Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1879-09-04
WHO GOT THE MONEY?
A Tale by Bret Harte of What Befell Him
in Chicago.

A Tale by Bret Harte of What Befell hin
in Chicago.
From the London World.
Mr.. Harte was born forty years ago il
Albany, N. Y, where he passed his boy
hood without any special promise of fu
ture genius. The discovery of gold il
California was followed by a wave OF emi
grafton from all the States east of tn
Rocky Mountains, and Bret Harte wa
caught by this wave and carried in 1856
to the new FL Dorado. He tried lis hant
at mining, at school teaching and othe
enployments, but with no conspicuous
success, and finally drifted to San Fran
cisco. Before leaving New York he hat
worked as printer, and accordingly
sought employment in the office Of thC
Golden Era, which was then a hourishinG
weekly devoted to news, stories, humor'
ous sketches and other matters calculated
to interest the Californian. While work.
ing at the printers cases he found time tC
write some sketches drawn from his ex'
perienCe in the mining regions, and witt
trembling hesitation he submitted one oi
them to the editor. This latter parsonage
was bluff, hearty, genial diamond in
the rough. He is now living at Flushing
near New York City, and one of his proud
est boasts is that he conducted thepaper
that brought out Bret llarte and Mark
Twain. The editor read the sketch, saw
its merit and said: "Your place is in the
editorial room and not at the cases" 1t
was not without difficulty that Mr.. Harte
was induced to surrender the composing
stick for the pen, but lie succeeded and
the new writer was duly installed and be-
gan work. He found the same trouble
then that he has since cxperienCed-th
impoSslbility of writing regularly and
writing we'll He could not furnish n
tirst-rate sketch to order any more than be
could execute commission to charter ten
steamships Of the tonnage of the Great
Eastern. He continued to write for the
GO'IcH Era and for other papers on the
Pacific coast. He received in 1864 the APP
pointment Of secretary of the United
States Branch Mint in San Francisco and
retained it about six years. When the
Orerlmm Monthly was founded in 1865 he
became its editor and principal contribu-
tor. The popularity which his stories oh
tanned through the Eastern States induced
him to quit California and seek resi-
dencc on the Atlantic coast, and so in the
course OF time he crossed the Sierras and
made his way towards the rising sun.
The ditlidence, which is part of Mr..
Harte's character, is shown in little in
cident Of this Eastern journey. Then
there existed in Chicago a magazine
known as the Lakeside Monthly, and
many Of the enterprising merchants of
that fourishing city were desirous of
inducing Mr.. Harte to assume the editor
ial control of the publication. When 1t
was known that he was on his way East |
ward they determined to entertain him,
and accordingly arranged a public dinner
on grand scale. The Mayor and leading
citizens, with their wives and daughters,
were to be there, and the dinner was in
tended to fill a bright page in the history
OF Chicago. The invitation was accepted |
and for several days little else was talked |
of except the forthcoming banquet. The |
party assembled at the appointed hour;
the dinner was ready and 50 were the |
diners. But the guest came not, and
when carriage was sent to seek him he |
could not be found. Mr. Hartc was al.
lowed to prosecute his journey without
further detention. His objection to be
lionized cost him on that occasion no less
Il sum than $4,000; a check for that
AMOUNT had been made out as Il present,
l bit of backshecsh which might add to
he inducements to remain in Chicago,
hough it involved him in no obligation
whatever. 1t wds lying under his plate,
md would have proved an agreeable
dEWshho, the little appetizer which the
russians swallow before the soup is
eved