The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-03-17
SHORT HEROES FOR TALL
BY JANE OSBORN.

SN1A41 49, 49,
sure of gaining the audience of almost
any magazine editor she went to see.
For she was the granddaughter of one
of the greatest of our men of letters.
When Betty went to the office of the
BLACK and White" magazine with a
portfolio full of mediocre love stories
she was ushered right into the inner
sanctum, and the specialized, brown
eyed, stoeky young man at the desk
offered her a chair.
They talked for FIVE minutes,
touched lightly on the weather, on
Betty's distinguished grandparents and
of story-wridng as a vocation. Then
as they rose and Betty saw that with
her W only medium stature she
could see over the head of the young
man In speetacles, she paused a min
ute.
please pardon me for being so
stupid" she said, but before you read
over those stories / want to make a
little correction. It's simply a matter
of-of spelling. l meant to do 1t be-
fore, but l must have forgotten. I'll
just keep the stories a day and then
send them in." .
The trouble was that Betty had
fallen into the very usual fault of de-
scribing all three heroes in all three
stories as men of unusual height.
Betty saw her mistake. If those
heroes were going to be passed on by
a man who was p~erceptibly shorter
than she was, they would have to be
dwarfed considerably.
The next day Betty sent the stories
back again and that afternoon the
young man In spectacles read them
and accepted them and the very next
day Betty received the check.
About a month and a half later when
the number of the "Black and White"
In which her first story appeared was
in the press, Molly received a letter
from the managing editor. 1t was a
most informal letter and, as the writer
explained the fact that he already
felt that he was personally well ac-
qualnted with her distinguished grand
father in the spirit, he could not treat
his granddaughter as a stranger, and
what he wanted to write to her about
was that he was interested In her
"s~awed-off' heroes. 1t was a new
idea-most writer's, especially,
made their heroes so outrageously
tall.
DCN&- a.1uv1rad tho loffaF Thor
came a letter from the managing ed
itor. asking for a photograph OF
Betty. and the first thing she knew she
and the man in spectacles were writ
ing every week, and his letters were
not like those of a managing editor to
a contributor at all, but like those OF
a friend who had known her and her
family for years. Then he wrote one
other letter: II am a fool, | know
but | have that picture of yours In
front Of me on my desk. l can't for
get 1t. And as l see those eyes look
ing down at me / feel as If the spirit
of the great literary genius of your
grandfather were spreading a bless
ing over me, only to me ii is infinitely
sweeter because II shines through the
yes OF a woman"
That Is what he wrote, but he didn'
send that letter. Instead, he sent 8
letter asking her to call at the office
TO discuss a new set of stories.
Betty called and went right into thu
managing editors room and there IL
the chair where had sat her FRIEND
with spectacles, sprawled "a big over
grown boy of six feet two"
II see," she began, 'the managin;
editor is out. / suppose / had bette
come again."
"No, I'm really the managing editor
Don't l look like what you expectedf
"Yes-only-only l thought the mai
In spectacles was the managing ed
itor. 1t isn't from you that all thos'
letters have Gomez"
"Yes, to be sure. The man in spec
tacles was my assistant. He was a
my desk here when l was off on a
autumn vacation. l am sorry. | can
help it,"
Eyes, | wrote all those letters" tn
managing editor was explaining late
after they had discussed the ne'
series, "and l wrote another letter tina
| never sent. May | give it to 20
now? Later, when you have gon
home, / wish you would read it. The
if you will let me | want TO come [
see you in your own home tonigh
Read that letter and If you think
am a perfect fool tell the maid, G
whoever opens the door that you wi
not let me come in"
And Betty did read the letter, an
when the maid at the boarding hous
where Betty lived went to the doc
she asked the caller at Betty's reque'
to 90 upstairs to Betty's sitting room
After he had been there for a lit
while he and Betty felt as If they ha
known each other always.
still" said the overgrown boy,
know | am not at all your ideal. 70
have shown so clearly that you don
like this lear. lOng type, who has spell