Wichita eagle., 1888-04-29
AN HUMBLE AUTHOR.
THE MAN WHO WHITES FLOW.
ERYn WORoeD DIME NOVELS.
His Early Ambitions and Defeats-Ths
Epic Poem Laid Aside for . Novel-A
mir

EPIC IOcm A81Q ASlQC IOr = NONc3>A
Story with n Moral for Budding Ge.
muses..
Old Andy Whitney, the dime novel writer,
is well known character about the cheap
publishing houses on the east side. While the
Columbia college boys were astonishing their
audiences with learned addresses at the re-
cent commenoerpent, old Andy turned to the
writer and said: "Ail very beautiful, ehi
What bright young faces those fellows have,
and how different they will be by this time
next year. have been there myself
Thirty -five,years ago took the highest
honors in English literature; 50 when l faced
the world had fully made up my mind that
was the coming American author
after graduating / took a couple Of
months rest to recruit my mental forces and
atthe same time to formulate literary projects.
At first scorned to think of turning my pen
to anything less noble than an epic poem.
When / thought over the subject matter OF
my projected epic, however, found the rev.
olution was the only event in our history
which was grand enough for me. saw that
a great amount Of preliminary reading must
be done.
HIS FIRST NOVEL
$50 laid aside this prsject and resolved 70
write novel, which required only imagina-
ton and could be dashed off with ease. felt
it somewhat degrading. still | was consoled
by the remembrances that some very toler-
able men in English literature had devoted
their talents TO story writing.
My novel was begun Immediately after
vacation and was finished in q month 1t was
indeed beautiful story, ir,bedded in bower
of rhetorical roses. With the manuscript in
my sachel, | hastened to New York. 1 Sc
iected a publisher and sent him the manu-
script by mail, with note stating my terms
in the stiffest manner and grandly giving him
three DAYS to decide.
"Three days passed without an answer.
waited a week, two weeks, three weeks, and
then note came inforEaing me that the man
uscript was not available, though this did
not imply that it might not possess merit
IL thought that he meant by this that the
story was good, but he could not afford to
pay my price / did not know that the word
unavailable in publishing and newspaper
circles meant no good found it out when
five other publishers and magazine editors
rejected my manuscript with the same
formula.
"UNAvAILABLE" AGAIN.
meantime my funds were giving out The
thought of doing newspaper work occurred
to me- At first was horriGed ar descending
SO low l blushed for myself when forced by
necessity. | wrote an editorial on The
Brotherhood Of Nations 1 finished it, and
adorning it with pretty blue ribbon, made
my way to the editorial rooms of news
paper. Handing it 10 the editor i stepped
back a considerable distance, wishing 10 avoid
the coming congratulation.
"The editor hastily glanced over the first
two pages. l heard distinctly the words
rot trash Then he said politely: Very
nice article, bst-er-we have too much mat
ter on hand and don't think your article
would be exactly available
~Tbat was enough for ne. / understood
the meaning Of Unavailable rushed out in
a rage determined never again 70 honor such
low creatures with any product Of my pen.
"This determination changed when money
ran out, but the terrible word unavailable
greeted me everywhere. Then, for the first
time, it occurred to me that might not be a
literary genius after all. This was my saliva
ton, for it induced me to turn my pen to any
work that offered.
Il tried continued story for ono OF the
cheap weellies. 1t was nearly the same as
the one refused by the publishers. IL was ac-
cepted, and thereafter | found markets for
my work in the story papers and with the
publishers of dime novels. The flowers Of
speech which caused the editor to exclaim
trash were trump cards in my new field.
81 settled down TO this kind Of story writing,
and have since earned subsistence by it.
Rather different sort Of career from that
which pictured to myself on graduation day,
isn't itf'-New York Commercial Advertiser