The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-13
E0ening Story
/. Poor Old Bangs.
BY JANE OSBORN.

iably appeared between that important
parsonage and aspirants to literary
honors who thought that a personal
interview with the editor was one of
the rungs on the ladder to success. Al
most never did one OF the callers
whom Daisy Jones met in the recep-
ton room of the magazine offices get
to see Mr.. Stockbridge, the editor. Yet
they never felt that they were being
turned down or that they had been
sent empty away-tnaL is, not until
they had got out OF the warmth OF
Daisy'S radiant personality her SYM
pathetic smile and her understanding
brown eyes. If they had manuscript
she took it and referred 1t to one of
| the readers; if they begged personal
| interview with Mr.. Stockbridge she
made excuses; if they had criticisms
| to offer she listened patiently and
| thanked the critics.
Harold Rogers when he called with
a brief case of manuscript at the edi-
torial office was no ordinary caller.
That is, he was not to be sfdetrac ked
| by Daisy Jones's interested smile or
| sympathetic eyes. Harold had sold
books one summer as part of his
scheme for putting himself thru coli
| lege and he was immune to all of
| Daisy's tricks and excuses.
'I want to see Mr.. Stockbridge-I'm
going to see him somehow" he said
| doggedly but with perfect good ma
ture.
''But Mr. stockbridge expects me
to attend to callers with whom he is
not personally acquainted. If you
| have manuscript I'll be very glad to
| take it and have it carefully read by
one of the assistant editors. Mr..
| Stockbridge never considers manu-
script until it has gone thru the hands
| of his assistants. He is so very busy.
| You surely understand
| Eyes, but this manuscript has al
ready gone thru the hands of your
editorial readers and it has come back
with a rejection slip. 1 didn't write
it, you understand. If had 1 wouldn't
| be SO keen about praising it. But 1t
is the work of an old friend of mine
Alden Bangs. I undertook to place it
| for him. He is especially eager to get
you people to take it. 1 know your
readers weren't impressed by it, but I,
| also know that a. man like Mr. Stock
| bridge might sometimes come to diff
J ferent decision from that of his assist
ants. I want Mr.. Stockbridge to read
| this himself. That's why I want to
meet Mr.. Stockbridge personally. Now
iyou say that he never sees writers
personally, that he never reads manu-
script until it has been passed on by
| his readers. I happen to have heard
| how he took the first story from John
Brandige. His readers turned it down.
Then he read it personally and recog-
nized it as one of the best short stories
of the year"
"Of course, John Brandige was diff
ferent," assured Daisy. Mr.. Stock
| bridges sympathy was aroused. Mr..
Brandige, you know, is blind. When
other men who try to beg his per-
sonal interest come he says They
are strong, healthy. Why don't they
become doctors or engineers or law
yers or carpenters?- There are too
many fiction writer's as it is You
know Mr.. Stockbridge is not very en-
| thusiastic about fiction writing as
profession. Tell your friend that Mr..
| Stockbridge thinks that for nine hun
dred and ninety-nine men out of
thousand who aspire to fiction writing,
| it would have been the part of wis
dom to have taken up some other
calling That is what Mr.. Stockbridge
course, with John Brandige it was
| different. He was blind
Harold Rogers had been listening
intently. He interrupted Daisy now:
I There may be just as good reason
why this friend of mine should be
, encouraged as John Brandige. The
fact is-the fact is he broke his neck
once when he was tryins-trying to
save girl from drowning. He has
to support an invalid mother and a
| tongue-tied sister,
| ''Tongue-tied? queried Daisy.
/ Eyes; tongue-tied-that's what I
said, isn't it? You see she studied to
be g. singer and then she became
tongue-tied$S she can't help support
the family. Really it is a very sad
case, quite as sad as that of John
Brandige. OF course, this manuscript
may not be availa BILE, but if Mr.. Stock
bridge would only look it over he
might be willing to write to this friend
of mine and offer him some helpful
criticisms. You see he. has to lie fiat
on his back-he dictates Toto his
tongue-tied sister,
'"That is pathetic" said Daisy, SYM
| pathetic concern written on her viva
cious face. ''Tll tell Mr.. Stockbridge
about it. Just leave the manuscript
and I'll see what can do
/ Mr.. Stockbridge was not in very
amiable mood nor sympathetic one,
and Daisy did not feel that it was an
case of the broken-necked author and
his tongue-tied sister. But she could
not bear to disappoint them. So she
read the manuscript very carefully
herself. She could see why the readers
had rejected it, still she could also see
traces of merit that might make this
Alden Bangs a second John Brandige.
| She pondered long over the story
and then in letter she wrote she
brought to bear all the literary criti-
cism she had learned from her long as
ISOLATION with Mr.. Stockbridge. A sec
ond manuscript followed after two
weeks. This showed, as Daisy thought,
enormous improvement; still, it was
hardly up to Stockbridge's standard.
So she wrote another letter as full of
tactful encourageme as 1t was of
unsparing criticism. A month fol-
lowed and Daisy often feared lest she
had been too severe. Or perhaps poor
4 Alden Bangs poor life had come to a
close, his ambition still unqualified.
In a month and day, however, the
third manuscript from Alden Bangs
Il arrived and with it a brief handwrit-
ten letter expressing the deep graft
tude Of the writer for the sympa-
thetic interest that Miss Jones had
taken.
One quick reading gave Daisy cour-
age; a second reading and she knew
4 that she had a really great story in
bar hor She did haSifafa to