The Washington herald., 1920-07-13
ByO.Henry

In . surprised tone.
ITO your dining At --". an
swered. The pleasure would be
yours, no doubt but the re-
sponsibility would fall upon me.
You intend deliberately TO make
me out . tout for q restaurant.
Where you dine tonight has not
the slightest connection with the
thread OF our story. You know
very wsll that the plot requires
that you be In front of the Al
hambra Opera House at 11:3o
where you are tn rescue Miss
Ffoiliott q second time as the fire
engine crashes into her cab. Un-
til that time your movements are
immateriaf to the reader. why
can't you dine out Of sight some
where, as many hero does. in
stead Of insisting upon an inap.
posite and vulgar exhibition Of
y0..4Ecif?"
My dear fellow" said Van
swelisr, politely. but with a stub
born tightening OF his lips, I'm
sorry 1t doesn't please you, but
there's no help for IL. Even a
character In q story has rights
that an author cannot ignore
The hero of q story Of New York
social life must dine ut - at
least once during its action"
Must" echoed, sdainfulIv.
why must? Who demands II ?"
The magazine editors" an
swered Van Sweller, giving me a
glance of Significant warning.
But whyr persisted.
TO please subscribers around
kankakee. ILL.," said Van sweller,
without hesitation.
How do you know these
things?" / inquired, with sudden
suspicion. You never came into
existence until this morning. You
are only a character in fiction
anyway. i, myself, created you
now Is 1t possible for you to
know anything"
Pardon me for referring to it."
SAID Van. Sweller. with a sympa-
thetic smile, but have been the
nero OF hundreds Of stories of this
felt a slow flush creeping into
my face.
thought Il STAN
mered; Il was hoping thar
Is Oh, well. of course an
absolutely original conception
IN notion is impossible in these
metropolitan types" continued
van Sweller, kindly, do not offer
mold for much originality. I've
sauntered through every story in
pretty much the same way. Now
ana then the women writer's have
MADE me cut some rather strange
eapers, for a gentleman; but the
men generally pass me along from
one to another without much
change. But never yet, in any
story have failed to din.
at"
You will fail this time" 1 said
emphatically.
Perhaps So" admitted Van
sweller, looking out of the win
dow into the street below, "but
II SO 1t will be for the first time
Ihe authors all send me there.
iancy that many of them would
nave liked to accompany me, but
Tor the little matter of the ex-
pense."
L say / will be touting for No
restaurant" 1 repeated, loudly
You are subject to nv will ana
l declare that you shall not an.
pear OF record this evening untiI
the time arrives for you to rescua
Miss Ffolliott again. If the read
ing public cannot conceive that
you nave dined during that inter
val at some one of the thousands
oL estspIlshments provided for
.nat purpose that do not receive
Hterary advertisement IT may sup
pose Tor aught l care. that YOU
have gone fasting"
Thank YOU said Van SwelIer.
rather coolly, you are hardly
courteous. But take care, il is at
your own risk that you attempt
TO disregard a fundamental prin-
ciple in metropolitan fiction-one
that is dear alike to author and
reader. ! shall. of course. attend
to my duty when 1t comes time
10 rescue your heroine; but I
warn you that il will be your
loss IL you fail to send me to-
night to dine at"
Will take the consequences
III there are to be any" l replied.
Il am not yet come TO be sano
wich man for an eating
walked over to a table where
l had left my cane and gloves. /
heard the whirr of the alarm in
the cab below and turned
quickly. Van Sweller was gone.
rushed down the stairs and
out to the curb. An empty han
som was just passing. 1 hailed
the driver excitedly.
See that auto cab halfway
down the block" shouted.
Follow It. Don't lose sight of
1t for an instant. and I will give
you s2!"
II i only had been one of the
characters in my story instead Of
myself I could easily have offered
$40 or s25 or even 500. But 81 was
all 1 felt justified in expending,
with fiction at its present rates.
The cab driver, instead OF LASH
ing his animal into a foam, pro-
ceeded at a deliberate trot that
suggested a by-the-hour arrange
ment.
But 1 suspected Van SwelIer's
design; and when we lost sight of
his cab ordered my driver to pro-
ceed at once to -.
found Van Sweller at a table
under q palm, just glancing over
the menu, with a hopeful waiter
lowering at his elbow.
. Come with me-" 1 said, mex
orably. You will not give me
the slip again; under my eye you
shall remain until 1890"
Van Sweller countermanded the
order for his dinner, and arose to
accompany me. He could scarcely
do less. A fictitious character is
but poorly equipped for resisting
a hungry but. live author who
comes to drag him forth from a
restaurant. All he said was: You
were just in time; but l think
you are making a mistake. You