Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-23
A Com pliCated Story.

and thus harrow up the readers feel
ings, as we GO along with the recital
of the curious game of crCss-purposes
at which Minnie Fleming and her hus-
band played, | will state the facts OF
the case plainly at the beginning so
that every one may understand the
situation
Minnie Fleming was a subdued
quiet little woman, with something
like ten times the amount of brains
her husband possessed, but she was
not aware Of II and would have been
very indignant if any one had ven
tured to suggest such a thing, for she
looked up to her husband with love,
admiration end respect.
Knowing Jim Fleming well. it al
ways seemed to me that his wife's
alteration of him was entirely mis-
placed. This may be professional
j jealousy, for I have to admit that
never could read with patience any
thing Fleming ever wrote. His work
seemed to me, not to put it too
plainly, CUFF of the slushieSt sort, and
there is TOO mucn of that kind of
writing in the world now. Jim Elem
ing is big, gruff, somewhat good
natured person, with thorough belief
in his own abilities, which, as l have
intimated, most of us do not think
justifiable by facts. He is the editor
of the POt-Shots, a London weekly
which used to have a large circulation.
which is now generally understood to
have fallen off on account of the ire
mendous competition there is in the
journalistic business. 1t is a paper
that offers $4,000 insurance money to
the heirs Of a man who is killed by
falling out Of balloon, if at the time
OF the disaster he happens to have a
copy of PoU-Shots in MS pocket.
Now it happened that little Mrs
Minnie Fleming had literary ideas
that were promptly crushed by her
big husband. She possessed, as have
said, an amazing respect for his liter
airy judgment, and with fear and
trembling she hau on several occa-
sions submitted little stories to him.
hoping that they might merit a place
between the covers of Pot-Shots. but
jim ridiculed the stupidity of these
yarns so severely that Mrs. Fleming
after having quiet little cry all by
herself. showed him no more of these
efforts at fiction.
Nevertheless she thought her stories
if not good CROUCH for Pot-Shots,
might be palmed off ON other less well
edited journals, so she took to sending
her stories around to ore after another
of the London publications, getting
them back as general rule, but hav-
ing one taken row and then; just
enough success to keep up her cour-
age, You may be sure she took good
care not to let her husband know any
thing of these excursions into the
fields of literature, but she hoped to be
able to earn something with her pen,
with the humble desire Of helping Jim
out, if ever he wanted a little addi-
tional money.
She had read pretty little stories
about wives who had saved a penny
today, and three~pence tomorrow, stor-
ing the coins away, so that, when they
were poured out, on the coming of a
family crisis, they amounted to a
wonderful fund, that Jided over all
the difficulties. She soon found that
her chief customer was the editor of
the Family Bouncer, a weekly paper
that went in strongly for fiction of all
kinds Her little stories seemed to
suit the kind Of readers that took that
celebrated Journal, and although the
pay was small at first, the crisis.
fund.- as she called it, Wa constantly
augmented.
At last she received very nice let
ter from the editor Of the Family
Bouncer. He said he hau been watch
ing her little stories with interest for
some time PAST, and that he felt GER
tain she coulc write a serial if she
set her mind to it. Without making
any definite promises. he wrote that
he hoped she would try, and that she
would let him see the result This
letter filled the timorous little heart
of Minnie viii joy, and she set herself
to work to write the long story.
Not to make too long a story of this
long story, it may be said that it
pleased the editor, was printed in in
stallments, and more than pleased the
readers Of the Family Bouncer.
Mrs. Fleming wrote under the name
of "Hilda Markham, and the result
Of the appearance of Der first long
story was that of Greig & Co., the lit
erary agents, wrote to her and offered
to place any stores she cared to write
at as advantageous prices as the mar
ket would afford for a commission of
10 per cent. This offer she accepted,
and the results were extremely graft
flying to her, whatever they may have
been to the EDITORS who had to pay
the increased prices.
And this brings US to the point
where this story really begins. One
editor genel ally knows pretty well
which of his contemporaries, esteemed
or otherwise, has the largest circula-
ton, and which has not, and Jim
Fleming saw with dismay that the
circulation Of his own paper was fall
ing rapidly, and it was evident that
his penny public was drifting over to
the Family Bouncer. In Investigate
ing the reasons for this, he quickly
came upon the bald fact that the in
crease in his rival was largely due to
the stories of the new writer, Hilda
Markham. So he resolved to get
story from that lady at all hazards.