Show Story th Day ill 1 THE HAPPY ENDING Mr r. r Mortimer divested of 0 all Its floWery flowery compliments your letter I you ou are not going to accept my my story does it observed Muriel o I J 1 r of the Empire Magazine l fidgeted uneasily in his chair r Miss Elliott he co commenced d hes Im really very sorry er I e no doubt you are was was' the answer anser Still youre you're youre you're not half so m. m Ah Mr 11 Mortimer she went on In a different voice after all bout bout wanting to help me I did count on your accepting my story I 1 tell me why youre you're declining It It though Dont Don't you like like It 1 I like like it very much ind indeed d returned returned the other hastily seizing as asi asto asto i to him bin the chance of appeasing his visitors visitor's anger e it very much indeed she ech echoed ed wonderingly Then Mr Moron Morn Mor Mor- In on n earth did you send It oo back k again Surely you are the editor of Magazine k here my young friend he went wenton on taking up a manuscript from apers apers before him this is your etory story You call it I see The Love LoveNow Now that's not the very best title Imaginable Still that scarcely the treatment of your plot that I object to Youve You've worked it out in sad manner that Its It's quite useless for our pages Readers e insist on having only onh lightness and brightness or at any rate Ins Ines in ines s es having at least a happy ending Now if you take the manu manu- hd rewrite rE It so that it fulfills this necessary requirement perhaps ihie ble to us use e it later on is full of or sad stories s. s Mr Mortimer protested the girl I id that's just why we dont don't want any of em In the pages of the was wall the answer ock k In th the evening o of the day on which she had had her interview tor of the Empire Magazine e Muriel Elliott sat down to try to give tory story tOI the attraction suggested by Mr l Mortimer n Mr Mortimer expect me rue to give a story like this a happy end- end tearfully as al she realized her labor had been wasted do o you blame then Muriel demanded her sister looking up in- in Order to detect the cause of the outburst I suppose you do allow luxury of blaming some some one one j Oj May I blame Dirk Dick Hilton of course course and and Ill I'll blame you too if part art against me she added stress tress yourself about me sac dear laughed the elder girl Ive got 1 troubles roUbles of my own to smooth over without worrying about yours e eI c I believe elleve its it's far more your fault than Dicks Dick's that theres there's this een en you Mayl ay I h how w can car you say that tha t i demanded Muriel Indignantly If Ir Mr M isn't on t to blame what loes does he keep away for la at else you told him yo you never wished to see him any more I e you rould the exPect poor man to do all 11 k his fault May He let that horrid Barrington girl make violent n when all the time rime he was yas fas engaged to me me I t couldn't returned the other lui quietly I r wouldn't let that trouble me if I l t really have been serious either because Edith Barrington Darrington aged aeed B ed a h at the time and w was s actually married three days after 1 May ay H HOW 1 o do you ou know crIed Muriel eagerly I never heard I the day that you gu quarreled d w Uh th poor Dick you went away for foriS a i. i j P. P J 4 j J f i i if ii 1 iS i Ir i t 1 0 I 7 r iU month if you ou remember to occupy yourself with you your w writing and never saw sawa a. a t newspaper all the time It didn't occur to me to mention the matter when you returned to town Surely Dick told you of that though Why I remember his telling me that he wrote to you about it Didn't you get It Yes but I sent his letter back May Id I'd said I wouldn't have anything more to do with him and so I returned it unopened That was scarcely brilliant of you dear observed her sister considering the result I dont don't care answered the other defiantly I dont don't care a a. bit Hm nm reflected the other as she watched the telltale tears starting to the speakers speaker's eyes You may say you dont don't care caie but y you'll Ull never make me believe It t. t I I One afternoon about three months from the date of her last Interview with Mr Mortimer she suddenly met him in Fleet street Hullo Miss Elliott he exclaimed ed genially why have you been avoiding me In this reprehensible fashion of late The pages of the Empire Magazine arc are simply yawning for you Haven't you managed to find finda a satisfactory conclusion for The Love That Lasts' Lasts yet Ive I've been keeping a space space for tor it for the last three months you know No Mr Mortimer replied the girl wearily I haven't bavent finished the story I and Im I'm not likely to either I cant can't find the happy ending somehow Dear me returned the editor sympathetically struck by the woebegone face tace looking up to him bad very bad very bad indeed Now look here my young friend he added briskly as a sudden thought struck him never mind the story just now Ive I've something else for y U to do Theres There's a dress rehearsal at the Lyceum at this af afternoon I want you to go and write an article for me about it Heres Here's a a. ticket for a box You will go That's right Good- Good b by He watched her drive away In Jn a hansom to execute his commission and then continued his Journey 7 Poor little girl he murmured to himself as he walked along so she's like a good many other people In this world world world-c world cant cant can't nt find the happy en ending What a pity she quarreled with young Hilton and wh what t a much bigger pity it Is now Is-now now that hes he's back in England that England that he doesn't make maim it up to her I wish I could bring them together again Suddenly au all idea occurred to to him As it did s so he he gave vent to such a peal of laughter that the passers-by passers round in surprise to see what could be amusing amusing- this amusing this middle-aged middle humored good gentleman who was walking walking walk walk- ing so fast along the pavement t j By Jove Il 11 do it he exclaimed excitedly If I telephone at once it It will be in time I As Muriel sat in one corner of her hr box twenty minutes later she thought it was impossible to discover anything more moie depressing than to watch a rehearsal re re- re- re So occupied was she in her reflections that she did not hear a tap at t t the door behind her Nor when it opened and an attendant ushered some one into the he box did she turn around It was only through hearing a moment later a chair being moved beside her that she became conscious that she was not alone alone She looked around with a start at the discovery As she did so she abe saw that the newcomer el was a man His face was turned from he her but despite the gloom enveloping the box she recognized as ag she thought something strangely familiar in the visitors visitor's outline A sudden impulse prompted h her herto to touch his hand gently and scarcely conscious of ot what shat she was doing she le leaned ned back hack for the purpose purpose The man turned his head at the movement A sudden light leaped into his eyes Half rising from his seat he held out both his hands j in welcome Muriel he cried So you are here after all Dick Dick Dick-Dick Dick Is it really you at last she answered Have you y come romp back to me again He leaned forward and kissed her by way of reply But how did you know I was here heie she demanded a moment tater fater George Mortimer Mortimer bless bless him telephoned him telephoned tome tonie tone at the club half halt a an hour ago that it was most Important that I should go to Box A at it the Lyceum um thi this afternoon He said Id I'd know why when I got there And do you dear she whispered softly His Ills answer seemed to satisfy her for at 6 o'clock the editor of the Magazine received the following the he Empire telegram Can Can finish story after all an T i have found the h happy ending Muri l Muriel Elliott Commercial Tribune 1 tI t K i I i h 1 1 Jj I. 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