Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-18

lar 10 save MS lie.
Everybody Had Been vaccinated.
ST guess we've all been vaccinated that
way" said Richards, as he wrote his name
on his check and asked the waiter to carry
it to the desk.
''Has Hastings ever made success at fic-
tion?" asked Baker. IT thought his idea
for story was rather good"
"Success!" cried Baker. "He makes $100
week In space, and not paragraph, not a
line, not word, by jingo, that he ever
wrote had evea so much as rag of the gar
ment of truth clinging to it. Fiction? Did
you read his dispatches when Senator Bed
loe was dying and he was sent up to watch
the case? Why, sir, he took medical die
tionary and began with A, and he killed
Bedloe with every fatal disease mentioned
as far down as j, and his story on jaundice
was printed the very morning that menin-
gifts carried the old man away. Hastings
said it was lucky Bedloe didn't wait, for
he'd have worked down to meningitis
finally, and, If he had, it would have ruined
his reputation as a liar. Books? No, sir.
Why should man with an imagination
like his allow shark of a book publisher
to rob him?'' -.
Building on the Copyright
Arthur Little here interrupted us to say
that he thought international copyright
would help young American authors good
deal. He was in hopes that be iore another
year had passed he might afford to get a
better fiat He would not aspire to heated
fiat, but he hoped to get one that could be
heated without including all out doors in
the calculation for coal. At present the
cracks in the side of the house where he
lived were almost big enough to make 1t
dangerous for the children to play near the
wall, lest they should fall out into the
street. He had several stories in publish
ers' hands already, and one of them Ga gen.
tleman named Buzzard) had told him that
if he'd pay for the paper, com position and
binding, and guarantee a circulation or
1000, his book would be issued Immediate
ly. He had rejected the terms, and the
publisher had done the same act tor the
story. Little" owned, however, that he had
been tempted because he had never had
anything printed outside n newspaper, and
he would really like to see his name on the
cover.
"Can he write?" whispered to Bake.
NO" was the answer, "but he's one of
the best copv-readers in town. He's the
best man on the staff who can remember the
names of the men who mustn't be mentioned
in the paper"
Cutting Off the French.
"There's one thing I thank fate for in
connection with this copyright business, I"
said Sewerly, ''and that is that these French
fellows will have less show to monopolize
the market with their vile trash. Why,
I've got story. You know the plot, Lit
tie: I'll just run it over to these other
fellows"
mot right after dinner, Joe." said Little,
turning pale, ''wai! while. I've got to 60,
anyway"
He rose hastily, and put on his overcoat.
So did Hastings and the others, except Baker
and myself. SewerIy followed Hastings
and heard the latter say, "Wait till light
another cigar, Joe. Tobacco always
strengthens my stomach"
Baker" said 1, "did any of those men
ever get novel printed?"
"No. and they never WILL" he replied.
"You know I used to be doctor before 1
tookto drink. Well, sir. it's my opinion
that the terribly hard pressing work those
fellows do brings on what is known as gen.
eral paralysis of the insane, accompanied
by the usual delusions of grandeur. They
all imagine that they can write. So do 1.
It's clear case with me-"
$50 it is with me-" said I. sadly. "The
feeble offspring of mind that can produce
no other brood show themselves to my iudg-
DleuI eQueHIty ClOGQeu III mag nlucent at
tire-magnlfcent until touch it, when ii
falls to dust, showing the weak, distorted
frames it covered. But, Jim, 1 am better
off than the others, and 1 pressed his
hand while the delusion of grandeur seized
upon me afresh-'for I've sold novel;"
Hope for His Progeny.
"You don't mean it. Howdyp'
Eyes, have. Sold it to Wiggleby & Co.,
| for S25. Wiggleby liked the title. Didn't
read the story. Said it was no use. He
couldn't pay me dollar more, anyway, and
| would probably have to shave his offer down
| if 1 waited. got him to say that he d give
| nee S25 more if the story circulated up to
| 5000, and that was the best could do. But
! it was something's little recognition OF
the flame which feel, know to be burn
! ing within mep
Jim glanced anxiously at my plate to see
what had been eating.
Enough 1 continued, eve will wait
for the other S25 1 may not live to get i,
myself, but at least 1 shall not leave nv
chlldren-no, nor my grandchildren, either
wholly unprovided lor. They can all have
hone, blessed hope. 1t seems strange, doesn't
| it, Jim, that should leave them a thing ]
never had myself, and yet, that promise oI
Wiggleby's khows-perhaps-some
day"
1 burst into tears.
| HOWARD FIELDING.