loss OF the PLAY
"A scenario is skeleton of the play
: that is to be written When it is com.
V pleted, the dialogue Is very easils
: written
r 81 always write the dialogue first.
she said with that positiveness which
! have always found women ASSUME
l. when they are making their wors
s. blunders. She was so unsophisticated
d so pretty. SO amiable that was tempt
= ed to say few soft things to her. Be
q sides It was necessary for me to kee,
e her in good humor. | told her that
.e had not come to a conclusion abou
r the play. 1t lacked something, but
J. could not tell what It was. woul
At read It again more carefully.
ir I parried all efforts she made I
d make me discuss any particular seen
" or incident, by which l would sho'
le my ignorance of the play, and final
ID when she departed felt quite satisfe
n with my diplomacy.
+ The authoress was persistent an
II the manuscript did not turn u
r though | had my rooms turned upsii
down 10 find it, I finally made up n
mind that I must have left It In Il
l. trolley car / had used the day / r
10 ceived it from the author / advertise
,tt for it, offering a substantial rewal
nv for its return to me; but 7 receive
al no reply, and finally made up my nil
q that 1t was lost to me, and ] Won
ce never find it. So l began TO prepa
~ for a confession.
ed What ! meant by preparation VI
id subterfuge by paying compliments al
a saying sweet things to the girl who
re must confess to, hoping by Ii
"a means to receive a light punishmeI
sh But who ever says sweet things III
cd he does not mean TO girl Is liable
no warm a serpent In his bosom. I'll
10 was really more dangerous than ID
IN ing manuscript.
" Well. when believed that / had z
her in mood TO make my confessi
RI to her. did SO. She forgaye me, tea
- :. n fully.
- I had succeeded only too we'll S
" had right TO consider that I Low
10 her, and nothing remained undone 3
% definite proposal.
- This was delayed, and after sol
- - time 1 received a note, asking me
"a call upon her. When ] did so, S
,Vu met me with the lost manuscript
al her hand, stating at the same til
-, that her name and address being
l,; it, it was returned to her the day at
ne ! had left it in the trolley car.
IRS Omen IT, she said
-i.e | did as she asked, and took {
" sheets of blank paper. I looked
lu her, astonished as well as crush
cal and asked what it all meant
en- en-, Il am a playwright of some expe
WI ence." she said 81 have sent MAJ
oh scripts to you and other manag
IA which were returned, I believe. |
arg opened. So 1 resolved to try you
any this way
ing ] was so cut up that I resolved
dy- get the best of her by making r
de love to her I told her that I lo'
re- her devotedly, and asked her TO
I'M my wife.
10 Thank you. no." she said Il hi
vas one husband and that is enough"
uh An excellent play by her has sil
ana been produced.
ere
sad.
the war emergency council of the bak