It was a pictorial sheet , and Jo examined the work of art nearest her , idly wondering what fortuitous concatenation of circumstances needed the melodramatic illustration of an Indian in full war costume , tumbling over a precipice with a wolf at his throat , while two infuriated young gentlemen , with unnaturally small feet and big eyes , were stabbing each other close by , and a disheveled female was flying away in the background with her mouth wide open . Pausing to turn a page , the lad saw her looking and , with boyish good nature offered half his paper , saying bluntly , `` want to read it ? That 's a first-rate story . '' Jo accepted it with a smile , for she had never outgrown her liking for lads , and soon found herself involved in the usual labyrinth of love , mystery , and murder , for the story belonged to that class of light literature in which the passions have a holiday , and when the author 's invention fails , a grand catastrophe clears the stage of one half the dramatis personae , leaving the other half to exult over their downfall . `` Prime , is n't it ? '' asked the boy , as her eye went down the last paragraph of her portion . `` I think you and I could do as well as that if we tried , '' returned Jo , amused at his admiration of the trash . `` I should think I was a pretty lucky chap if I could . She makes a good living out of such stories , they say . '' and he pointed to the name of Mrs. S.L.A.N.G. Northbury , under the title of the tale . `` Do you know her ? '' asked Jo , with sudden interest . `` No , but I read all her pieces , and I know a fellow who works in the office where this paper is printed . '' `` Do you say she makes a good living out of stories like this ? '' and Jo looked more respectfully at the agitated group and thickly sprinkled exclamation points that adorned the page . `` Guess she does ! She knows just what folks like , and gets paid well for writing it . '' Here the lecture began , but Jo heard very little of it , for while Professor Sands was prosing away about Belzoni , Cheops , scarabei , and hieroglyphics , she was covertly taking down the address of the paper , and boldly resolving to try for the hundred-dollar prize offered in its columns for a sensational story . By the time the lecture ended and the audience awoke , she had built up a splendid fortune for herself -LRB- not the first founded on paper -RRB- , and was already deep in the concoction of her story , being unable to decide whether the duel should come before the elopement or after the murder . She said nothing of her plan at home , but fell to work next day , much to the disquiet of her mother , who always looked a little anxious when ` genius took to burning ' .
XXXXX had never tried this style before , contenting herself with very mild romances for The Spread Eagle .
Belzoni Jo Northbury Sands concatenation concoction dramatis duel scarabei war