Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-02-13
--=z7ss FURNISHED CHEAP.
How one Man in New York Makes
Living.

Living.
In Blocker street, in the third-story
back room of what was once an aristo-
cratic private dwelling house, the public
in need of brains can find the same at
reasonable rates. A reporter who re-
Gently climbed the creaking stairs and
Knocked at the door of this back room
was invited to enter by deep-toned,
pleasant voice. Stepping across the
threshold, the visitor found himself in
the abode of Brains. The room was
bare and cherries, containing only a
bed, a washstand, three or fourj wooden
chairs, a stove, and a large pine table,
which was Uttered with manuscripts,
newspapers, pens, ink bottles, and a
well-thumbed dictionary. The owner
OF the deep toned voice was seated in
one OF the chairs, with his feet resting
on the TOP of the table, and a newspa-
per in his hand.
porter.
AT your service, SIR"
The reporter drew from his notebook
slip cut from the advertising columns
OF one OF the dramatic journals, and
read 1t aloud. 1t was as follows:
dramas, sketches, songs, burlesques, lec-
lures, speeches, poems, ETC., etc., written to
order on the shortest notice. Terms low.
Apply to Brains, No. - Blocker street."
THAT is my card, sir" said the oc-
eeupant OF the room. Z" Is there anything
can do for youP"
80 chnt1lA lilo 81
ment In the poetical line, to write in a
young iady's autograph album" re-
sPonded the reporter, with some natural
diihdence.
"Ah. yes, l see. You can furnish the
autograph yourself, but you would
rather would do the sentiment. Ex-
actly. And about how long would you
like itP l can make it an acrostic, If
you prefer. Acrostics come little
higher, but they are just the thing, you
know, for albums"
The reporter decided on an acrostic,
and gave Mary as the name of the album
owner.
"How much will it be? Well, I'll
turn you off a four liner, while you wait,
for fifty cents"
These terms proved satisfactory, the
visitor took chair, while Mr.. Brains
turned to the table and at once set him
self to work on the acrostic.
Shall make it tender?" he asked.
'Tolerably So" replied the customer.
By actual timing the poet occupied
Just six minutes in the production of the
acrostic. Then he threw down his pen
and sumbitted the work to his visitor.
The virtues of the supposititious Mary
were thus embalmed:
TO MARY.
May all thy days as spotless be
AS was this page, ere marred by me;
Rose-tinted may thy future CLEAN,
Yet roster still the present seem.
DO you find work enough in this
line to make a livinge" inquired the re-
porter, when he had expressed his sat
isfaction with the stanza, and paid the
half dollar therefor,
"Well, yes," was the cheerful re-
Spouse. 81 manage to live after a
fashion. The worst thing about it is
that my income is extremely uncertain.
Sometimes I don't get five dollars
worth of orders in month. And then,
again, have turned out twenty dollars
worth of work in day. Averaging il
the year round, suppose earn eighteen
or twenty dollars week. That, how.
ever, includes an occasional lucky sale
to the magazines and story papers. In
order work-that is, jobs which art
done under contract make my rates
as rule, considerably lower than l gel
for pieces sold for publication. I can
afford to do this, because, you know,
the chances of having an article rejected
by an editor are always larger than the
chances of having it accepted. Job
work, on the contrary, is sure to pay,
although small"
"But, where do these orders come
fromP"
"Oh, from all sorts of people. Ikeep
a standing advertisement like the one YOU
cut out, in three or four of the dramatic
and Sunday papers. These bring me a
considerable number of orders from
variety performers for new songs and
sketches. Occasionally, too, some
variety actor, who is ambitious to be-
come a star, calls on me to write him q
play adapted to his special line. My
bonanza comes when / strike a bobbin. J
What is bobbin?"
well, it is a name of my own which
! have give to certain class of Gus
toners. / call them bobbins becaus,
the thread of their vanity is so Ions
that it will keep unwinding indefinitely
And tor me il often turns out a COLDER
thread. Here, for example, is a speecl
that [ have just finished for n highly re-
spectacle old gentleman to deliver at 6
society dinner next week. He is one Of
the very best bobbins I ever found.
have been writing speeches for hin
now, on and off, five years. He is rich
has retired from business, and has de
veloped great taste for after-dinnel
oratory. | don't believe he could
speak dozen words himself without
committing some ridiculous blunder
But | have tloated him along, unit
now he really enjoys the reputation o.
being always prepared with a neat
speech. | charge him good round
price, but he pays it cheerfully. Then
have another bobbin in the person oil
young man, who lives in Fifth avenue
and who drives down here frequently il
his own coupe. He is mild, inoffen.
sive young chap, who, with a fortune
of a quarter of a million, wants to be
considered a poet. He never strung to.
gether rhyme in his life, and yet
within the past two years he has read
at various up town gatherings, not less
than half a dozen occasional poems
Or course they are supposed to be orig.
inal, and can assure you that some Of
them are extremely original I charge
him anywhere from five to fifteen dol.
lars. according to length. "-NeaC YorI
SIN.
What Paper Has Helped to Make.
The development of the products O.
the printing press, the founding O.
schools and colleges and tho atlantic,