National Republican., 1876-12-18
SAD ENOUGH TO BE TRUE.
Let the Happy Half of Mankind Read
and Think Of the other Half.

When was writing one OF my first letters to the
Cali gentle rap came on my door, and my land
lady entered smilingly with bundle or manuscript
under her arm. had not been long in the house.
''You are g writer, ma am, ~ she said. "I am"
''Well I've a story here want you to buy, or IL
you sell IL for me, will give you half you get
''Did you write it, inquired. ''oh, no. one OF
my dodgers did. She's quite a lady, assure you.
She had your room when she first came here, and
paid me well and regularly for 1t. Her husband
was q seafarinR man, captain of q vessel or some
thing, and when he went his last voyage he left
her with little bank account. That's months
and months ago. The bank account gave way, and
getting the remittauces she expected she moved
to the next floor and the next till she got to the gar
ret She got little work at folding envelopes, but
she's not been used to york and Is no good. You
see am I'm too soft-hearted for my business,
would not have kept her SO long, and kind o.
hoped the captain would turn up and pay me. When
Mrs. - couldn't get anything else outside to do
she wrote this book hoping to sell 1t. She put the
last words to it to-day, aud she had hardly done
eT handp for you Know was shrong at
being cheated out of my money, for had just seen
n from Is Rsrns gone q the bottom months % ago in
some outlandlsh place. When 1 showed her the
porting her in likeness ali this time. turned her
out instantly, neck-and-crop. go
did you me 1seR Rss . She
hard for her husbands picture, but 1t had hand
novel over. ana IL g0oQ you may put your name
TO Il and take half what you get for It." ~
This was the Infamous proposition she made 70
mel She refused to take q complete refusal, SO
Obliged TO tell her tnat even II were to consent
to such q piece of dishonesty, and the book were
published. the woman would recognize her prop
erty and claim 1t. She said the property was hers
she had seized It for the womans debt, and if she
had not been too hearted for her business, she
would not have allowed her to come Into the kitchen
TO warm her fingers when they got too cold to hold
the pen Poor creaturel sitting In garret patient
ly writing with fingers benumbed with cold hop
Ing against hope, writing, waiting for the letter
when the weather turned cold this fall was
surprised by call from my former landlady. She
had hunted me up. and had thar same manuscript
under her arm. "You need have n oscruples now, "
she said, 'about putting your uame 70 this 'ere
novel and selling 1t for me.'' 'Why2n asked.
because the woman who wrote ft 10 dead. ~
eyes; drowned herself In the East nvet, saw .
piece in the paper about an unknown woman found
boating in the river, and the description k.nd o.
and sure as Won live IL was She had hardly rag
on her back, and she lay there on the marble
slab with the water tricsing over her face; it
real comfort for me to think that she found
everybody kind to her as was: but IN too soft
hearted for my business, and when she came back
CRYING and begging for her husbands photograph,
why I'd a. given it to her, only I'D sold the frame
and given the picture to the children to play with,
and they tore 1t up Children VIII be children, you
know.h e q.
She was astonished that mT objections to having
than ever, / could not bear to look at the fair,
pretty writing she spread page after page on the
table before me. Every letter seemed written In
the dead woman IS blood, .