Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-10-05
THE FIRST EDITION.


being entirely out Of print.
VIII you be so kind as TO stop in and SEQ US
that we may make arrangements with you
about iR Accept etc,
MAssoL Bios. Publishers.
"When received that letter / thought
should die of JOY and establishment, even
more of establishment than of 10y" 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 '"rhe Swallows" my
first book, and volume of verses, out Of
print, and l, 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 passS
Just one MONTH
This was success, then-true success.
So had talent. l was beginning to be
appreciated by those contemporaries whom
I had slandered up to this time, accusing
them of disliking all poetry and consider
ing them uncultivated in their tastes
would not stop writing at all now;
after this volume there should be a second.
l had even been working ON 1t in my
dreamsl Then would come the theater,
that powerful springboard which all at
once sends one into full renOHn and glory,
up among the stars! And "a novel; Why
should / not also write a novel; was al
ready dreaming over profound psychologist
cal studies, over accurate and thrilling de
scriptions. My brain was at 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
gesticulating wildly.
'Well, what is the matter, my boyY"
The door stood slightly ajar, and my
grandfather's face appeared in the open
ing; it was a kindly face, calm, rosy and
clean shaver, with a strong nose and eyes
shining behind their glasses, and was
framed in a well combed and carefully
curled wig.
"What is the matter with me. grand
father? Wait, read thisP'
When he had glanced through the let-
ter he said: well, what about itP think
your verses are very prettyr'
But think, grandfather It is an IN
expected SUGGEST Verses are no longer
readp'
"Yours are read. That ought to be
enough for your
II should think So"
"Then you are happy"
Eyes, am happy"
"That is all that is necessary"
He opened his snuffbox and slowly took
pinch, looking at me all the time with a
smile in his eyes.
Aquarter of an hour after 1 was with
Massol Bros.
All the literary world knows this oele-
brated publishing house and has seen its
busy employees, librarians and clerks in
the vast hall lighted from above and lined
with row upon row of carefully classified
volumes in white, yellow and blue bind
ings. Wooden galleries run along the wall,
dividing it into two floors, and books and
papers are continually pulled up or let
down by small pulleys. 1t is kind of in
tellectual factory of which printed thought
IS the never failing product
With bound l climbed TO the first floor,
to the office of the elder Massol, whose
special business it is to receive authors.
l found the Office closed, and the sound
Of voices came from it; the patron was oc-
cupied. ! sat down on a bench awaiting
my turn, and as waited called to mind
my feelings the first time had come here.
With what beating heart climbed the
staircase, my manuscript under my arm
And when entered MassoPs Office how !
trembled all overl He received me politely
but coldly, and he had reason to after all
!, an unknown youth Of twenty years, had
brought him what2 Nersesl a commodity
seldom sold by publisher. A romance
still sells-but versesI
However, he had consented to publish
them, on condition of course that paid
the entire expense, and since then had
experienced all the emotions awakened by
a first book. The proofs had come, still
quite damp from the press and full of mis-
takes that drove me to despair, and OF
which there seemed to be no end; there
were innumerable grammatical questions
aud doubts about punctuation; continually
renewed contests with the printer, whom
/ privately considered an imbecile, and
who repaid me IN the same coin; had the
table of contents to make and the title tc
compose in such way as to attract the
purchasers eye, and the color of the bind
ing to choose; then 1t was ready for press
three little words that sound 50 small
but which are everything in reality, since
they send forth the authors thought K
the public, as at the theater the tire,
strokes of the bell before the curtain rise'
announce the piece to the audience; finally
the new and elegant volumes appeared IL
the booksellers windows and on the boule
ward.
After a few moments Massol's offic,
opened and X, the academician, came out
accompanied as far as the door by tn,
bowling publisher. This man was goot
client, and they paid him a great deal o
attention. Should ever reach that dis
tinction3
Massol, looking very kind and almos
paternal, motioned me to enter. He beggeC
me to be seated and said, as he pompousl,
sat down in his leather armchair
"You received our letterr
Yes, NJ Massol."