The herald., 1895-07-07
HALSTEAD'S PADDY'S RUN PAPERS

uS hdAA oo Aw 0iOs - Ao bbKI0 UO4llOAlo0UO
is itself study. Ny Legend" wss ac-
cepted for sle literary department Of the
CH.annati Gazette then conducted byth0
scholarly poet and politician, W. q. Gslla-
CHER, and the proceeds-it was the first
money got for writing and the sum was
$5-were invested for a decorative ar
ticlc worn when graduated at Farmert
college and delivered dissertation %
Suppressed Thought" ~ ~
A Colerain farmer tackled my father On
the road soon after 1.-THE Legend" was out
and asked whether 1t was his son who
was writing pack OF lies about Bowling
Green in The Gazette My father dis
liked that style Of address, and there came
near being discussion of an energetic and
picturesque nature, not over my literary,
merits, but my veracity, and 1t was explain
ed that 1t was as writer and not as person
that I lied. The real trouble was about
that cave inserted in the hill, and the
critic said what he meant was there
weren't no cave there and never had been
and everybody knowed that" and what
did I say there was for? Well, father
didn't know, and had some trouble in
discussing amicably the justifiable depar-
lures in historical fiction from veritable
history.
The day left College hill for Cincin-
natl, with diploma, had In my trunk
several stories finished and others unf1n.
ished and discovered just before leaving
that had go cents more than omnibus
fare. 1t was said of all the rich men In
Cincinnati every one Of them had arrived
there without cent" and called upon
friends and squandered my last cent
before starting, just for luck. A small
remittance was to reach me in CINCINNATI
next day and did not, and my first dinner
was big bell1ower apple, to which q
friend and schoolmate happened TO treat
me. 1t was good dinner
struck boarding house whore was paid
$40 at intervals Of four weeks for very good
food and o bright room with cleah bed.
After many adventures and labora,, stslt-
ing Sunday paper among them, my
"White Stag" story got me Z newspaper
situation. / forget what was tie matter
with the Stag, why and how it was whitsI
and what 1t did and didn't, but 1t was \
believe, mystery of the forestl Ihave
not the slightest idea how bad the story
was, but one comfort is, IL was not very
long. 1t was of series, and one Of its
companions was "The Bird Demon"
which was thought we'll Of when found IL
copied In newspaper published in Ore
gon. That fact had hint in 1t that was
going far. Had not my pen touched the
Pacific ocean,
1.-The White Stag" appeared in Ths At.
las, an evening paper, whose proprietor
just then was an excellent and intelligent
man, whose newspaper experience had
been limited to patriotic editorial effu-
sions. He was an enthusiastic Citizen,
however, public spirited, warm hearted
and believed in western literature. H6
seemed to think 1.-The White Stag" was
something of that sort, and maybe 1t was
Il forget. he really thought 1t was .
neat idea to have original co2tributiops Of
western literature In The Atas, and ssThe
White Stag" was kind of type to him.
The career of The Atlas was hfief, but its
proprietor was proud of it just at that
time Imet him few days after 1.-THE
White Stag" had tossed its lofty head in
The Atlas, taking the plaza which natural
| ly in those times weuld have bean filled
| with a bear story. The proprietor was
bustline and hustline along Third street
he really ought to have succeeded in
| journalism-and stopped mo to ask
whether would take the place Of scissors
| editor The Atlas at IS week. He was
| good en- lgh to say he had read my story
and was pleased With it, all Of which was
an unexpected pleasure to me. was
willing to take the place and go right
up stairs and GO to work then, but he said
"wait until morning." for they had
"enough stuff" for that day. But did 60
up and got his views and found that
neither Of us knew q thing about the de-
partment Of the paper I was to take, for
tunate coincidence for me- If he had bean
trained managing editor, would never
have assembled those stairs twice. could,
however, as appeared when had to try, go
into pile Of exchanges and mako fair So
lections, and then gathered and shaped
scraps of news SO that they passed to the
copy hook, and before my good friend
found me out had picked mp the trade,
and that very line was always my best
point as newspaper man. Thus got
into the newspapers. Paddy's Run was no
more my home Ihave never since walked
between plow handles, the more's the
| pity, sometimes 1t seems, for the p,ow
carves a path Of independence that
should be more highly considered than 1t
is as walk of life. The old place is heau-
tiful, and there are those who arc dear
still there, but the valley is pcopled Tor
me with shadows rather than with the
living. MURAT HAIsTEAD