The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-09-14
D. ALLEN WILEY.
TRAVELS OF A MANUSCRIPT.
An Incident Illustrating the Tribulations
of AutFlo rship.
[Special Correspondence.l

Especial Correspondence.
New YORK, Sept. lot was just 4
O'Clock as I knocked at the door of the CO.
/ ziest woman's club in New York
The fragrance Of tea-the very best 90
| lODg--came 70 me like breath of vel.
come.
! There were half dozen young women
sitting about, some on rugs, some tailor
fashion on a divan, some on tables. none
IN the conventional chair in.the conven-
tional attitude
''Alethuselah is back again, s" whispered
one Of these latter day refOrIners to me,
her mouth filed with bread and Jam.
/ Isn't it a shame? Poor Addict
knew what she meant. Every one be-
longing to the club was aware that one of
the members had written novel which
no editor could be cajoled into accepting,
and in consequence of its many expert
ences it was nicknamed Methuselah.
Here it isi'' said The disappointed au-
thoress, pointing to a grimy roll of paper
beside her
Never mind" said one of those COM
Portable people who take such a provok-
ingly cheerful view Of every one else's fu-
ture. There are lots like you
Afterward for 90 minutes l talked to
that young woman, and what she said
viii surely be of interest to the thousands
of young writer's all over the land.
When this was ready for publication,
as I thought, she said, with fearful
sniff, Il was the happiest girl alive. 1
took it to The Century. After six weeks
called 20 find out its fate, and a young
man who looked as if ne was afraid of me
said it was not philosophical enough.
After that l tried every magazine in
New York. In some places it WASH t even
read, as l was frankly and politely in
formed. Oh, the terrible despair l felt
when very sweet voiced young man at
Harper's told me they had manuscripts
there by the dozen which they had bought
p years ago and had never been able to
publish, they were SO crowded. took the
manuscript home. 1t wasn't 'Methuse-
lab then. That name came when it had
journeyed much by land and water.
We'll, recopied it and sent 1t to an
other city. 1t came back, soiled and toss
ed. Brayely freshened it up put new
covers on it, called it by another name
and sent it forth again. In two months
back it came as weather beaten as before.
The heroine was blond, and newspa-
ltors were prejudiced against blond hero
ines, so 1 went through the mass of papers
carefully and changed her from pale.
ethereal creature TO flashing brunette.
Think OF the work entailedl l not only
had TO alter her description, but such
phrases as Frederick looked into her great
pansy blue eyes and sighed Oh, it was
dreadful, but not a bit of usel Now, after
being rcchristened three times, copied four
times and when it is quite four years old.
II has come back from its last jaunt.
If girl wants TO write a story. let her
be sure she knows what she is writing
about. laid my story in Spain, a coun-
try had never been in. I made it Il. 600
words Tonga most imprscticable length.
If l were beginning again, I'd describe
the life about me, try 10 make my char
acters something besides romantic fictions. /
and I'd devote at least 40, 600 words to 1
their struggles. I realize 'Methuselah's' /
deficiencies SO clearly-that's the worst of !!
il. "
What viii you do with the manuscript (
nows' / asked.
. Put it under the bed-or paper room (
With 1t as living text
KATE JORDAN.