The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-03-21
A Successful
Experiment
By F. A.
CcOpyright 1917. western Newspaper UniOn.)

pay hAAEhAf th1
very short with her. She asked me t.
read her play, and I told her that
had already accepted more plays thar
1 could produce in my lifetime.
"Please." she said, with a most be
witching smile and a lovely pleading
i'm her eyes. l wilted, and told hel
that if she would leave the manuscript
I would have it read. But this was
] mot what she wanted; she wanted me
to read her play myself. To get rio
of her, l promised her that | would
take the manuscript home with me
and look It over. We left the office
together, and when we parted | took
n trolley car. | was worrying over a
play l was getting ready to produce
and forgot all about the manuscript
for three or four days. when the girl
appeared again in my Office. She
smiled as sweetly as ever, and asked
me if / had read the play. Thinking
10 put a stop to the matter at once,
told her that 1t would not do at all.
She looked so heart-broken that be-
fore she left l admitted that / had not
read it over carefully, but would give
It attention that very evening.
After dinner I went into my home
sanctum with the intention of forti-
flying myself against her importuni-
ties when / should next see her, by
skimming her production. / ~ransacked
the room for the manuscript, and did
not find it.
Great heavens! Must / admit to her
that I had lost 1t?
I spent the whole evening trying to
remember what l had done with the
package, but could not remember any
further than taking 1t from its au-
thor. The next afternoon she came
into nv office again, smiling as usual.
and asked me for a criticism On her
play. / saw that there was a job 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" l asked, before putting in
the ~dialOgue?"
whats a s~cenario2" she asked.
This encouraged me. If she did not
know what a scenario was. l could not
be stuck for big damages in cast l had
to pay for the loss Of the play.
"a scenario is a skeleton Of the play
that is to be written. When it is
completed, the dialogue is very easily
written"
81 always write the dialogue first"
she said with that ~positiveness which
1 have always found women assume
when they are making their worst
plumbers. She was so unsophisticated,
so pretty, so amiable that / was tempt
ed to say a few soft things to her. Be
sides, it was necessary for me TO keep
her in good humOr. I told her that
| had not come to q conclusion about
me play. 1t lacked something, but I
could not tell what it was. l would
read it again more carefully.
I parted all efforts she made to
make me discuss any particular scene,
or incident, by which l would show my
ignorance Of the play, and finally when
she departed felt quite satisfied with
my diplomacy.
The authoress was persistent and
the manuscript did not turn up. though
1 had my rooms turned upside down to
find it. l finally made up my mind
that I must have left it in the trolley
car / had used the day l received II
from the author. / advertised for ii,
offering a substantial reward for its
return to me; but l received no reply,
and finally made up my mind that it
was lost to me, and | would never find
II. So l began to prepare for a con-
fession.
What I meant by preparation was
subterfuge by paying compliments
and saying sweet things to the girl
whom l must confess to. hoping by this
means to receive a light punishment
But who eve says sweet things that
he does not mean to a girl is liable to
warm a serpent In his bosom. This
was really more dangerous than losing
a manuscript.
Well, when / believed that I had got
her in a mood to make my confession
to her, | did 50. She forgave me, tear
fully.
I had succeeded only too well. She
had a right to consider that / loved
her, and nothing remained undone bu.
a definite proposal.
This was delayed, and after som,
time | received a note, asking me t.
call upon her. When | did so, shl
met me with the lost manuscript il
her hand, stating at the same time tina
her name and address being on 1t, |
was returned to her the day after
had left it in the trolley car.
"Open it," she said.
/ did as she asked, and took on
sheets of blank paper. I looked a
her, astonlshed as well as crushed, ant
asked what 1t all meant.
Il am a playwright of some expert
enee," she said. II have sent MANI
scripts to you and other manager
, which We're returned, / believe, IN
! opened. So / resolved to try you Il
z this Way.n