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Show dpi it I l'yT HAl'I'Y aDd prosperous L New Year!" All day the - words hud been fiuug at r. I Bob Cameron ; everywhere he "eDt ecll0e1 iD lH4 kis ears. He wanted to shut them out, to forget that a New Year was beginning. be-ginning. Last night, In summing up the old year, he had come to the conclusion conclu-sion that he was an utter failure, that he might as well discard the Idea of becoming a writer. Every story that he had sent out had come back. It was true that a few editors had encouraged him one of the best known In the country had told him to keep on, that he bad a fine literary style. But none of them had kept his offerings. Bob felt that the wisest thing he could do was to chuck the whole thing at the beginning of the New Year. Yet down In his heart he knew that writing was a part of him ; that It would be an almost impossible im-possible task to keep away from the untidy desk back in his den. But he would have to do it, a man couldn't hold n girl to a promise, with nothing to offer her but failure. fail-ure. Bob knew that Dorothy Trent was back of his resolution to quit the writing game. He loved Dorothy Dor-othy and she loved him. They had been engaged since their senior year at Northwestern. It was time that he should say something about marriage; It was not fair to hold her as he was doing. He would have to get a position that would enable him to keep a girl like Dor- "It Will Be Glorious to Help You Work Out Your Career." othy; he couldn't ask her to exist on the meager pittance he was getting get-ting from the I'ryor company. He bed taken the job simply because it gave him so much time for writing, writ-ing, caring nothing at the time for the small salary and the lack of opportunity op-portunity that it held. The unhappiness brought by his resolve showed plainly in the weary droop of Bob's shoulders and the tired lines on his boyish face. He found it hard to join in the small talk and fun of the New Year's party par-ty that was going on. If Dorothy hadn't been so insistent upon his coming, he would have remained away, for he was In no mood for frivolity. And now, an even deeper bitterness had crept Into his heart, as he .watched the crowd pay tribute trib-ute to Everett Elstun, the literary lion of Raymondville. He wondered how Dorothy had. got Elstun to her party; he was a bit of a recluse and seldom mingled with the crowd. He was surprised as he saw him walking across the room, with an eager look, upon his face. "How are you coming with your writing?" he asked. Bob gave a mirthless laugh. "I've just decided that as a writer I'm a pretty good hod-carrier. The fact of the matter is, Mr. Elstun, I've made a New Year's resolution to quit." "Giving up iu a hurry?" Elstun said, a trifle sharply. "I've been trying for almost two years," Bob answered. "And you think a few hours every now and then for two years should have brought you success? Listen, boy, I was writing full time for more than three years before I got a hint that I wasn't wasting ink." In a moment Bob was confessing his real reason for quitting. Elstun listened quietly, then he spoke. "L too, had that problem," he said. "There was a girl ; I felt sure she wouldn't be satisfied with what I had to offer. Fortunately, I found out In time she wanted to share. my struggles. Mayhe the girl you love feels the same way." Bob found that Elstun was right, j Dorothy was aghast at the thought j of his giving up the work he loved, j or doubting that she would want ; to share his poverty. "It will be : glorious to help you work out your ; career," she iissured him. i So a tiew resolution was made that called for success instead of failure. The New Year was going j to bring Bob the acceptance that he craved. j I . Western Newspaper Union. j |