The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-27
EVENING STORY
Review of Odds and Ends.
BY VINCENT G. PERRY.


lief. He had finished his weekly Re-
view of New Books and it was ready
for the composing room. Never be-
fore had the work seemed so tedious
as it had that week. The reading had
all been heavy and even a reviewer of
| books gets tired of heavy reading
sometimes. But the books were valu-
| able ones and he gathered them up to
| place them in the bookcase. What a
i lot of books he had there and not one
| of them had cost him cent-in fact,
| he drew salary for reading them
| AS he put the last book in place
among the others he looked at the
| title and gave a gasp of annoyance.
Somehow that was one he had over
| looked and it was necessary to write
a-review of it before the days work
was completed.
"Oh, 1 can slip it in among the re-
! views next week." he exclaimed, as
| he opened the cover to take a peep
| inside, but the first thing that faced
/ him was a note from the editor, pinned
/ to the title page, requesting a review
| for that week. He took out his watch
as he sat down at his desk again
it just lacked thirty minutes of the
! time he had arranged to meet Mar
guerite. Could he review the book in
| thirty minutes? He looked 1t over
and decided that he could.
t. begin with. the title, odds and
Ends" did not impress him very
much. The authoress, Winifred Shell
| ton. was unknown to hint was ner
first book, no doubt, but that didn't
soften his heart. The publishers were
we'll known but they had published
failures before. He skinned over the
pages, drinking in snatches of the plot
as he went. He had passed his de-
| ciSion before he was half thru, BIT
| there was nothing for it but to read
| tn he AZ h 01n
! looked at his watch. Twenty-Five
minutes of the time had passed and 1t
would take him the other five to
write the review. If he hurried per-
| h5ps he could do it in less time than
| tnat he thought, as ne pushed some
paper in1o his machine. Adverse criti
cisns always took less time to write
| than favorable ones and more could
| be said in d few words of sarcasm
| than in many of praise. He did not
! write enough. about odds and Ends
| to lake it necessary to reread his
copy. so when ne finished he put 1t
with the rest of the reviews and sent
| 1t down to the composing room. The
| though tina what he had written
would bring pain to the new writer
did enter his head, but he laughed it
aside. If she had talent a little dis
| coura cement would merely stimulate
Ii and If she ha dn't then she would
get encouragement sooner or later
| anyway, he reasoned.
| After climbing up three flights of
stairs, hurryins to arrive as near the
appointed time as possible, Brandon
painted his way into the reportorial
room of the Daily Star" Thank
goodness, Marguerite had waited for
him. One look at her. tho, told him
his hurry had been unnecessary. She
was busily tipping and there was
stack CT notes before her that looked
like an a1l-night's job.
Pm sorry. but you'll have to wait"
she explained as her fingers moved
like lightning 1--WE just got back
from a vacation. If 1 leave my story
to write until the morning I'll have to
neglect my page and / wouldn't do
that for anything. If the convention
had closed an hour sooner l would
have been able. to get this in for the
morning. but it will have to go over
now"
without a word of complaint Bran
don sat down and watched her ad-
miringly. He knew what it was to
work overtime himself.
There, I'm thru! Marguerite
rose with a triumphant smile and
gathered up her copy. I've written
three times as much as I should have
but the convention is worth it"
"It is too late to go any place now"
Brandon smiled good naturedly.
Wen go home then and I'll make
a little supper for US. 1 made some
mullins this morning and 1 have some
fresh ground coffe. You know the
kind of coffee 1 can make"
Don't say another word. I'll cave
in with munger before we get there If
you do" he warned.
YOUTH probably die of indigestion
when we do get there" she laughed, as
she tool: her coat and turban from her
locker Ind prepared to leave.
1t was a coy little supper they sat
down to that night in her CHEEKY room
and they both were hungry enough to
do it justice.
''Won'S it be lovely when we can
have a supper together every night p"
Brandon ventured as he devoured the
last muffin.
YES, when we do she answered
vaguely.
why co you talk as if it were so,
far away" he asked, without his usu-
al smile.
''Isn'C it ?''
IT hope not. 1t is useless for US to
wait any longer. 1 can more than
afford to keep a wife and I hate to
see you plugging away at the STAR
But I love my work." she an
swered. 81 want to be a great writer.
some day.
wouldn't you be satisfied with be-
ing a great writer's wife?" he asked
in jocular way.
Eyes; if the great writer would ad-
nit that his wife could write, too"
But 1 do admit it,
Because you know it is my work,
but deep down in your heart 1 don't
believe you think 1 have any ability
at all
THAT is unfair. That is just a lit
tie notion you have got into your
head. 1 think your writing is fine.
You have never given me a chance to
tell you what I really think about it"
Perhaps I will some day soon." she
answered with a shade of mystery in
her tone, but she changed the subject
SO quickly he did not notice IL.
When Brandon was taking off his
coat before retiring, later on in the
night, a piece of paper f1uttered to
the floor. He must have gathered it
up with his coat when he took it from
the chair in Marguerite's room, he de-
cided as he stopped to pick it up
1t was a letter to Marguerite, and