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Show I A STUDY I I FROM LIFE I S B7 LEIGH ATWOOD g (Copyright, by Joseph D. Bowles.) It was my first "allowance," you seo, that was why I thought so much about It. 1 know now It Is Impossible Impos-sible to mnko an nllowanco do, and nobody expects It cither. I wna only ten pounds short at tho end of tho quarter; and, really, 1 hadn't been a bit oxtravngant, except perhaps for that lovely Jowoled mult-chuln, mult-chuln, which cost but there, that doesn't mutter. Dad scolded mo a little, tho old dear, and ot course gave mo somo moro money; but It scorned to mo I ought to snvo It mysolf, yet somehow 1 couldn't. Howovor, ono day all ot a sudden 1 had a splendid Idea. I would wrlto a book! It looked so easy and pnld so well, I know, because Mr. Klngswell, dad's friend, wroto books for which ho got heaps of money thousands ot pounds, somebody told mo. It proved to bo very much moro trou-bio trou-bio thnn you would think. I had rend somowhero that ono ought to parso every word ono writes. I didn't seo why. Yet I did It, for of courso nn author must expect to put up with n little Inconvenience; though I nm nfrnld tho parsing would hnvo made dear old Miss Howard shudder, for 1 always hated parsing at school. I soon gavo up the Idea of writing a book. A talo would be quite enough nnd far less bother. So I burnt tho other stuff, parsing and all, and started on tho tulo. It was easy to dccldo what It should bo about. All tho tales I'vo read havo been nbout n girl, a man and a wedding. So I soon got It done. It was rather a rush to get It copied by post time, but I managed It nnd sent It oft to tho editor In whoso paper I wished It to appear, and then waited for him to send mo tho check. About two dnyB later a big envelope camo up with my letters and I couldn't think whnt It might bo; but when I opened It I was Indeed surprised. It wns my talo. Tho editor didn't wnnt It. After brenkfnst I went Into tho library and sat down to rend tho manuscript man-uscript over. I picked up tho printed Blip wlilcn camo with it. Marked on THE UDITOIt DIDN'T WANT IT. It wero two or thrco words about tho talo having "no plot" nnd being "too crude." It was so absurd, becnuso there was a plot. I know whnt n plot is. Wo studied tho plots of Shakes-pearo Shakes-pearo at school. Tho plot Is tho tnlo, and my talo was about a mnn who met a girl and married her. I was thinking tnls out when Mr. Klngswoll was announced. Aftor he had shaken hands ho went nnd stood on tho henrthrug with ono elbow on tho chimney piece, looking ut mo nt tho writing tnblo surrounded by nil my papers. "Whatovor documents havo you thoro? Aro you auditing the household house-hold accounts?" ho asked. "No," I snld, "I don't havo anything to do with tho accounts yet; I don't think 1 could manage them." (Ot courso I couldn't. Hadn't I made n muddlo of my own nllowanco?) "Ah! Thon you aro perhaps calculating cal-culating your poraonnl liabilities? Ilut, no, I- seo you aro not dealing with figures." Ho waB laughing, I could toll; but I didn't mind that, somo pcoplo Inugh so nlcoly, nnd I determined to tell htm all about It. "I nm writing a story," I said, "or rathor I havo wrltton one, anil, would you bollovo, tho editor I posted It to has sent it back." "It's a habit 1 am told editors havo," Mr. Klngswoll replied, qulto seriously, though I fancied his eyes were laughing. laugh-ing. "It's a very silly habit," I asserted, "and editors must bo very stupid it thoy aro nil llko this one. Why he says thoro is no plot In my tnlo; could anything bo moro ridiculous?" "What Is tho story? Tell mo all about It," returned Mr. Klngswoll, "and I shall bo ablo to sympathize moro complotoly." So I told him briefly, ot courso, for thoro wasn't much to toll, nnd when I hnd finished: "Indeed, Miss March," ho said, "tho editor must bo mistaken. Givon a man nnd a woman thoro's bound to bo a tnlo. nut lot mo road It. Perhaps Per-haps you haven't worked It out properly. prop-erly. You are Inexperienced, you know." I gave blm tho manuscript and watched while ho sat In dad's armchair arm-chair to read It. Ho Is what you would call a lino mnn, with such strong shoulders nnd lovoly brown hair with llttlo tips of gray, llko sliver sli-ver dust, on It. I was Just thinking how nice ho looked sitting there, and whnt n firm nose nnd mouth ho had. when suddenly ho glanced up and said, abruptly: "So your hero li young nnd hnndsome a real Apollo You admlro handsome mon?" "Oh, no," I Bald. "I ndmlro Btronf, men, not that sort at all. Dut 1 thought It was tho usual thing In books." I didn't say nny moro till tho wholi of tho sheets had boon