Arizona republican., 1895-04-07
BOOMERANG VENGEANCE.
BY LUKE SHARP.

Cnat grdSpS 1t.
London is city so vast that many
curious things happen therein, and not
day passes but vengeance is had by
some one inhabitant upon another.
Revenge in London is different in
form from revenge in Corsica, but it is
generally quite as effective, even
though it keeps within the law.
This is the story of two men, each of
whom revenged himself upon the
other: the first stealthily while pre-
tending to be his friends friend, the
second openly as an avowed enemy of
the first, returning revenge for re-
venge. Yet in both cases the revenge
had an effect exactly contrary to what
the aggressor intended.
Every man living is what we call
genius if he but knew it. As the math-
ematical chances are against the right
man ever meeting the right woman
and marrying her, SO, in a lesser de-
gree, the chances are against a man
finding exactly the occupation that is
fitted for him. The round pegs are
eternally getting into the square holes
When a square peg gets into square
hole and fits, we say in our blindness
that the peg is genius.
Human perversity helps the mathe-
NAUTICAL chance to prevent the pegs
getting into the right places. The sue
cessful tragedian invariably thinks
that his forte is low comedy, and the
renowned comedian imagines that if
he but had the chance he could play
Hamlet.
Frederick Trigg wanted to be sue
cessful novelist, vocation for which
he was utterly unsuited. Writing was
his forte, but not the writing of novels
He had the critical faculty strongly de-
veloped, and had style of his own
which ultimately led him, as every one
knows, into the very front rank of Eng
lish critics. But the circumstances,
seemingly adverse at the time, and the
result of the meanest treachery, which
guided the square Trigg's footsteps to-
ward the squared hole, are not . well
known.
Alfred Denton, on the other hand,
was born novelist, yet all his hopes
We're conferred into becoming great
editor-a position for which he was
conspieuously untitled.
When young Trigg met young Den
ton by chance at a semi-literary club to
which both belonged, Trigg congrat-
ulated himself. Denton at that time
was the inefficient sub-editor of a we'll !
known magazine, and Trigg, whose
MSS. were invariably rejected, was
convinced that the magazine editors of
London formed a sort of close corpora
ton, whose chief object in life was to
keep the outsider eternally outside |
Trigg felt certain that if one of his
stories but got chance, it would be |
sure to succeed, and he felt that his
ripening friendship with Denton would,
when the proper time came, give him
his chance.
There is no doubt but Denton intui-
lively disliked Trigg from the begin
ming. This, of course, he had perfect
right to do, but it is questionable if he
was justified in pretending friend
ship he did not feel, and in leading the
other on to confde his woes and his
MSS. to him. Perhaps the dislike arose
from the unfortunate habit Trigg had
of reading selections from his stories to
anyone who would listen, and there is
no doubt that in those days Denton got
more than his share
Any man has a right to resent this
sort of thing, but he should resist it
openly and boldly, and not revenge
himself in a sneaky manner.
Denton praised the MSS. highly, took
them to the magazine office readily,
and kept them for long time. Then
they were returned to the unfortunate
Trigg with a note saying that the edi-
tor, in spite of the warmest commenda-
tons on the part of Denton. had reject
ed them
This was very disappointing as far as
Irlgg was concerned, and he conceived
a violent hatred of the unknown editor
who barred his way to publicity.
No man can live on rejected MSS.
alone. and Trigg, embittered by lack
of success, secured a subordinate posi-
ton upon the Acadaneum, a great
weekly critical journal. His own try
ing experience had added just the
requisite touch of virulence to his pen
which the Acadaneum delighted in, and
Trigg speedily rose in the estimation
of his superiors on the paper.
Trigg naturally hated successful
men.
One night at large literary dinner
he found himself next an old man who
was introduced to him as the editor of
the magazine Of which his friend Den
ton was the sub. Trigg had by this
time become known as rising man in
what NAV be termed the crlel school