The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-02-20

tnab long ere reached my lodgings IL
had como to pieces in my hand.
However has he managed it?'' /
cried as / remembered the very small
sales that my books, ON which 1 had
spent so 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
looked over the pile of letters which had
collected during my absence. Among
these was thin post card, addressed
in an unfamiliar hand, upon which was
written the following communication:
DEAR SRA sincere friend considers it his
duty to point out to you that you arc cruelty
and scandalously lbeled in a miserable shii-
ling book called IA Disgrace to Society,"" pub
lished by Messrs. Anderson s. Maitland. You
owe it both to yourself and to your friends TO
take measures to put stop to the circulation
of these faisehoods about you.
TRUE WELL WIsHER.
Now, as soon as / had read this, hay
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 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 sanguinely, and which, ac-
own impulse at the moment, I had read
the post card, seemed decidedly an eff
fectual one
I happened to meet Ross that same
evening just as he was alighting from
hanson outside fashionable Regent
street cafe AS soon as he saw me he
rushed up and cried out: "What did
tell you, old chap? Is it success, or is
it not? We are printing the sixtieth to
SEVENTEEN Thousand at this moment. "
81 suppose it is to you l owe this
highly interesting missiveP' l said,
holding out the post card that had re-
ceived.
Ross glanced at it, and turning rather
red said: 81 didn t know that your name
given instructions that you were not to
be 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 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?"
AZ don't know" said. cts origi-
nal certainly. Perhaps on the point Of
taste''-
"Oh, taste be hanged" cried Ross.
Money is the thing to be got, and mon
ey am getting. That wretched little
book which l dashed off ON my type
writer in a fortnight has already brought
me in over e400, and wouldn't sell
my interest in it at present for twice as
much again And then look what start
it gives me as literary fellow. Won't
the publishers DO 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? 1 tell you my fortune is
made, thanks to that happy thought Of
mine.
/ said nothing and shortly afterward
quilted him.
His sanguine hopes were not destined
to realization, by curious example of
the irony of fate. On tho very next day
after had met him suit for libel was
commenced against him by clergyman
in the north Of England named Burrell.
who, having his attention called to a
libel ON him in the form Of story in
which tho names were so thinly dis
guised as to be recognizable by any one
Of his acquaintance, and seeing in the
story malicious and grossly exagger-
ated version Of certain circumstances
which had occurred in his family, in
structed his solicitor to commence pro.
ceedings 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. The affair was,
however, settled out of court, settle
ment which left Ross considerably out
Of pocket by his first and last literary
venture
II never heard of this fellow Burrell
In my life," he told me mournfully.
"The story, such as it was, came out of
my head But of course I couldn't go
into court and give myself away. The
laugh would have been against me"
And SO no doubt it would have been.
-Idler.