The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-31

ing to do something original, going
to beat them at their own game. Now
here goes. / don't know how to be.
gin stories or how to end them like
those regular writer's. so don't let's
have beginning. Just let's start right
In at the places where you begin to
catch your breath and wonder what's
going to happen next. Here. I've got
It." The young mans eyes flashed
with excitement. His manner OF diff
fdence and reticence had vanished.
Get the paper and write what | tell
you. We can do the polishing later.
You can show me how to do that"
Every morning Betty Brown and her
farmer sat under the apple tree. Som.
days the farmer would be all ANNA
ton, all ideas, as he had been the day
they began. Other days he would be
dull and discouraged. He would be
In a murderous frame of mind, when
he wished to go back over the fabric
of the story and weed out the charac-
tiers he had created. Then Betty
would be at her best Then she would
take the thread of the story where
the man had left off. adding toaches
here and there and bringing order and
plausibility out Of the chaos In which
the man had left the tale.
1t was small wonder that Betty and
the farmer man. sitting day after day
in the shade Of the solitary apple
tree, working together over the thing
in all the world that interested them
most, dreaming and planning together,
and cropping away to bring to a real
ization their dearest dream--it was
small wonder that Betty. who was
very pretty in spite of the fact that
she wore pince-nez and had ambitions,
and Tom Fem, who In spite OF his
overalls and his swarthy skin pos.
sessed a pair Of frank brown eyes
and deal of rugged charm, should
have got to the point where the dear.
est treasure In life seemed to be the
enjoyment Of each others society.
But how shall we manage" Betty
asked one day after the usual pre-.
minaries-always more or less the
same and yet always little different
from anything else since the world
began-"how shall we manage? I'd
share your life with you anywhere,
Tom, but | would be too much of a
burden-at present. II you had lit.
tie farm OF your own 1t might be diff
ferent."
I'VE can buy farm with the money
we get from the story"
Betty explained how hopeless 1t was
to expect sale from their first story
or to expect, even If 1t were sold,
enough TO make a first payment on a
farm. Toms optimism would permit
no doubling. And so 1t was agreed
that II the story were sold, even at a
very low figure. Betty would consent
TO wed the farmer man and trust to
good fortune for the rest.
So the story was finished and Betty
typed It on her little portable machine
at the farmhouse and, handing the
precious manuscript to Tom to carry
to the post office, she resigned her lot
to the decision OF the publishers read
ers. And Betty knew by experience
that when publishers return manu-.
script they are not very prompt
But within ten days Tom hourished
an envelope from the publishers glee.
fully before Betty's face as they sat at
the old trysting place under the apple
tree
you see, had the audacity to open
the manuscript before | posted it and
slip in little note for myself. That's
why they sent Il TO me instead of to
you" But Betty was reading:
In our opinion, 1t is quite the best
thing you have done. You have got
more Of the real smack of the soil,
more of real flesh and blood, into this
than ever before. 1t is Just what was
needed to make your stories as sue.
cessful with the average reader as
they already are with the critical.
Please accept our humble congratula.
tons"