The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
WRITES NOVELS TO ORDER.
TOUSG WOMAN WHO ACHIETES
FAME FOR OTHERS.

young face, although few silver threads show
about her temples Her work may be arduolis,
bat il leaves no marks on her councnancc. She
Illks Of II only In the strictcst confidence. You
soc II her patrons could not trust her 10 keep their
sccrets nvolatc she would be in danger Of having
10 work. For her work is writing novels that
o,h,r people pay for and pass of as their own
/; IA really only slight going beyond the big
OltcauN OF revision which openly advertise them
>,lvcs They take the lame, halt and blind,
among literary wares, and engage to make them
prcscntabc The yicarous novelist makes up
her tales outright although she admits that in
more than one case she has had original frag-
Iuents by way Of foundation.
1T is odd the way got into this" she explained.
.YOu see, | am an expert typewriter and sienog.
rapher As such did good deal Of work,
copying manuscript and answering letters for
an English story teller who spent winter in
New York about five years ago one morning
hccamc in laughing over u letter which mad reached
Inn in the morning mail
"'Congratilnte me Miss y - he said; 1 am
IN In. -reatcstluc See here, one Of your country
men has Just written that he will give me-
thousand in cold cash To write novel for him;
MOTTO publish o dcar no but to show to his friends
- his own work He says he has pined all his
fife /, scale ,hc heights Of literary fame and AZ he
Ia, plenty Of mpary h, is willing t. pay literally
even to pose as an author in his own circle of
friends Now what shall tell him Evidently
h feels TINT he has made very handsome offer;
but yor know the American publishers are Civ
iaE mo two or three times as much.
It don't know what you ought 10 say l an
.v,rcl BUTT the offer was made t" me | should
saw: Yes, an thank you SIR by telc-
graph
Then do it hr snid I'm sure you could
,,-,,a tn, sort Of thing he wants. Write to him;
n, will writ, myself thank him, and say my
time il taken up So far ahead cannot obge him,
anil so have turned tn" matter over to you, who
may BE- able To do II
"Of course thanked Inn, warmly, though really
il, made inc very nervous To think OF undertaking
such A thing Asa result got my FIRST order,
was 90 slly though To- cut III" price IN two, and
got only $500 when might as easily have Had
Tho 81 900 | hcgan with fear and trembling.
Tho gentleman had sent me his photograph, with
a som,wh,t distinct animation that he would
;hink more NJ tn, story il | could manage TO make
the hero look like hir,Srlf He also added some
personal AMI family details which could not help
but sec he thought would rt into the hCrus career.
There were further vogue hints OF n black eyed
siren married and intriguing, whose final over
throw would Dc cmincntly desirable When read
all thosr things IL seemed to me that had taken
pretty big contract After the story was well in
mind though ! found the authors Intimations as
good as landmarks and lighthouses i'll my sea of
troubles In three months the book was finished
Itran one hundred thousand words and had really
intcrfcrcd little with other work. II became sort
Of savings bank Of more things than time. put
things into it as saw them happen, or rs they
flashed into my hcnd While am not in the least
genius writing always came easy 10 me. Then
read all the new novels, and have a knack OF
catching the prevailing style. However that may
be | pleased ms customer So well that he sent ME
500 over
There though, the incident closed. but found
myself mistaken, Three months aftcrwnrd got
letter posmafkcd at the customers town. but
addressed in feminine hand Wondering if
there trouble ahead opened il II was from
my first customer sister, spinser. rich like HIM,
and like him cmuous Of distinction I know
you wrote that book Bob is putting on airs over
she wrote lie YOU only corrected and
copied IT, but know better. | received and re-
ceiptcd for the Ms. when the expressman brought
it So know from whom it came, and have wor-
ried Bob into telling ne your address. Now
want to know what you will charge TO write a book
for me? ! am really a living romance. Why.
have had one man die after he was engaged 10 me.
and breach Of promise suit OF course, you
couldn't put those in just that way; but you can
make me a maicstcally beautiful woman, who
has had romantic troubles all her life. am sure
there is very much more 10 me than there is To Bob
and knew him Just the minute came to him in
his book. 1t came out last week. and il is too
disgusting 10 see tho airs he puts on over it. That
is not so aggravating though as the way people
stars at him. lie always was vain. In another
year doubt il anybody can 1--we in the same town
with him. ! mean anybody who knows him for
the ordinary flssy man he is
There of the mn, ~
fcctly sure it was 10 family spite and jealousy
owel my s,conl order II was harder work.
very much harder than writing the first book.
la to guard against repeating myself, as | was
practically certain both books would have the same
circle Of readers and knew itwould never, never dc
10 have the family likeness in them too strong. Blu
manage it without too great nervous strair
by taking five months to do it in and then got less
than $500, though had explicitly said seven
Bpb's sister was thrifter than he was She IN
sSt,l upoa a reduction after the manuscript wa,
IN her hands She said had made her as hcroin,
les charming than she had a right To expect
Those two are reasonably typical 81 my Gus
toners They ere divided about equally between
tie PEOPLE WHO have keen yCarnngs for the lite
lary pose and those who feel that their own live
ere full Of romance 10 thrill the world il only thu
world could be properly told OF IT, NJ first
laughed al both classes. Now am full Of sympa
thy with them. Some wise man has said ih'
strongest Of human passions is. the passion fo
distinction. and these people abundanuy prov,
H. All told have written seven complete nov els
and negotiated for several more that came Il
naught Five Of the seven have been published
and rot one Of their supposed authors has hon
,rcd me- with n presentation copy. OF cours,
i'c authors paid for the publication; nearly hal
'hc books issued in the aggregate, are, believe
published that way. The two tales which re
main in manuscript, | do not doubt serve theil
purchasers turn as well and are privately *
Inhibited as indisputable proofs Of genius which
Nnuntcd not itself
so far the sexes are nearly even. -Four mer
fnd three women have employed me But two
women OF the three wanted their own lives written
in, and only one man has said outright he fell
h!s strange, Cycnuul history was the true wool
"fromancc The girl who didn't ask To be a hero
Inc was pretty enough 10 be almost anything
tall and graceful. with the lOvelicst creamy skin
aud soft, dark eyes. She came 10 me timidy and
sid between sobs that she wanted a sweet story
that her heart would break il she did not get Il.
The man she loved worshippcd intellect and there
vas a desperately plain girl who wrote things
ior the magazines that had come between them
and swept the young man off his feet She my
visitor had told him as great secret that she
herself wrote, but was withheld by shyncSs from
publishing. Couldn't !, wouldn't l.. write some
thing for her Write il quick and let her show
II 10 her lover chapter b. chapter. as though she