Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-07-29

NtIi, please don't shrek
about it next time-you gave me quite
scare. I thought you were having
q fit or something"
II told you I was going to-" argued
Miss Stanley.
II thought you were TESTING. Sup
pose instead Of doing that you whistle
.joyously when you come to a hero out
of khaki? Really I quite agree with
you that we do need some really
gripping stories of a nonmilitary ma
ture." Then Mr.. Truman went back
to his editorial work, and gradually
there began to creep over him a pleas
urable consciousness. He had had an
undercurrent of conviction that his
colleague disapproved of him because
he had not enlisted; he had feared
that it would be necessary as a means
of winning her permanent esteem for
him to don the khaki or sailor blue.
But apparently he had been mistaken.
She could not have spoken as she had
about broad khaki shoulders if she
had admired them as much as most
young women were reputed to do.
Suddenly Mr.. Truman started in his
chair so violently that his spectacles
fell off from his nose. Miss Stanley
had emitted a whistle SO piercing and
sharp that it had violently agitated
his d%elicately strung nervou organ
ism.
THAT" she announced, twas to let
you know I'd found the gripping story
you were wishing for. It's a thriller
and the hero is an Argentine cowboy,
and there isn't n reference to war.
I'm going to accept it without wait
ing for you to read 1t. I'm so sur it
Is what you are looking for"
"YoH might tell the young woman
that wrote it that we appreciate not
having the hero in khaki and would
like more in the same vein," smiled
Mr.. Truman as Miss Stanley hailed
the diminutive stenographer from the
next DON SO that she might at once
write her letter Of acceptance.
1T isn't a young woman-it's one
Patrick Henry Madison"
"You never can TELL" commented
the superior editor. That's just the
sort of name a girl writer would
choose.
The letter notifying Patrick Henry
Madison" of the acceptance of his
story and the announcement that he
would receive his check ION date Of
publication was brief but encourag-
Ing. It was signed I'll. B. Stanley, and
left little suspicion In It's abrupt bust.
nesslike wording that II. stood for
Helen and B. for Beatrice. Perhaps
Patrick Henry Madison had seldom re-
ceived editorial letters so encouraging,
perhaps he read between the lines-at
all events he wrote a letter of con-
siderable length sending in his next
nonmilitary story-the hero this time
was a South Sea island planter, with
out a suspicion of khakd-and of so
friendly a character that II. B. Shan
ley was constrained to write an
equally friendly letter in reply. Again
that editor congratulated him on his
rare discernment in keeping his he
roes out of the war game. Unless you
can tell your story like a genius and
have ar entirely new twist, any war
story now would be deadwood. They
have all been written except the really
great ones" The correspondence con-
tinued for several months and the
stories appeared at close intervals.
Then Patrick Henry asked permits
sion to meet 81. B. Stanley and the
interview was carefully arranged to
take place in the Purple Book editorial
Office on the afternoon In the week
when MI. Truman played golf. He
had quite set himself at ease on the
matter Of enlisting now, SO sure was
he Of Helen's attitude on that score,
and 1t was only because he had not
definitely decided whether when he
did ask this colleague OF his to be-
come Mrs. Truman he should stipulate
that she should continue her post In
the office--he dreaded the presence OF
anyone else---or whether he should
arrange to have her do the house
keeping In some conveniently arranged
little fiat, that he had not as vet taken
her into hts full confidence as to his
Intentions. He was planning to set
tie TINS question Tor himself thar aftex