Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-10-07

look back through the mist of years
and see, as IL In mirror. the days Of
struggle and final triumph.
my first story was published In the
Saturday Visitor, printed in Baltimore.
and though the paper was soon merged
into the National Era. my articles con-
tinued to appear regularly. did not.
however, receive penny in pay. At
that tine I was young widow with
family 10 support BY teaching In the
public schools, ADD could not afford TO
work gratuitously, so l ceased TO send
in my articles.
lone day the editor called on mel
remember the day was rainy one-and
asked me why did not give him more
of my work. / replied that l could not
afford to labor for nothing. He then
said he would give me SIS for the stories
he had already used and offered me the
same sum for another which he wished
Immediately. So l began work on
story. which / named 'Retribution.' IL
was the first serial ever published in this
country, and when | wrote the first chap
ter fully intended ending In the second,
but the story grew and grew and each
week l seemed to be further from the
end-in fact, it ran for more than TEL
nun bers before 1t was finished.
81 then began TO writs for the Post OF
Philadelphia, and so popular did that
paper become that the subscription ilst,
which numbered at first only LEGO
names, soon grew to $4,000. Then came
dark dRYs-days OF ill-health and dis
couragement, when life seemed burden
greater than | could bear just AZ this
time, when I could see no silvery liniag
to iie's cloud, raw OF sunlight dis
PEELED the gloom. Mr. Bonner, Of the
Ledger, OF New York, came on to see
me- and said he would pay me double
the sum given me Oy the other publish
ers, II would CONTRAST to give hin,
exclusively, all my worT>ior the RsIi.
five years. He gave me $40 column,
and as then began serial which ran
four columns In each weeks issue, my,
income was q comfortable one Of $40
per week
"For Mr.. Bonner I wrote 'rhe Bride
OF an Evening, which was great sue
cess, and was dranatiIed and played IN
all the towns In the Union. The HID
den Hand also appeared in the same
journal, the incidents ueing founded on
facts that bad come under uy own OBJ
servation. Capitola and her Wild adj
ventures are all taken from life, and 80
popular did my young heroine become,
that Capijola hats, Capitola boats and
Capltola horses were the rage both In
England and America.
II am still writing for the Ledger,
and occasionally do work for other pa
pers. / am now busy with a novel
which l hope to complete when / am
well again. II embodies the events In
the life OF a girl OF my acquaintance,
whose history has been full Of romance.
Most OF my writing / do az night, and
love to walk about when ] am labor
ing with an Intricate plot. In sumner
l sit in the open air on the piazza
where can see the river rushing az
my feet, and watch the sunset behind
tho hills, and Ia the wiHter / stay Ia
tho sltting-room, whore, as | glance
through the window, ! can have the
same picture ever before my eyes. Here
is the desk on which / wrote my first
novel," and she pointed to plain
wooden stand that stocd near, aud all
nv subsequent work has been done on
this old-fashioned folding desk that
once belonged TO my father. Writer'S
cramp has never troubled me. for l
avoid that difficulty by each year In
creSsing the thickness OF my pen
holder.