The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-03-02

Der o nappGneu W Ue ope., du'i
through the letter slit / could see into
his sitting room. There were six young
ladies seated at a large table bnsily writ
in-, and in front of each wasa high pile
OF cards. Two large baskets, Oiled with
similar cards, stood on the naor
Business taking me abroad, was not
present at the birth of the book on which
my friend had built such hopes. and.
though l looked in the London papers,
1 cyl!d fina neither advertisements nor
mention of it. | was therefore rather
surprised when, on landing AT Dover Oh
my return home, | saw quite a heap OF
the shilling volumes CT "A Disgrace to
Society Oh the bookstall at the station.
At the Victoria bookstall l saw another
heap OF the same book, and on asking
the clerk how this book was selling he
answered. Like hot cakes" Driving
home, l saw it well ia evidence at va
rious bookshops. 1t was evidently a big
success, ard / wondered rather enyious-
~ how Ross had managed to obtain this
for sc very worthless a production. l
had purchased a copy at Victoria, and
looking over It in the cab had had MY
first opinion Of it confirmed. 1t WAS a
wretched piece of work, and, moreover,
disgracefully produced. badly printed Gu
cheap paper and sc carelesaly bound
that long ere l reached my lodgings it
had como 70 pieces in my hand.
However has he managed it, l
cried rs | remembered the very small
Gales that my books. OH which l had
spent so much time and trouble, and
which had been published by eme Of
the first houses i'll London, had reached.
the mystery was solved to me as I
looked over the 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 FOL owing communication:
DEAR SRA sincere friend considers it his
duty to point out to you that you are cruelty
and scandalously II: led in ~ miserable sail-
ling book cail2d "A Disgrace to Society" pub
lished by Messrs. Anderson q M.itland- Nou
owe it both to yourself and to your friends to
take measures to put a stop to the circulation
of these fclschoods about YOU
TEUE WELL WIsHEE.
lNOW, de- SOOu GS L llIu ltot Wis, Al
ing in the meanwhile forgotten all about
Ross and his bsal.s, my first impulse was
to rush out to the nearest bookstall and
to ask for a copy Of the work referred
to. Then suddenly it flashed across my
mind that l 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 sa~nguinely. and which, &C
cording to what | had seen and my
own impulse at the moment, ! had read
the post card. seemed decidedly an eff
fectual one
l happened to meet Ross that am
evening just as no was alighting from
a hanson outside a fashionable Regent
street cafe. As soon as he saw Fac he
rushed up and cried out: What did l
tell you, old chap? Is it q success, or is
it not? We ere printing the sixt;etk TO
SEVENTEEN thousand at this moment"
Il suppose it is to you l owe this
highly interesting missive?" l said,
holding out the post card that l had re-
ceived.
Ross glanced at it, and turning rather
red said: 81 didn't know that your name
was In the directory, or / would have
given instructions that you were not to
be written to. Not that it matters much
now that the success of the book is as
sured. Well. yes, that was the idea, ;nnd
famously it has worked, as you have
seen. We sent cards to everybody in the
Who's Who,' in the clergy list. ii the
court section of the London directory
and in the law list. OF course everybody
who received a card Immediately rushed
off to the nearest bookseller TO get the
book and to find out how it referred TO
him. You see, everybody has more or
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 dent know" l said. Its orisi-
nal certainly. Perhaps on the point of
TASTE
"Oh. taste be hanged" cried Ross.
Money is the thing to be got, and mon
ey l am getting. That wretched little
book which / dashed off on my type
writer in a fortnight has already brought
me in over e400, 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 owe 100 editions in
six weeks? | tell you my fortune is
made, thanks to that happy thought of
mine