Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-07-12

At the Vic.'r ria bOokstnl I saw another
heap Of the sam1 book, and on asking
tho clerk how this book was selling he
answered, Like hot cakes" Driving
home, l saw it weli Ia evidence at va
rious bookshops. It was evidently a big
success, and / wondered rather envious-
" how Ross had managed TO obtain this
for SO very worthless o production. !
had purchased a copy at Victoria, and
looking over &c in The cab had had my
first opinion Of IL confirmed. Il was q
wretched piece Of work, and, moreover,
disgraoefully produced. badly printed ON
cheap paper and 50 oarelossly bound
that long ere I reached my lodgings it
had come 20 pieces in my hand
However has he managed it?" /
cried as / remembered the very small
sales that my books, ON which 1 had
spent 30 much time and trouble, and
which had been published by some OF
the first houses In London, had reached.
The mystery was solved to me as 1
looked over tho pile Of letters which had
collected during my absence Among
these was a thin post card, addressed
In an unfamiliar hand, upon which was
written the following communication:
DEARs rR-A sincere friend considers II his
duty 20 point out 10 you that you are cruelty
and soandalously iibcled In a miserable ahii-
ling book called "A Disgrace TO Society, Z" pub
hshed by Messrs. Anderson q Maitland You
owe Il both 70 yourself and TO your friends 70
take measures 10 put q stop to the circulation
Of thess faisehoods about you.
ATRUE WELL wIsHER.
Now, as soon as / had road this, hav-
ing in the meanwhile forgotten all about
Ross and his book, my first impulse was
to rush out to the nearest bookstall and
TO ask for a copy Of the work referred
to. Then suddenly IL flashed across my
mind that 1 had the book in my pocket,
and remembering what l had seen at
Ross rooms I began to understand the
advertising scheme Of which he had
spoken so s%anguinely. and which, ao-
cording to what / had seen and NY
own impulse at the moment, l had read
the post card, seemed decidedly an Of
feotual one.
/ happened to meet Ross that same
evening just as he was alighting from
a hanson outside a fashionable Regent
street cafe AS soon as he saw me he
rushed up and cried out; "What did l
tell you, old chap? Is it a success, or is
it not? We are printing the sixtieth to
SEVENTEEN thousand at this moment"
II suppose it is to you I owe this
highly interesting missive?" 1 said,
holding out the post card that / had re-
ceived.
Ross glanced at IL, and turning rather
red said: Il didn't know that your name
was in the directory, or l would have
given instructions that you were not to
DO written to. Not that it matters much
now that the success of tho book is as
sured. Well. yes, that was the idea, and
famously it has worked, as you have
seen. We sent cards to everybody in the
Who's Who, in the clergy list, in the
court section of the London directory
and in the law list OF course everybody
who received q card Immediately rushed
of to the nearest bookseller to get the
book and to find out how it referred to
him. You see, everybody has more OF
less of a skeleton in his cupboard, and
there you are, don't you know. A fresh
batch Of post cards is going out tonight.
Tell me, what do you think Of the
idea?"
II don't know, " I said. ''It's origi-
nal certainly. Perhaps ON the point of
TASTE
"Oh. taste be hangedr' cried Ross.
money is the thing to be got, and mon
ey I am getting That wretohed little
book which l dashed of on my type
writer in a fortnight has already brought
me in over e40O, and l wouldn't sell
my interest in it at present for twice as
much again. And then look what a start
it gives me as a literary fellow. Won't
the publishers be after me soon, Ross.
the author of the book which, without
being advertised or reviewed in the pa.
pers, ran through over 100 editions in
six weeks? l tell you my fortune i.
made, thanks to that happy thought Of
mine"
said nothing and shortly afterward
quilted him.
His sanRuine hopes were not destined
to realization, by a curious example Of
the irony of fate. On the very next day
after / had met him a suit for libel was
commenced against him by clergyman
in the north of England named Burrell,
who, having his attention called to
! libel ON him In the form of a story In
which the names were 30 thinly dis
guised as to DO recognizable by any one
I Of his acquaintance, and seeing in the
= story a malicious and grossly exagger
ated version Of certain circumstances
which had occurred in his family, in.
. struotod his solicitor to commence pro
oeodings. While these were pending the
publishers, TO reduce their responsibility
TO the lowest degree possible. suspended
the sale Of the book, in spite Of the fact
that the demand for copies increased
daily. Very heavy damages were claim.
ed by the plaintiff. Tho affair was,
however, settled out Of court, a settle
ment which left Ross considerably on
Of pocket by his first and last literary
venture.
II never heard VI this fellow Burrell
in my life" no told me m~ournfully.
The story, such a Il was. came out Of
my head. But Of course / oouldn't e
MA WHH