The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1889-06-27
TRASHY STORY WRITER'S.
Remar rkable Confession OF 4 Man Who Has
Accumulated Fortune.


l was talking few days ago with a
man who has perhaps written more
trashy stories for the cheap weaklies
than any single writer. For twenty.
seven years he has done nothing else.
de is now comfortably off from the re-
turns which his work has brought him.
| asked him how he looked back upon
his career and work, and his answer
was interesting.
81 count my life almost failure, "
said he. This trash which | havo
been writing has brought me returns
upon which | can live comfortably,
but look on the other side have no
peace of mind when ! think Of the
havoc | have undoubtedly wrought
upon young and innocent minds. |
can point TO nothing with any pride OF
authorship. am ashamed of it
all. Even my children would
hang their heads in shame did
they know their father was tho
author of this trashy stuff Do they
know it? Bless your soul, 20. aud GOD
forbid they ever discover it-at least
during my lifetime. You saw my ED
est daughter at the table. Would |
wish her, so beautiful and pure a girl.
or her sisters, to know? Oh, no, no,
sir! My daily prayer is that | may
never live to see the flush that will
kindle on their beautiful cheeks if ever
they learn the truth. Why, there are
only five persons, | think, that know
OF my authorship OF the filth have put
out. No one would certainly suspect
it from my nom de plume. and ! never
write any thing else for print, SO there
can be no comparison OF style. Those
who know it are, as you are. pledged
to sccresy by their friendship for me.
am never suspected Of having
moro than an ordinary passing
interest in literature OF any sort
and am careful never to start
books, authors or periodicals as
a topic Of conversation. But, il
doesn't pay. Why did | STAR IN it?
Because it paid me better TO write a
murderous story than a clean one, and
once begun, have kept right on My
first proved 50 appotizing to its read
ers that the editor offered Inc almost
double the price he paid me for the
first, if would write second one.
Encouraged, | kept right on, until now
hate to think Of the number | have
written. have published my stories
under fifteen or twenty different names,
male and female, and if have written
one, suppose | have written two hun,
drcd of these beastly serial novels.
They're all in the same vein, and there
isn't one which hasn't Il lot of rob-
berries, murders or seuNct;Ons in them.
How.peoplc can read them | can not
tell. If they despised their reading as
| do their writing, | would be a poor
man now l suppose. But with me it
is now thing OF the past. | have
written my last story. ! have laid
aside enough to keep my family in
comfort, and there is no longer any
necessity for me to keep up my fend-
ish work. My girls will soon marry,
and my two sons are already in busi-
ness. Does my wife know of it? Yes,
the only woman in the world who
does. and God bless her. she has never
chided me for it, although tears OF joy
stood in her eyes when | dropped the
pen for the last time am not eX-
aggcrating facts when | say that this
gentlemans total income from his
twenty-seven years work has been
fully $250,000. Yet, what lesson is
contained in his words for many u
young writer of the present day.-W.
S. Box, in n. Y. Graphic.