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Show A Coincidence and a Reconsideration. Recon-sideration. I1V J I' COUOIIU. (Copyrlthl, IVol. by Dally Htory Pub. Co) Paul Westovcr had every reason to congratulate himself upon the success of his new book Tho public received It with gratifying approval, and tho critics bestowed upon It well-tempered commendation Ilelng a first-born, however, the rrltlca felt bound to pa trontro both It and Iti writer In their customary paternal fashion, nnd while lauding Us other excellent qualities they pointed out and dwelt upon the un-rcallstlo Improbabilities of the main Incidents In which Mr. West-over's West-over's heroine was centered. That this should be so was only natural: Mr Wcatoter wns ridiculously ridicu-lously young to know anything of the Impenetrable feminine, and yet he had dsred to make "(lertrudo Warner" the story of a woman's llfo, a story ot smuy strange phases, nnd ot curious though Incorrect, said the reviewers, Insights Into tho workings of n young girl's mind, Westovcr was almost on the point of accepting tho critic's dictum. Ho had fancied that hla portrayal of Gertrude Ger-trude Warner was well and clearly Imagined, Im-agined, but after all what could he, a bachelor and Impressionable, know ot women, Tho rovleuira must be right Gertrude Warner was falsely drawn. Hut there us at least one person who did not think with the rovlewers. The newly-fledged author received In his mall from hla publishers a long letter that was truly startling to his lolf possession, Its full length may not be given hero but Its gist Is contained con-tained In n couple ot paragraphs. "You aro evidently very Intimately acquainted with tho story ot the darkest dark-est passages In my life but surely It was unnecessary that the details should, bo mado public so faithfully and so callously. I would like to think that your story was purely a coincidence coinci-dence and evolved entirely from your own Imagination, but tho details up to the denouement. In every particular? aro so carefully true to tact that t have no other course than to bellevj that some unworthy recipient ot my confidence hns In an Idlo moment bo-trayrd bo-trayrd my unhappy history "Doubtless you will admit that f have nt least tho right ot asking an explanation, the more especially, seo-Ing seo-Ing that you havo even given to your novel a tltlo so like the name borne by her who asks It. "ai.KMYN WAItltEN." Wcstoter finished tho reading ot this letter with ft rue expresalon. He whistled softly to himself and looked blankly at tho wall In an endeavor to collect hla thoughts and adequately consider tho sltustlun presented to him. In a moment Ib humorous aspect as-pect of the affair dawr hi him tad be laughed qulzilcall) "One ot the dollghts ot novel-writing," he murmured aloud, "Is to run across some hysterical woman ho finds your book a mirror ot her put A atJirtllnK letter. Jf I am expected to reply to all such toy handa will be full Yet what a aplendld answer to the critics. Ills better and more sympathetle nature, howovcr, for as yet he as not experienced enough to be callous assorted as-sorted Itself, and ho penned a duty consolatory loiter to Miss Germvn Warren. ' A week lator Paul Westour had n encounter that caused him consider, able embarrassment. "Mr. Wcstover, our youngest novelist. nov-elist. Miss Warren," The serenity and self-contalnedness ot the frail pretty girl before him u In sulking contrast to the bluihlsg stammering awkwardness of the young author. Tho clear blue, eyes, however put him at hla euso quickly and fc found hlmsslt lost In amatcment at bow different tho girl before him u from the morbid woman with a put ho had pictured her. "Your letter I suppose I may spm ot It was very kind," her iolc brute jiuslrally In upon his semi abeorptljn; ' "but there are some things In yur book I t ould like to talk to you abr.ut. May 1'" Westorer found himself In a quiet corner of the drawing room anticipating anticipat-ing a quarter of an hour's stern cross-examination cross-examination at the hands ot Miss Warren War-ren Somehow tho ordeal did not aetm to be so terrlblo as It would hate seemed two days previously. Hitting In his armchair that night Paul Weetoter meditatively addressed the smoke-clouds from his cigar "8he Is wonderfully pretty sho has exquisitely owoet eyes nnd what n charming talker, even though wo did talk only of the serious things of Ufa. She Is Indeed an Ideal lierolno In real life " Westover pulled himself up abruptly and laughed a quick, nervous laugh, "Come, this won't do contemplating such a thing nlready Is making hasto too quickly but that's absurd. Wh txfnre I know It III bo thinking of marriage And marriage would be tho ruin of n oung writer. It would" Hut then Westover repeated to him-silt him-silt all the familiar arguments against "Ves, everything Mr. Westover haa written." matrimony until finally ho went to bed convinced If not exactly pleased. Ills encounter with Mlsa Gcrmyn Warren, and tho train of thought It prompted may havo Lad something to do with Mr. WcslnVirs departuro for the west, but the literary Journals announced an-nounced his trip aa taken for the purpose pur-pose of acquiring local color for a sew novel. During tho two years that followed Paul Westovcr' literary output served to Increaso considerably hla growing reputation, llo returned to Now York and prepared to settle down comfortably comfort-ably to meet tho demands made upon Mm by his publishers. Tho novel, .to prepare which ho left Now York, was a pronounced success, and though hli old friends, the critics, did not sfpear to notice It. Paul himself was conscious of a ccrtatn rcscmblanco In (re -between his new bcrolno and his old, that Is to say Miss Germyn Warren War-ren llo tried to reason that this new heroine was simply but a development develop-ment of the Oertrudo Warner ot his first book, and thus ho tried to dispel dis-pel his lingering fears that he had drawn upon Miss Warren, his acquaintance ac-quaintance of a slnglo evening. Again In his career Mr. Paul Westorer West-orer hsd an encounter which caused him to become as discomposed and nervous as he had been at his lint meeting with the coincidental bcrolno of his first book. It was at a literary receotlon. "Permit me. Miss Warren, to Introduce Intro-duce to you Mr. Paul Westover you have, no doubt read his clever books." "Yes, everything Mr. Westover has written," said Germyn Wnrrcn, as sho extended her hand to Paul, who stood bowing and blushing like a schoolboy. Then with a smile of gcntlo mischief playing around her lips as they wore left alone aho continued; And I cannot can-not think that Mr. Westovcr has forgotten for-gotten me alnco some ot my friends would havo It I am portrayed rather faithfully In your most recent novel and even In several ot your magaxlne stories." Westover was plainly surprised at this frank challenge, and for the second sec-ond time In his llfo ho found himself keenly observing the herolno ot his fiction, llo noticed tho same clear, bluo eyes nnd wondered at how closely close-ly he had remembered them all this time. He found htmcutf on terms ot old acquaintanceship with this mag-nctlc mag-nctlc little girl, for sho was only a girl. For a moment until the pro-sumption pro-sumption of the thing struck hint be felt a tinge of regret being taken away from Now York for so long. How that erenlng's reception passed he never knew. Ho had a very definite notion that ho had spent by far tho greator part ot the evening In tho society of Miss Warren. That night In tho seculslon of his chambers, over his cigar, ho came not unwillingly to the conclusion that after aft-er all: "What Is to be Is to be, and It seems to mo that tho fates hato ordained that I ahould creato a herolno for myself. my-self. Either I ant In love or am arming" arm-ing" relentlessly towards that happy state of mind. Ot courso marrlagu Is the to-be-expected outcome ot love, and for a young man struggling for fame and fortune n sympathetic wife Is a great helper, a constant Incentive" Incent-ive" and thus be proceeded to adapt his views to the altered state ot his circumstances. |