The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-29
THE FIRST EDITION.

Duncan @. Scott in Youths Companion.
THE FIRST EDITION.
MY DEAR sm-we have the pleasure of an
nounoing to you that it Is desirable TO reissue
your volume 'The Swallows" the first edition
being entirely out of print.
viii you be so kind as to stop in and sec us
that we may make arrangements with you
about it2 Accept, etc,
MAssoL Bros, Publishers.
"Whcn received that letter l thought
should die of Joy and establishment, even
more Of establishment than of joy,n said
the celebrated dramatist, Henry Didier,
the other day, as he showed us the letter;
then noticing our interest he gave us the
whole history of the affair as follows
The first edition of THE Swallows" my
first book, aud volume of verses, out of
print, and i. scarcely twenty years old,
knew no one In Paris; no editorial had
been written about it; nothing had ap-
peared concerning it except some paid no
tees on the fourth page of the journals,
and how long had this unhoped for and i'm
probable event been in coming to passi
just one MONTH
So had talent. | was beginning to be
appreciated by those contemporaries whom
l had slandered up to this time, accusing
them of disiking all poetry and consider
ing them unculUivated in their tastes
l would not stop writing at all now;
after this volume there should be second.
] had even been working on 1t in my
dreamsl Then would come the theater,
that powerful springboard which all Mt
once sends one into full renowu and glory,
up among the stars! And novel2 Why
should | not also write novcl9 was al
ready dreaming over profound psychology
cal studies, over accurate and thrilling de,
scriptions. My brain was ut work and my
head humming with all the ambitious fol-
lies of ones twentieth year. Again and
again | read the blessed letter as tramped
back and forth in my room, radiant and
gesticul#ting wildly
well, what is the matter, my boy?"
The door stood slightly ajar and my
grandlather'S face appeared in the open
inS; it YVES a kindly tacc, calm, rosy and
clean shaven, with strong nose aud ewes
shining behind their glasses, and was
, framed in Il well corabed and carefully
curcd wig.
"What is the matter with me, grand
, father? Wait, read thisr"
When lie had glanced through the let
.. ter he said; well, what about it? thiul,
your verses are very prettyl"
But think, grandfather 1t is an I'M
expected SUGGEST Verses are no longer
read!"
"Yours are read. That ought to be
enough for you!'
= 81 should think So"
"Then You are happy"
t Eyes | am happy"
2 "ThaJ is all chat is necessary"
I He opened his snuirbox and slowly tooL
+ pinch, looking ut me all tie time with 1
= smile in his eyes. ...-..... #..
A quarter Of an hour after | was witt
4 MaSsol Bros.
u All the literary world knows this ceIe
! brated publishing house and has seen III
busy employees, librarians and clerks II
the vast hall lighted from above and line(
2 with row upon row OF carefully classified
4 volumes in white, yellow and blue bind
s ings. Wooden galleries run Kong he wall
dividing it into two floors, and books an,
r, papers are continually pulled mp or lc
a down by small pulleys. 1t is kind of in
teilectual factory OF which printed though
is the never failing product.
With Il bound ! climbed to the first floor
y To the Office Of the elder Milssol, who's
l. special business it is to receive authors.
= | found the office closed, and the sount
Of voices came from it; the patron was &c
cnpied. SAT down On bench awaiting
= my turn, ana as ! waited called to min
I my ieeilhHs tine ilrst time had come here
W lth WHAT heatlns hchrC climbed tn
STAIRCASE my manuscript unuer my arm
And when entered Massol's Office how
y trembled all overl He received me politel
but colby, ana he had reason to after al
a. l, an unknown youth OF twenty years, ha
brought MN Whatg Sersesl cninmodit
- seldom sold by publisher A romano
Sui selis-but Nersesi
However, he had consented to publis
en- them, on condition of course that pal
~ the entire expense, and since then | ha
experienced all the emotions awakened b
n first hook. The proofs had come, sti
u quito damp from the press and full of mi!
" takes that drove me to despair, and {
,, which there seemed to be- no end; thei
~ Were innumerahle grammatical question
1t and doubts about punctuation; continual
renewed contests with the printer. whoI
l privately considered an imbecflr, an
IA who repaid me in the same coin: had I'll
table OF contents TO make and the title /
u compose in such way as to attract u
& purchasers eye, and the color Of the bin,
ing to choose; then it was ready for press
-e three little words that sound 50 snal
IF but which are everything in reality, sint
they send forth the authors thought
the public, as at the theater the thr,
strokes of the bell before the curtain ris,
announce the piece to the audience: fnall
o' the new and elegant volumes appeared
T., the booksellers windows and on the boul
ward.
yh After few mentents Massalts ofi,
opened and X, the academiefan, came on
10. accompanied as far as The door by ii
bowling publisher This man was a 20,
la client, and they paid him Ia great deal
;" attention. should | ever reach that dj
" tincyon2 ..
Massol, looking very kind and almo
paternal, nUtioned me to enter. He bcggi
IN ne to be seated and said, as he pompous
IL. 1 4