The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-05-28

Writers can be more secretive.
Come to think OF II, authors are rather
like whales that keep quiet till they
are ready to spout. Resolving to be
ready for emergencies, / tried to think
what speech would be appropriate to
any kind Of celebrity. when win
your next book be out?' was too
specialized. Then l decided on,
What are you working on now7"
That struck me as rather neat.
In front of the posaoffice | noticed
man l had often seen in the city,
with no thought of his being cele-
brity. 1 put on tourist air and ask
ed. "How far is it to the Mission2"
about a mile-an easy walk
"Thank you. What a charming
place this is for sketching What are
you working orr
eThat," and he pointed off through
the trees. 'I'm shingling Professor
Whites new cottage. That's Professor
White building the fence"
Professor White, whose fame is in
ternational because he came nearer
to not seeing the comet than any
other astronomer on the continent!i
If had made one blunder, had seen
one celebrity thereby. | looked over
the registers of the two hotels. Ce-
! lebritfes / found there, some real,
some merely merceri2ed, but no
Woodrow Wardham. The postofice
clerk knew the rules and recited.
mo information may be given as to
those who receive MALL"
eve have neither sold nea rented
to w. Wardham," said the clerk In
the real estate office. To tell the
truth, I did not want to find him by
these-every-day methods. An Imitator
reporter would have used such tactics
went back to the real estate Office,
however, and asked, Are not there
some noted people in this town.
The clerk spoke as one would
speak Of raisins at Fresno or prunes
In the Santa Clara Valley: QUAINT
ties of them. There are Lapham
Wright and Mrs Augusta Lloyd. the
novelists. and Sargent West, the
painter, and ever 80 many more"
"Is Mr.. Woodrow Wardham here?"
Very likely. never heard OF him,
though"
wandered to the beach and stared
at the little lines of white that make
the Bay Of Monterey appear like
large blueprint. If l were not re-
porter with leaning toward detective
! work, l. would be a painter. The
beach was somewhat deserted, but
sheltered by q sand-dune right in
/ front of me sat painter, hard at
I work. A battered paint-box lay at the
! foot of easel. 1t Is only the novices.
/ they say, who have new paint-boxes.
Was l not quite tourist-like in pausing
to look at his work.
tits shockingly hard to get that
purple light" he explained, almost
as if talking to himself. II want that
reflection" and he went on with
technical phrases about composition
and texture.
"The sand-dunes by the sea we're
made for artists" / said with enthusi-
asm.
/
to paint or to write till those scandal
Gus newspapers dragged us into their
columns. Here we are just normal
people who should neither be pitied
nor blamed because we write or paint.
All the world are painters or poets,
don't you know, only fortunately, 1t
may be, the publishers and picture
buyers have not found it out. It's
pity that the newspapers should
thrust vulgar notoriety upon us"
Two groups of khaki-clad women
passed; there was the chatter of sew
eral small girls, and child's voice
shouted joyously. l murmured sent
ence of panied acquiescence to his
complaint, and followed the childIs
voice.
He's all in. He's all iu,' he cried
in uproarous Joy. Watch him volley-
cano out" He waved his plump arms
over a palpitating patch of khaki,
! lightly covered with sand that heaved
q moment, and then with splurge
| there came forth large man with his
khaki coat drawn over his head. 1t
was like Woodrow Wafdham to speak
as If the Bronton reception were Ees-
terday. He adjusted his coat as he
asked: Are you here to write or to
paint or to persecute?" and he held
out his hand.
1.-THE Emulator told me to dig up.
''And Rodney-boy dug me UP for
you. Have you been to the house,
My wife's mother owns a cottage
here, and shall build next year If
the place doesn't get too much into
public notice. Raines will want to
meet you-you may know his
pictures" Indeed did. though had
not recognized his half-Anished work.
"Raines is especially fond of report
ers" A moment after he presented
/ the artist, who came in response to his
signal And Raines is Wardham's
brotherin-law; / didn't know that
before,