The Osceola times., 1876-11-18

with pens in their hands keep the
secret of their craft like freemasons,"
laughing.
"You came alones"
"Quite alone. hired a little room
over a bakers shop on Pine street. They
are very decent couple, the baker and
his wife ! board myself, and send out
my manuscripts. They always come
back to me-"
where do you send them9"
"Oh, everywhere. ! can show you
printed forms of rejection from every
magazine and literary newspaper in the
country" opening and shutting again a
black satchel on her lap. IL have writ
ten three novels, and sent them TO the
IS and s.. They sent them back
as unavailable. But they never read
them. trick them this away. | put
a loose blue thread between the third and
fourth pages of the manuscripts, and 1t
is always there when il comes bach" :"
Her voice broke little, but she winked
her brown eyes and laughed bravely.
How long have you been here? 2"
"Three years"
Impossible You are but a child"
" am twenty. had an article pub
lishcd once in Sunday paper" produc-
ing a slip about two inches long.
Three years, and only that little grain
of success She had supported herself
meanwhile, rs learned afterward, by
sewing mems socks for firm in German
town.
"You are ready to give up now ?"
"No; not if 1t were ten instead of
three"
Yet, | can swear there was not drop
of New England blood in her little body.
One was certain, against all reason, that
she would succeed. When even such
puny creatures rs this take the world by
the throat in that fashion, they are sure
to conquer it.
Her books aud poems must, / think,
have seemed unique to any editor. The
lowest pupil in our public schools would
have detected her ignorance on the first
page. There was, TOO, In all she said or
wrote an occasional gross indecency, such
rs Il child might show. her life on the
platform explained it. Like Juliet, she
spoke the language Of her nurse. But
even Shakspeare's nurse and Juliet
would not be allowed nowadays to chat
Ter at will in the pages of family maya
zine
But in all her Ignorance, mistakes, and
weakness there was no trace of imita-
tion. She pagiariged nobody. There
was none of the usual talk of count
esses heather, larks, emotions of which
she knew nothing. The painted over
and over again her own home on the
| Ia, lot -, Ia al
lence of noon, the swamp, the Shiny |iv-
ing things in the stagnant ponds, the semi
tropical forest, the house and negro quar-
tiers, with all their dirt and dreary mo.
notony. 1t was picture which remain
ed in the mind strong and vivid as n des
ert by Gerome or moor by Boughton.
There could be but one kind of advice
TO give her-to put away pen and ink,
and for three years devote herself TO
hard study. She would, of course, have
none of such counsel The popular be.
lief in the wings of genius, which can
carry il over hard work and all such OBJ
stacles a. ignorance of grammar or even
the spelling book, found in her a marked
/, example. Work was for common place
talent, not for those whose veins were
Meanwhile she went on sewing socks,
and sending off her great yellow envelopes,
with stamps to bring them back.
"Stamps and paper count up fast, " she
said, with laugh, into which had grown
pitiful quiver. She would not take a
penny of aid. 81 shall not starve.
When the time has come for me to know
that | ,have failed, | can go back to my
country and live like the other women
there"
Meanwhile her case very nearly reach
ed starvation. | remember few thing,
more pathetic than the damp, forlorn lit.
/ tie figure, shabby waterproof, black
sachel in hand, which used to come
to my door through the SHOWS and
drenching rains that winter, Her shoe,
were broken, and her hands shriveled
blue with cold. But a plated gilt chain
or n scarlet ribbon used TO ilaunt some.
where over the meager, scant poverty
Sometimes she brought news with her
She had work given her-to collect col.
, QUINN of Jokes for a Sunday paper, by
which she made three dollars week.
But she lost it from trying to insert her
> own matter, which could not well be
reckoned as funny sayings One day she
came flushed with excitement. Some.
body had taken her through the academy
of design and private gallery of engrav.
ings then on exhibition. She had a
keen, Just eye for form and color, and the
feeling of a true artist for both.
THAT is what could have done" she
said, after keeping silent long while
But what chance had |? never even
saw apicture at home, except those which
were cut out of illustrated papers. There
seemed to be no way for me but to
write"
1t was suggested TO her that she might
find the other even now. Painting. de-
signing, wook-engraving, were express
ions for 4 woman's mind, even though,
like her own, it was cone OF the finest in
the world"
She did not smile. at is too late, -
she said. 81 will 20 on as have begun,
But is pity my mother and had not
known of such things"
After that her lght-hearted coura ye
seemed to give way. She prcsevered,
but it was with dogged, indomitable res,
oluton, and little hope,
One day in the spring | was summoned
to see a visitor on business. | found a
tall lank young man stalking up and
down the room, the most noticeable point
about him was the shock of red hair and
whiskcrs falling over his neck and greasy
! gollar Tho fago uas tho, Of ~,