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Show ODD PARTNERS By ANNIE 1IINRICIISEN ocUtJ Laetwir Pt.) stauco Into them. I'll publish these and all others as good." t She gathered them up. 'They are not for publication. I wanted to know something about them, and you hnve told mo what 1 wished to know." Three months later. In response to a charmingly worded note. Urn ham Ford came to Normu's flat for dinner. The living-room bad been refurnished refur-nished and was a harmony of dull woods nnd soft colors. ISoforo the grato fire was a small tabbi set for two. Norma wore over her pretty, llht gown a hlte apron. It was n will cooked dinner which the hlte-aproned hostess eerved. Ora-hum Ora-hum Kord ate steadily and appreciate-ly appreciate-ly through the ' course. When tho meal was finished they carried th table Into the tiny kitchen. (Jruham looked about for the cook, but saw no one. Norma purhed an easy chair before the lire, lie dropped Into It and lighted light-ed a cigar. Norma, still wearing her apron, sat on a small chair drawn closo to his. "(iriihum." she said In a low voice, "bow do you like It my little flat and inv dinner?" "It Is a domestic paradise," he sighed. "Would you like to have tt all the timet You can If you want to," sbo went on as be stared bewildered. bewil-dered. "I refused you a literary wife. Will you take a domestic one? Stt still while I tell you about It. ! was so spoiled by my literary success that I thought I had real talent. I ended our partnership. After thnt 1 could not sell a story. The only merit my stories possessed was the revision you gave them. With It they sold; without It they were worthless, "Arter we separated I realized that that I loved you. When you asked me to marry you I anted to I wanted want-ed to vtlth all my heart. Hut I could not do It. I had nothing to give you In return for all you were ready to give me. I refused you and and t went to school to learn to bo a good home maker. I learned to cook, to arrange ar-range rooms, to shop economically. I've practiced here In my llltlo flat, trying to become proficient enough to to make your home comfortable and happy. I'm a literary failure, bu I am a good cook and now I can be a! real partner a useful one If you" Hut the rest of the sentence wsa left unfinished as the girl and the bit? white apron were drawn Into the easy chair. (Coitilil, lull. tr Aw "Our partnership must end." The girl spoke decisively. "I don't see the reason," objected the man. "We have been writing together very successfully for several weeks," she explained. "Hut we have reached a point In our work where each one can do better alone. If we stay together to-gether our Influence on each other will bo a real detriment to success. My work will take on tho quality of yours; yours will become like mine. Our talents will develop If we work separately." In spltn of the hurt In bis eyes C.ra- bam Ford's lips twitched. "Perhaps I seem ungrateful," Nor mn Atwood went on. "I ant really your protege ratl.ir than your part-In part-In or. I came to tlto city with the In- tcntlon of devoting my life to newspa- per and ninga:'liie work. All my ar- tlclea and stories were refused. Whin I met you I was uiterly discouraged. ' I told you my diiliculiles. You read ; my stuff, showed me how to alter It i Into salable matter and Introduced mo to editors. Success came Immediately. Immedi-ately. I am selling everything I wrlto. Wo havo been working together. to-gether. You write your things and ! I write mine. livery morning you : tome here to my flat and we go over ' the stories and give each other advice and suggestions. We havo called ourselves our-selves literary partners. "Yenti rduy the Arcade asked me to furnish them a daily story. These stories and my work will take all my time and these morning hours together to-gether must be given up." Ford's brows drew together. "I un derstand," ho said briefly. "You offer ;wo good reasons; you are so successful success-ful that you haven't time for me, and we can do better work without the assistance as-sistance of each other." Two wcks later Norma Atwood went to the office of tho Arcade. "Mr. Mills," she said to the managing man-aging editor, "you promised to publish pub-lish a story of mine every day for an Indefinite pe riod. This morning you lent back to me a bundlo of my stories accompanied by a letter telling tell-ing me to write better oms If I f 1 Et LJ jayi) villi! Wf- K ft I ' ' -xS" "I Can Be a Partner" wished the Arcade to use them. I've come to ask you what Is the matter with them." The editor was a direct man and a frank one. "They lack snap and point. Your earlier stories were clever; these are flat. Write as well as you did a few weeks ago and no atory will bo returned to you." I few days later another bundle of stories was returned to her. One evening Graham Ford came to the llltlo flat. It was Lis first visit since the dissolution of tho partnership. partner-ship. "How are you getting along?" he asked abruptly. "I am very busy," she began bravely. brave-ly. "Are you selling much?" "Kvery writer has periods of fall-ore." fall-ore." "What Is the Arcade doing with your stuff?" "Sending It bsek to me." After a moment she added. "So Is every other editor." "Hrutes," he anathematis' d. "Let me see your stories." He went through them, cuttln-. i transposing end adding whole para t-rapha. "These are good stories." he ; commended. "Try them on those ; f dltors again. They will buy. You 1 write well." i Stie fthook her head. ! "Norma, let's go back to our partnership. part-nership. Will you? I'm lonesome and unhappy. I can't write alone." "Kvtry big nag.i7.ine In the country Is buying your work. You don't need me. You never needed ire. Hut I " "I'm lonesom and miserable. I do seed you. I want a literary partner and I wsnt the o'brr kind of partner, too. I want a wife. Norma I love you. dtr. and I can't go on without you." "You will have to I shall neither msrry you nor resume our literary partnership." The next dsy she took the revised Stories to the editor of the Arcsde. He glanced over them. "Good stuff," he announced. "You've touched up I these stories tad put the real sub-1 |