News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-06-18
MY Magazine Fund.
BY E. G. RICE.


BY E. G. RICE.
For months before | graduated
from Wellesley College, some years
ago, | was troubled with the perpleX-
ing problem of how to get a very nice
graduating dress at a very low cost
for my father, village merchant in
Maine, could i'll afford to spend more
money than was absolutely y necessary
for my regular expenses.
II do wish | could think of some
way to earn the money for my dress, y
[ said one day to my inseparable
friend, Madge Bennett.
"Why don't you write stories for
the papers?" she said impulsively.
"What papers?" said | with sur
prise.
"Why any papers-all papers-mag-
azines, quarterlies, literary syndicates
anything or anybody" she answer
ed, springing to her idea in her usual
enthusiastic way.
But I've no talent for writing" |
protested
Eyes, dear, you must have" she
urged, effusively. "You don't know
how often I've stood enraptured to
hear you go on telling some yarn
that knew kissing me fervently)
"hadn't word of truth in it. Oh, l
know you could be a great novelist!
Think of being pointed out by stran@-
ers on the street as the celebrated
MilIicent Warner of Warmers Falls!
What rapturel f"
"Dut what could l write a story
about?" said |, ignoring her little re-
Election on my veracity at times.
'tWrite a love story. Everybody
likes them," she answered.
HBut Eve never had love affair,
and never can have" | Iadded mourn
fully, ''for there isn't man in my
town that I'd look at for lover, and
you know I've got to stay at home
while the other girls take their turn
away at school. / know it's predes-
tinated that shall be an old maid,
but l don't like the outlook" said |,
telling the truth, for once at least.
"'Tisn't of the least consequence, "
Madge said, encouragingly. People
never need to know bout the subjects
they write about. Why, all the books
about the management of children
arewritten by old maids: ard a. won
suppose Unat Une people who write
Lord This and Lady That ever saw
real lord, even with an opera-glass?'
81 don't know" said with simplic-
ity.
"Why, of course not, she ratified
on; "half the stories of travel and
adventure are made up by men who
have never been outside of Coney Is
land. Indeed, the less you really
know about a subject the better of
you are, you see, because you're not
bampered by facts and your imag ina
tion can have full scope"
Pm afraid | couldn't succeed that
way" | said musingly.
"Indeed you could" she still assert
ed. "Last year my cousin, Joe
Schuyler, who always has lived in
New York and has just graduated at
Columbia-not even country college
like Harvard-took charge of the ag-
| ricultural department of a city paper
| while the regular editor went to Eu-
| rope for three months, and he got
along finely. He just hunted over
the rural exchanges and rewrote Their
articles, using u little different word
ing, that was all
"Didn't he make any blunders?
asked.
"No, not in the paper" she said
'but he did get into a bit of scrapt
for a farmer wrote him asking fol
more explicit directions for using 6
new remedy for pip in chickens, anc
as Joe is full of fun, he wrote the
farmer a private letter sending him 6
prescription about like this
Stumpus woodus, Regular size.
Hatchetus, One application.
Shake well before using.
| This is an absolute and instantaneous cure
So the farmer drove off five miles tC
the nearest town, to the drug store
where the clerk assured him he'd beer
! trifed with and that it was all Joke
That enraged the farmer and he tool
it into the county paper, which hap
pened to be published in that town
and as the editor was a prohibition
ist, and hated the city daily anyway
he made the most of poor Joe's jok
and all the county stopped their sub
scriptions in consequence. But 10
didn't care"
Didn't the head editor care?''
asked.
"Dear me! l don't know. 10
didn't tell me what he said. But Nil
icent, do try. l know you could writ
a sweet love story, or a yachting ad
venture"
"Why, | never was on a yacht il
my life," | demonstrated.
"But assure you, dear, it isn't c
any consequence If you never Were
Now, if you'll nevre, never divulg
my secret, I'll tell you that [ am writ
ing story myself, and am doing jus
what Pve advised you to do, for m
story is named GA Night with Gan
blers," and I've located it on th
Mississippi River steamer. It's
thrilling take, and I've got plac
where one man is just going to sta
another"
''Do read it to mel" l begged, bu
Madge would not unless L woul
agree to write one and read it to hel
and so this was the way my frs
attempt to write for the press cam
about.
took her advice. | not only wrot
a love story, but placed the lover
on q Yacht and set them afloat
Georgian Bay-probably because
knew less of that sheet of water tha
. of most others.
> That's all right said Madg
cheerfully. "Send it to some inlan
newspaper. The editor himself won
know any more about it than you d.
If he sends you fifty dollars-which
think would be a fair price-for yOr
story, you won't care whether tt
yacht sails bow or stern first, and
: you do happen to get it wrong, foil
n will think the boat has got son
\ new kind of rig on her"
" So | got a fresh block of pape
wrote my title, "Love in Georgia