road. It too'H somo tlmo, for I scrlbblo awfully when I try to wrlto fnst. And thon I asked him what ho thought was tho matter with It. I told him that tho cdltoi said It was too crude, and ho agreed. I was olTcnded, and I expect ho saw It, for ho went on as quickly as possible to explain what ho meant. Ho said a great deal, but us far ns I can remember tho meaning ot It nil wns that I had had no oxpcrlcnco ot getting engaged and that sort ot thing and thut tho tnlo showed this weakness. Ho Bald I had much to lenrn and beforo I corrected tho story I ought to try to Improve Did you ever hear anything so silly? How could I gain oxperlenco In n day or two? Who wns there to help mo? I told Mr. Klngswell whnt I thought of his Idea. Of courso It would be useful, but Impracticable. 1 always know ho was n line chum I had known him for over so many years, but I think ho was Just a trump for what ho suggested. It was that ho should bo my lover for a fort-, night, bo Hint I might seo how n mat would act if ho loved somebody Since hn didn't mind tint trnnlilo. 1 wns of courso perfectly willing, and soon nftcr we had arranged It ho left ilut no sooner hnd Mr. Klngswoll gone thnn I began to fcol wretched It was about hla last book. I read It. Thero waa such n ntco girl in it nbout llko mo 1 ahould think. I won dcrcd if bIio pretended to bo his verj dear friend while ii'o wrote tho book It wasn't a nice idea some-how. Noxt day Mr. Klngswell wroto nic n llttlo note asking mo to go skating with him that afternoon on tho lnko I wont, nnd did enjoy myself Im mcnsely. Ho looked after me nn) talked bo nicely that I was sorrj whon ho had to go back to dinner Dad wub laughing whon ho met us It. tho hall. I didn't boo why, for I hndn't told hltn about our plan, anJ I didn't seem to wnnt to; but sud1 denly ho kissed mo nnd went oft In a hurry, which I thought was rathor funny of him. I had always felt n wco bit Jealous that Mr. Klngswoll nlwnys camo to seo dnd and not particularly mo; but now when 1 know his viBlts woro really mlno It was delightful. I had a lovo ly tlmo and tho days Just How by Tho fortnight begnn to draw to tho end. 1 counted tho dnys as they passed. I couldn't help thinking how I should miss a lover. For ho was a splendid nctor; anyono would think ho really meant It. I romombor onco wo went for u walk dad, Mr. KlngBwoll and I whon ono of thoso harum-scarum Graham boys dashed up on his bl cycle Just as wo wero crossing tht road. I can't tell how It happened, but tho next minuto Mr. Klngswell wni lifting mo up nil covered with road dust whilst dad was anxiously en treating mo to toll him If 1 woro hurt 1 wnsnt, nnd said so; and reany n wns a good thing dad had turned to spenk to tho boy, for It took my "lover" qulto a long tlmo to reallzt thero was nothing tho matter. He kopt on holding mo ns If ho would novor lot mo go and I distinctly heard him murmur: "Thank God for that my darling," when I said I was all right, exactly as If It really mattcrod to him. At length tho last day camo and Mr. Klngswell did not appear till tho oven-lng oven-lng nftor dinner. Dad had gono to hit study; ho wouldn't let mo go with him, but snld I had to umuso myaoll till ho camo back. I took my violin nnd tried to piny but couldn't, I was too lonely. So I Just cuddled up on tho big sottlu nnd tried not to cry Somo ono camo In. I thought It was dud until I looked up and saw Mr Klngswoll. Ho looked so stern, I wondered what wns the matter till I remembered the fortnight was really over now, and ol courso ho would go back to being Just "dnd'B friend." I didn't know ther6 was such a difference I wished I hnd novor learned. Everything seemed miserablo now; nnd really our experiment experi-ment would not bo of much use, for 1 vowod I would never wrlto about Mr Klngswell In a book I would Just ro member him mysolf. Of course tho right thing for me to do was to thank him for his klndncst In holplng mo, but I wns afraid to Ho wns looking nt mo bo unmorolful-ly, unmorolful-ly, Indeed, that I daren't try, especially especial-ly as I know my volco would bo sure to shiver as If I had Just been crying and of course I hndn't. So I Just waited and longed for dad to como ic till at Inst he spoko. "And so our acting Is over, Marjory?" Mar-jory?" It was tho first tlmo ho had called me that, and I liked to hear it. I couldu't think of nnythlng to say, ana neither did ho for a moment; thou hi Bald qulto suddenly: "You think mo n good actor, don't you? Marjory darling It wns real!" I found my volco and gasped out: "Ohl I am so glad." Ilut I hadn't time for any moro, for Mr. Klngswoll was only n llttlo way from me. and he takes such big strident |
