Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-02-18
PRICE OF SUCCESS.

PRICE OF SUCCESS.
"Well. old fellow. you ought to be
happy" said l.
'Why?" queried Holden laconically
"Why. indeed?" exclaimed l. After
ten years of hard. patient toll you have.
in the graceful language of the Gauls,
! arrived. or. in plain, colloquial Amer
ican, You have got there with both
feet. Your first production is big
success; royalties are rolling in man
ayers whom once you pursued in vain
are now pursuing you. anxious to Sc
cure at your own terms the very plays
that they formerly refused without
reading And know you have plenty
of them. According 10 my calculations.
4 up to the time ! went abroad two years
4 ago you must have at least a barrel
I full of plays of all kinds poetical. COM
ical. tragical-calculated to suit all
tastes. Consequently all you have to do
is to dip down into that barrel. bring
up an old piece. place it and then sit
back and draw your royalties. Why
my boy. you are retired and pensioned
at 81. with fame and money at COM
mand and life practically before you.
Why should you not be happy
You forget the price of success.
said Holden bitterly.
'Oh, of course. you have worked
hard for all you now enjoy. but that s
all over now, and you have the satisfac-
tion of knowing that it's paid for. .
Yes said Holden almost sadly,
"but you do not realize how dearly /
have paid for it. -
well. possibly not, said l half
! apologetically You know / was far
away while you were putting An your
last and probably your hardest licks.
and / did not hear from you until the
news of the phenomenal success OF u
new American playwright was cahled
across the water. Why. you re interna-
tionally famous. my boy. and you ought
1 to he proud of it.
81 am. said Holden. "but with my
I pride is mingled pang of regret that |
I shall never outgrow. however may inn
prove upon and make permanent. my
present good fortune As some one has
said:
"Advanccmcnt limps on steps Of pain:
Success j. not in flight elnte:
We have to suffer jus, 10 gain
The misery Of being great.
~ do not know who wrote those lines,
/ but whoever he was he brought that
pearl Of truth from the depths of bitter
experience maybe something like
mine
Tell me about il. old fellow, said
/ | sympathetically. for | saw that some
/ real sorrow underlay his words.
"Well. Twill. said Holden. 1T is a
subject | seldom refer To. for hate
public condolences But you are an old
friend who knew me when my light
was hidden under hushcl and are not
like those tickle iiattering moths who
fiuttcr about the latest flame. The meta
phor is poor for | am not shining light
even now, but already | have had
enough Of sycophancy. and-well. You
know what mean. old man.
"When you left the country. ] had
Just about 81 titled down 10 the dreary
routine life II an editor whom some
journalistic Wit has described us "a re-
porter with his legs worn ont. had
despaircd of Yer getting my plays nc
ceptcd and could forcs,e nothing but an
endless round of grinding ont cut and
dried opinions for other men until /
myself became as dry as they and was
kicked out to make room for fresher
material had married. and of course
we lived up to my salary what news
paper man does not! Then the baby
came. and for "a time we lived even u
little beyond it. As consequence was
forced to put my nose even closer To the
grindstone and turn my spare hand to
hack work in order to help out
II didn' mind the hard work. The
only regret was that il led TO nothing
and kept me away from my chosen
work The human mind can do only
about as much as the body, and when
all its time is expended upon routine
there is no energy left for original
work The fact that gradually crawled
out of debt and even laid by few dol
lars was small compensation for the
smashing of my dreams and the realiza
tion that at such gait | could never
succeed in the line ! most desired.
"Well. that was about the situation
| was in when opportunity Knocked at
my door The season 5 production OF q
successful star proved a failure too com
plcte To be carpentered into even a
semisucccss. The play had been relied
upon 10 fill out the season. and he had
nothing definite in reserve. As it hap
penei | had outlined To him plot
which impressed him. and he sent me
word that il would submit the com
pletcd play IA soon as possible he would
consider IL. II was the vagucst possibil-
ity TINT he might accept il If nothing
better offered. yet | felt that il was my
first and in all probability my last
chance
II could not possibly write the play
In time and still retain my editorial
position. yet hcsitated TO resign the
latter. fer winter was Mt hand. and we
needed my weekly salary. Then there
was the probability that all my labor
would go for naught. and would be
left out in the cold. for you know that
in newspapcrdom il is easier 10 resign
a position than to get one for when a
man steps ont there are always 90 9TH
ers ready and anxious 10 take his place.
many of them just as good and some
considerably cheaper.
"But the dear little wife. who never
doubted my success. decided for me.
So | resigned my desk and went 10
work with might and main on my play.
had scarcely been at il week before
the baby fell i'll, and then our small
savings began to fly. No one knows
how money can 10 until his income is