The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-22
NAT PRUNE'S SUCCESS.
NJ COT $500 FOR ms TREITIsE ON
MELODIES.
But n Patent Medicine Firm was the Pur-
chaser and the Use Made of IL
was Exasperating.

Every person. large and small has his
pet ambitions and aims These may not
always be lofty and worthy OF the Time
and care that We put upon them, but they
are ambitions none the less, and very
often are either the maxim or breaking OF
the possessor. Now, my little brother
when he was only six years old disclosed
his ambition to US by saying he want
ed TO be a cab-driver when he grew mp
to be a big man and wear side whiskers
and a beaver Whether this was worthy
Of emulation or not 1 cannot say; but we
may only add that he placed his mark low
so that he might not be doomed TO dis
appointment by falling below 1t, and
would only enjoy his success the more If
he succeeded in rising above 1t. But
these things are not to be depended upon
for as our good Or. Johnson remarks Ia
the opening paragraph of Russeias. 'he
who listen with credullty 10 the WIS
pers OF fancy, and pursue with eaSefnes5
the phantoms Of hope, VINO expect tnAt
age will perform the promise OF youth,
and that the Deficiencies OF the present
day Will he supplied 10y the morrow az
tend 70 the history of Kasselas, Prince Oh
Abyssinia." ] DO not mean TO moraiize-
the above is only happy thought
But TO my ambition. Il was 10 be
great writer ! tinkcred day ana night at
subjects TOO deep for Milton. ana feit NcA-
ell with myself because | could not han,
die them perfectly. My friends spurtol
me on by saving mat / mad me material
for the making OF literary man IA me
though ! have always stouily denied tne
fact Everything that / wrote would Dc
torn up ana rewritten and torn up again.
At last "A particular frIend-I had pre-
viously regarded him as tuend-iold me
to DO something gOod-rea4ly sooe-dh9
send II TO some prominent puDlicauOu 4
Oniered. and at length came TO the con-
clusion that IL 1 DID something good II
would certainly be the nrst time ana
would be the DOundcn duty OF the publ
cations TO grasp AT tne same.
IL was my plan to get az some nnde-
velOped facts cOncernin. microbes ana ac-
cordingly / read and studied Tor several
weeks with only that aim IN View.
took notes. | haunted the butcher SHOPS
ana watched them as they handled meat
| followed the doctors around whenever
/ could get a chance. / diligently scOuied
around old trash heaps. 1 bought me a
mici oscope, and became a specialist on
all kinds Of old meats, vegetables, chcect,
and the like. Finally, when had collect
ed statistics from all over the country
and had harassed my medical friends
nearly 10 distraction. | sat me down IN
a secluded corner and prepared TO do the
greatest treatise on microbes tnat W.
around me in endless profusion, and
scraps OF paper and various other mate
rails were stored near me by the hum
dred.
IDEAS THICK AND FAST.
But when | began to write I found that
all OF my ideas were on those papers
none OF them We're carefully stored IN
my brain as / had imagined they would
be- | could not get the first line IN the
proper shape to save. me. | paced the
| floor recklessly, and then sat down anu
/ wrote over no less than twenty ttuies
| and found that IL could be arranged IN
\ more ways than the famous sentence.
THE weary ploughman homeward piods
| his way.
right kind OF a start, and away ! vert
| like mad | marshalled those r.yir !.
] thought into platOons and they trl'.. 'td
| up one after the other like old time vet
| Grams. idea after idea sprang from my
| down | really did not know how fast the
| time flew until / arose from my desk ana
| found that IL wac well nigh morning. l
| slowly put the Ms. away, ana wetrily re-
| tired. In the morning l was az II again
| bright and early, cutting, slashing. WRIT
/ ing and rewriting. Whole paragraphs
| were destroyed with one stroke OF the
| pen, and new ones supplied with Hour
] ish. Revision was the order Of the day:
| After a week OF this business | found
| that my famous article was at last ready
i for the press, and the only question now
/ remaining was-is the press ready Tor u
/ must see TO that. IL Was copied IN
| the nea.est style ardn sent TO one or our
| leading journals with brief note: !
| told an OF my confidential friends that
il would be TO their interest 10 read the
| November issue Of the Eagle" Within
a week my MS. came back with note
stating IT was not available When the
/ November number OF the Eagle came
| out my friends wanted TO know what
| was SO interesting within Its covers. l
j sighed and pointed out something TO