The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-12-06
The Results
OF a Blunder
BY EDWARD STEWART

below the average.
The truth is that Howkins, the edi
tor aud proprietor Of the magazine, had
no business to go away and leave me.
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 II to the composing room
Among other copy ! sent up story
called whats Ii All About?" 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 It All AboutT' was
incomplete. called for the copy and
found the last two chapters missing.
Here was 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 I'm
a haystack? Not ]. My resolution was
taken. Ii was then o'clock. BY 4 /
could skim the manuscript, by @ could
write the last chapters aud be ready
for the o'clock train instead of the 3
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 well. As II 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 high flown. virtuous
enunciation. The heroine | made to
take a back seat. but fortunately on
the same bench with the hero. I fin
ished the work at half past q, gave II
to COMPOSING room messenger who
was waiting for 1t and made dash for
the train.
Well, the story came out, and with
1t came the author, a pretty girl Of
twenty. who sought me In my Office
with tears I'm her eyes. Had she storm
ed | could have stood up against her
manfully. AS II 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 aims. both head and arms rest
ing on my desk. my whole body shak-
ing convuisively. she feared would
carry 1t out When she raised my face
with her own soft hands and l looked
into her tear dimmed but forgiving
eyes, | was filled with shame.
"My dear Miss Eaton" I sobbed, "let
may come some reparation for you
which. taken at the food. will lead to
fortune. | am one of those fellows
whose lives are chain Of lucky and
unlucky incidents. | am constantly
meeting with misfortune-my own
fault. dare say-but ! always come
out ahead i'm 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 I'm ]
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 I caught faint
CLEAN of hope Here II is:
The story by Miss Eaton, whats 1t All
About?" is, judging from its name what
II is doubtless intended to be-a puzzle
What principles are covered under the
strange ending probably only students of
the retrospective school will be able to sx-
plain satisfactorily, In this respect the
story will excite great interest
The next was evidently u criticism
by some critic who was possibly hurry
ing. as l 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
Inferior class OF work" The third
spoke OF the pleasant style In which
whats II All About?" was written
an easy way OF criticising a story the
critic Is too busy to read. Seven critics
gave Hypothetical explanations Of the
mystery attending the closing chapters.
In the whole batch OF criticisms there
was not one which indicated that the
story had been slaughtered by grace
less scamp In hurry TO get away on a
pleasure trip.
In view Of the attention these crit
cisms called 10 the story the author
found no difficulty In securing a pub
Usher for II in book form. II was con-
sidered too deep " have a large sale
except among critical, analytical, philo.
sophical and skeptical people. but II
made "A name for the author. ana she
has made fortune.
suppose | should have had the mod.
esty 10 consider myself well out OF
bad scrape and acknowledge my fault.
To IIowkins did; TO Miss Eaton did
not. threw out hint that seeing the
story as she had written II was doomed
10 failure ! bad concocted a scheme 10
ma la IN a SlIpsasS aud mako hap ia