The Washington herald., 1920-09-22
PROOF OF THE PUDDING

out of my way or I'll never get
ready. Not that hattie brown
one with the velvet bows. Bessie
must have been crazy: she's usu-
ally shy of strangers. Is that
too much powder? Lordy! How
I'm upset"
That's the way she'd talk"
continued Dave. People in real
life don't fly into heroics and
blank verse at emotional crises.
They simply can't do it. If they
talk at all on such occasions
they draw from the same vocabu-
larry that they use every day. and
muddle up their words and ideas
a little more, that's all"
Editor Westbrook looked at his
watch with an affected show of
leisure.
Tell me-" asked Dave, with
truculent anxiety, what especial
faults in The Alarum of the
Soul caused you to throw it
DOWN"
when Gabriel Murray" said
"estbrook. goes to his tele-
phone and is told that his fiancee
has been shot b va burglar, he
says-I do not recall the exact
words, but
II do" said Dave. He SAYS:
Darn Central she always cuts
me Off (And then to his friend)
Say, Tommy, does a 32-buIlet
make a big hole? It's kind of
hard luck, amt It? Could you
get me a drink from the side
board. Tommy? No; straight;
nothing on the side"
And again" continued the ed
itor. without pausing for argu-
ment. When Berenice opens the
letter from her husband inform
ing her that he has fed with the,
manicure girl, her words are
let me see"
"she says" interposed the au-
thor: Well. what do you think
OF thatr"
"Absurdly Inappropriate words"
SAID Westbrook, presenting an
anti-climax-plunging the story
into hopeless bathos. Worse yet;
they mirror life falsely. No hu-
man being ever uttered banal COL
loquialisms when confronted by
sudden tragedy"
Wrong" said Dave. closing
his unshaven jaws doggedly. II
say no man or woman ever
spouts high-falutin' talk when
they go up against real climax.
They talk naturally and a little
worse"
The editor rose from the bench
with his air of indulgence and
inside Information.
Say, Westbrook," said Dave.
pinning him by the lapel, would
you have accepted The Alarum
of the Soul II you had believed
that the actions and words of
the characters were true to life
in the parts Of the story that
We discussed"
1T is very likely that I would
II 1 had believed that way" said
the editor. But I have explained
to you that I do not"
IF I could prove to you that
am right?"
I'm sorry, Shack, but I'm
afraid I haven't time to argue
any further just now"
Il don't want to argue" said
Dave. Il want to demonstrate
to you from life itself that my
view is the correct one"
How could you do THAR" ask
ed Westbrook in a surprised tone.
Listen" said the writer, Sc
riously. II have thought of a
way. 1t is important to me tina,
my theory of true-to-life fiction
be recognized as correct by the
magazines. I've fought for it for
three years, and I'm down to my
last dollar, with two months.
rent due"
Il have applied the opposite of
your theory" said the editor, "in
selecting the fiction for the Min
erva Magazine. The circulation
has gone up from ninety thous-
and to"
-Four hundred thousand" said
Dave. Whereas it should have
been boosted to a million"
You said something Just now
about demonstrating your pet the
ory."
Il will. II you'll give me about
half an hour of your time I'll
prove to yousthat An right. I'll