"Duty First," Scribner's, June, 1918.

"In the Day's Work," Scribner's, October, 1918. "The Admiral's Hollyhocks," Scribner's, December, 1918.

"Between the Treaty Ports," Scribner's, November, 1918.

"Climate," McCall's, May, 1919.

"Flags," Scribner's, February, 1919.

"Guam-and Effie," Scribner's, January, 1919. "Return," Scribner's, June, 1919.

"According to Ruskin," Woman's Home Companion, June, 1920.

"Distracting Adeline," Scribner's, May, 1920. "Cricket," Delineator, June, 1921.

"Her Excellent Excellency," Ladies Home Journal, March, 1921.

"Laninii," Scribner's, June, 1921.

"Old Ships," Scribner's, August, 1923.

Twelve of these stories were gathered up and published, 1919, in the volume mentioned above, "Anchors Aweigh." A number have been reprinted elsewhere, "According to Ruskin" in particular. Mrs. Welles states that it has been republished twentyfive times, and is now "proceeding upon its way through the French and the Scandinavian."

Frances Gilchrist Wood. Born at Carthage, Illinois. Graduate of Carthage College, later receiving from the institution the degrees of A.M. and Litt.D. Early interest in fiction. Married, 1893, to Lansing Pruyn Wood. Has two grown daughters. Came to Columbia in 1915, and studied story writing through 1919. Memory of pioneer days in Dakota has been chief inspiration. At present, says Mrs. Wood, "I find it interesting to sojourn, not merely travel, in

strange countries in the making, studying their history, politics, geography to understand their beginnings and why they have arrived where they are." Fruits of her travel are appearing in current magazines; for example, "Shoes," Harper's, December, 1923. "Turkey Red," written for the class at Columbia, was published in Pictorial Review, November, 1919. It was voted one of the best stories of that year, by the O. Henry Memorial Committee, and included in O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories, 1919. It was also reprinted in "The Best Short Stories, 1920." H. Huizinga, Shanghai College, China, incorporated it in "Modern Short Stories for Chinese Students," 1922. Syndicated in newspapers.

Mrs. Wood writes: "As a girl just out of college I went West to the Dakotas with my father. He was a civil engineer and had gone to survey the claims of a Soldiers' Colony and to take up land for himself just East of the Missouri, near the center of the State.

"It was the untellable hardships of this life on bleak plains through the killing cold of winter, the lack of fuel, hard times as our money ran out and we raised no crops, being hailed out and burned with prairie fires; distance from our only link with the world at the railway, and shacks so ugly you were homesick every morning as soon as you opened your eyes. The Colony was largely made up of cultured people from farther east, to whom such a life was an immolation. But the thoroughbred strain in American pioneers made them endure, often with a laugh that hid tears, the grilling of an existence that could break the strongest.

"As to this story material; the blizzards were of common occurrence, our daily life, in fact. Strangers like Smith coming into the country were contemptuous and condescending because so painfully ignorant. The

isolated grappling with death in far separated shacks during impassable storms was one of the terrors of life. The child with the croup was my own. That life burned in deep in the impressionable years of youth, never to be erased. Ask any pioneer the significance of our cheap turkey red calico that covered some of the ugliness of a sod shack. They'll laugh, catch their breath, maybe, but they'll know! The thing that made me write "Turkey Red' was the undying courage of the pioneer."

Other stories by Mrs. Wood:

"The White Battalion," Bookman, May, 1918. Reprinted in O'Brien's "The Best Short Stories, 1918." "The Spoiling of Pharaoh," Pictorial Review, October, 1919.

"As Between Mothers," To-day's Housewife, September, 1918.

"The Price of the Prophets," Delineator, September,

1921.

"Four O'Clock," Delineator, February, 1923.

"The Pick-up Job," Pictorial Review, May, 1923. Syndicated in newspapers.

"The Courage of a Quitter," Delineator, August, 1923.

"And Hear-the Angels-Sing!", Delineator, December, 1923.

"Shoes," Harper's, December, 1923.

New York City,

22 March, 1924.

BLANCHE COLTON WILLIAMS

FIFTY-TWO WEEKS FOR FLORETTE *

BY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER

T had been over two months since Freddy Le

I

Fay's bill had been paid, and Miss Nellie Blair was worried. She had written to Freddy's mother repeatedly, but there had been no answer.

"It's all your own fault, sister. You should never have taken Freddy," Miss Eva said sharply. "I told you so at the time, when I saw his mother's hair. of course Le Fay is not her real name. me like a clear case of desertion."

And

It looks to

"I can't believe it. She seemed so devoted," faltered Miss Nellie.

"Oh, a girl like that!" Miss Eva sniffed. "You should never have consented."

"Well, the poor thing was so worried, and if it meant saving the child from a dreadful life

"There are other schools more suitable."

"But, sister, she seemed to have her heart set on ours. She begged me to make a little gentleman out of him."

"As if you could ever do that!"

"Why not?" asked Mary, their niece.

"That dreadful child!"

"Freddy isn't dreadful!" cried Mary hotly.

"With that atrocious slang! Won't eat his oatmeal!

And he's such a queer child-queer! So pale,

From The Saturday Evening Post. Copyright, 1921, by The Curtis Publishing Company in the United States and Great Britain.

never laughs, doesn't like any one. Why should you take up for him? He doesn't even like you.

me, I suppose.'

Hates

"It's because we are so different from the women he has known," said Mary.

"I should hope so! Well, sister, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know what to do," sighed Miss Nellie. "He hasn't any other relatives as far as I know. And the summer coming on, what shall we do?"

"Nothing for it but to send him to an orphanage if she doesn't write soon," said Miss Eva.

"Oh, auntie, you wouldn't!"

"Why not? How can we afford to give children free board and education?"

"It's only one child."

"It would soon be a dozen, if we once started it." "I'll wait another month," said Miss Nellie, "and then, really, something will have to be done."

The girl looked out of the window.

"There he is now," she said, "sitting on the stone wall at the end of the garden. It's his favorite spot."

"What on earth he wants to sit there for-away from all the other children! He never plays. Look at him! Just sitting there-not moving. How stupid!" exclaimed Miss Eva impatiently.

"I do declare, I believe he's fallen asleep," said Miss Nellie.

Freddy was not asleep. He had only to close his eyes and it would all come back to him. Memories that he could not put into words, sensations without definite thought, crowded in upon him. The smellthe thick smell of grease paint, choking powder, dust, gas, old walls, bodies and breath, and sharp perfume;