The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-28

llf Qlu % AiT AsstI1 ~stN NA''t - llAA
marveling at the Kaleidoscope changes In
her circumstances When last she had
stood in that office, not year ago. 10 had
been as q pitiful suppliant begging for a
| few pounds whcrewith 60 try and save
her sisters life, aud now
Suddenly Eustacc stopped turning. and
drawing document from the bundle
glanced at H. IL was Augustus agree.
ment with Meeson & Co. for "Jcmimas
Vow. tho agreement binding her 20 them
for five years, which bad been the cause
of all her troubles. and. as she firmly be-
lieved, of her little sisters death.
There, my dear said Eustace 20 bis
wife, there Is q present for YOU. Take
/ itw
Augusta took the document, and hav.
/ ing looked to see what il was, shiyercd MS
she did So 1t brought the whole thing
! back so painfully 10 her mind.
What shall | do with it, she asked
"tey it upy'
Yes, b" he answered. NO. stop a bit
and taking it from her. he wrote Caa.
ceIed, in big letters across it, signed and
dated it,
There. he said "r-ow send It to be-
framed and glazed, and il shall be hung
! here in the Office, TO show how they used
to do business at Nelson's"
No. snorted. and looked at Eustace
aghast What would the young man be-
after nextf
Are the gentlemen assembled in the
hallr' asked Eustacc Of him when the
remaining documents were put away
| again.
No. said that they were and, accord
| ingly, to the hall they went, wherein were
| gathered all the editors. sub.editors, man
ayers, sub-managers of the various de-
/ partments, clerks, and other employees. NOT
/ forgetting the tame authors who, pale
and mealy regiment, had been marched
up thither from tho Hutchos, and the
tame artists with flying hair-and were
now being marshaled in lines by No. l.
! who had gone on before. When Eusiacc
and his wife and John Short got 10 the
top of the hall, where some chairs lad
been set the whole multitude bowed
whereon he begged them TO be seated-a
permission which the tame authors. who
sat ell day in their little wooden hutchcs
aud sometimes good part Of the night
| also, did not seem 20 care 20 avail them-
/ selves Of But the tame artists. who had
/
down readily.
Gentlemen" said Eustacc, first lct
me introduce You 20 my wife. Mrs Nee
son, who, in another capacity, has already
/ becn-not greatly 60 her own nrOdt-con.
nected with this establishment having
/ written the best work of fiction that has
ever gone through our printing presses
/ There some Of tho wilder spirits cheered
/ lI,rui..I Al
/ who will. hope and trust write many
even better books which wc shall have
/ tho honor Of giving 90 the world Ap.
/ plausc also, gentlemen. lct mo intro
/ duce y0u 10 Mr. John Short my solicitor
who. together with bis twin brother, Mr.
/ James Short, brought The great lawsuit
in which was engaged t0a successful
issue. And now have 90 tell you Why
nave summoned y0n all 20 meet me Eero.
First Of all, To say that | am now the sole
owner Of this business having bought
out Messrs Addison & Roscoe And
good Job, too. p" said q voicel and that
hope that we shall work well together.
and, secondly, 20 inform YOU that am
going to totally rcvoluti0nizo the course
of business as hitherto practiced In this
establishment iscnsationh having, with
the assistance of Mr.. Short drawn mp
scheme for that purpose. am informed,
in the statement Of profits on which the
purchase price Of the shares of Mes-r
Addison 4 Roscoe was calculated. that
the average DC, profits of this
house during the past ten years have
amounted 10 Efty-scven aud fraction
per cent. ON the capital invested. Nov, j
have determined that i'm future the net
profits Of any given undertaking shall De-
divided as follows Ten per cent. t0 the
author of the book ia hand. and ten Ter
cent. % The house. Then, should here be-
any further profit, IL viii bc opportioned
thus Onc-third-0f whicha u0iefyw go
toward pension fund-to the employee
Of the house, the division % be arranged
on n fixed scale ~ Enormous sensation.
especially among the tame authorsJ land
thc4cmaindcr 10 the author Of the work.
Thus, supposing that book paid cent
per cent, shall take tea per cent, and
the employees would take twonty-siX and
fraction per cent. and the author would
take sixty per cent.
Aud here an interruption occurred. II
came from No. /. who could NO longer
restrain his disgust.
I'm resign, he said, III resign Nee
sons content with ten per cent. when an
auiEor-a mere author-get sixty. It's
/ shameful-shamcful!
IF YOU choose to resign, you can, said
/ Eustacc. sharply, "but / advise you %
/ take time 20 think il over. Gentlemen.
went on Eustace, Il dare say that this
seems Ggreat change 70 YOU, bat may as
/ well say at once that ammo wild philau-
ihropist. / expect 90 make IL pay and
pay well To begin with | shall never
undertake any work tina, | do not think
will pay-th0t Is. without an adequate
guarantee. or ia the capacity Of simple
agent. aud my own 10 per cent. viii te
the first charge on the profits then inc
authors ten. OF course. If ! speculate iu
a book, and buy it out and out, subject TO
Che risks, the case viii be different, Bst
with a net 10 per cent certain, J am, lhe
people In any other line OF business, qm'e
prepared 20 be satisfied and, upon those
terms, expect 10 become tho publisher oi
all the best writer's IN England, END ais"
expect that any good writer VIII in future
be- able 10 make a handsome income oat 81
his work. Further &c strikes nae tlot you
I'm ..4 ...,, End ,-r,rfrsaaI Nf.. Inf fNT Hff