The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-01-31

surprised editor, Ito see one of those
letters. To tell the truth am getting
on in years, and my position on the
magazine is largely nominal. occa-
sonally contribute something, but the
MSS. sent in are entirely dealt with
by our reader and finally by Mr.. Den
ton. He is the real editor of the maya
zine, as thought everybody knew, and
has been for the past ten years"
"You surprise me-, said Trigg, "Of
course until quite recently have known
nothing of the inner life of literary
London, and since joining the staff of
the Acadaneum | have been too busy
to pay attention to it. Have you, then,
no power on the magazine with which
your name is connected?'
''Oh, have the power if l choose to
exercise it; but l have very little taste
for the drudgery of editing, and leave
it entirely in the hands of my subor-
dinates."
"What you say" said Trigg, lin
terests me more than you can be aware
Of ! would like, if you do not mind,
to show you some day number of let
tiers have had from the office of your
magazine"
81 should be pleased to see them"
answered the other, and they made an
appointment to meet at the club of the
editor.
The old man was very much aston
ished when he saw the letters.
''These alleged extracts from notes
of mine are not in my writing. They
were never written by me. If Denton
wished to reject your MSS he should at
least have had the honesty to take the
responsibility upon himself"
The next week Trigg received a note
from the editor of the magazine in
question. 1t was to the following eff
feet:
''If you think it worth an item in
your usual column of literary notes
you have my authority for making the
announcement that Alfred Denton, for
many years subeditor of the -- maya
zine, is no longer connected with that
periodical"
Trigg chuckled as he read this let
ter,
Denton" he said to himself, ''the
treacherous scoundrel, will find out
now that it is easier to lose a situation
like that than to get another" And he
added a cutting line to the item he
wrote about his former friend, which,
without being Hbelous, indicated that
Denton's leaving of the magazine was
practically dismissal in disgrace.
Denton soon realized that rumora
l., l.
endeavors to get a fresh footing
in the line that led to ultimate edit
orship were discouraging failures. II
was under these circumstances that he
wrote his first book and had it pub
lished under a nom de plume.
1t CALLED Trigg for many day after
to know that what he wrote about this
book was upon the whole favorable
indeed exceedingly favorable for Trigg
who at once recognized the merit OF
the work without in the least guessing
who its author was.
By this time Trigg had reached 6
, commanding position upon his paper
and what he wrote for it's columns wa:
, printed as he wrote it, with no blue
J pencil supervision.
Denton, pleased with the success O.
his first book, allowed it to be an
, nounced that he was the anonymous
} author.
Trigg CRASHED his teeth when hi
realized that he had helped his enemy
5 but he held his peace and waited.
A three-volume novel was announced
! When those three volumes came to thu
Acadaneum office, Trigg felt that hi
( time for vengeance had come. He de
, voted page to it. Nothing so bite
i and so crushing even before or sine
: appeared in the cynical columns o
= that paper. 1t was merciless, anC
: everyone recognized that Denton haC
: received his death-blow as q novelist
None realized this more than Dentol
8 himself, who was driven to the verg'
1 of dispair. His publisher was appalled,
r and he and the author had a consulta
ton, but both admitted that nothing
. could be done.
< By all laws of logic the sale of tn
: book should have stopped at tina
t moment, but the very contrary was tn
= case. The ferccness and the magni
uuue Ol Illc dlIdCh dt OHCc gave DtItEIi
n a place in the world of literature tina
4 it might in the ordinary course o
n events have taken years to attain
There instantly arose discussion
/ about the book in various paper
throughout the country. The deman
r for it increased. People wanted t
o read work that had been SO merei
f lessly slated. The libraries sent i
: order after order, and q second editio
S was announced. Still the demand KEEP
n up, and as the book had genuine meri
j and as the attack was in reality villain
S ously unfair, although demoniacall
clever, public sympathy began to wee
u towards the author.
e The first edition of the novel in chea
form was sold the day of publication
d and was. speedily followed by a secon
and third and fourth.
e 1t is quite possible for critic t
j ovcrestimatc his power, and it wa
some time before Trigg realized tina
L his revenge was a boomerang. Hi
article had been the making of his CT
envy. and Denton's position in the lii
q erary world was now assured. No on
f could destroy it but himself, and, d
everyone knows, he was too clever