The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-10-10
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER V.
 Several days passed and still was no, arrested, but every footstep on the stair. way startled me. One evening my friend Cartwright, the humorist, called on me During several years he had done para graphic and sketch work on Browns pa- per. His favored position caused much dissatisfaction among unimaginative edi- torial writers and news condensers.
 "Come in, Cartwright, am glad to see you"
 Glad you're glad," he replied as he sat down. "What makes you so pale, BarkerP You look as though you have been associating with ghosts"
 "I haven't been very well of late"
 By the way, you laid Brown out in first-rate shape. was glad of it, for if there ever was a scoundrel he's the man.
 "l am surprised to hear you talk SO, Cartwright. You always appeared to be his friend"
 "Oh, yes, l had to be so long as my daily bread depended on his favor. tell you what's fact. a man who has a wife and six children to support can shut his eyes to great many things. How are you getting along with your book ?"
 Slowly. It is such hard work that rapid progress is impossible"
 I would advise you to drop your nom de plume and use your own name The pen name business is about run in the ground. Why, the humorists are now writing under their own names, and if any man should be ashamed of his work think the humoyist is inc man. Say. you talk about the difficulties of straight literature. Why, my dear fellow, it is nothing. You ought to attempt humor. It requires quick description-a portrait made by one scratch of the pen; an inc sight as sudden as flash, and yet must along show profound respect for the readers imagination. You must permit a man to see a point, yet you must not show it to him. You must leave him under the impression that he is dis- coverer. Straight literature is altogether different. You can yield to mood. You can be gay or sad, light or heavy, prolix or condensed. You can shorten conver- sation or string out description you can commit a murder or bury lovely child that has been rudely snatched like flower whose beauty has just begun to dawn with promise of coming splendor you can act the fool with negro charac- ter or play profound scholar with sage but the humorist-the unfortunate painter whose celors must always be bright kills his gentler impulses and tickles the public's nose with the perfumed feather of red bird."
 "Then," said I, amused at my fiend, "why you not write straight literas6re2"
 "What is the usel If 1 were to un- dertake it now, people would say, Cart wright has written himself out. He has become dull.' They would look upon a serious character as grave presumption and would declare that my pathos was overdrawn. Barker, have something to tell you, but you must first promise that you will forgive me"
 "l promise"
 Hold on {; do not promise 90 lightly for assure you that what shall say will deeply concern ycu-will enrage you, in fact"
 "No matter, Cartwright, promise"
 @Well, now, remember your promise" He meditated few moments and con- tinued: Yor know that vas almost | dave while Brown was connected with the paper. l was in debt and could not, In justice to my family, atEord to as- asrt ny independencs. One day whils yos vsss out n mo =, A was shortly 1 lsle Cen tAe unillkenairs died =, ss aAssd cszs.zlsAt; se skssd., ' x
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