The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-29
ELIZABETH GETS MATERIAL.
ATTEMPT or TWO YOUNG WOMEN
no START A LITERARY CAREER.

TO NTAhT n LII EHAhH sHLthEHs
The way 10 60 About H-New York's Desire
to Hear Abont Itself Ten Pounds OF Paper
Ordered In Reckman street-A Hungry
Man In Ills Onice-Tho Material Found.
81 don't see why we can't" said Elizabeth. with
determination
Well" | answered hesitaungly, ! suppose II
you come right dow n 10 It. We can
"Ot course we cam" cried Elizabeth excitedly.
throwing her newest sofa cushion atlme--she ono
made from bandanna handkerchiefs And h Is
very easy, too. You see II Is this way, dear;
New York is simply the most selfish. conceited
city In America. Personally, l have no fault
to find with this ego,ism, for | think tho most Of us
would rather be dead here than alive any other
place else. But still the fac, remains that New
York loves New York. ltdoesnt care a rap about
any other city In the United States. Now you
might approach New York newspapers from now
I'LL doomsday with really good stuf"-Elizar
beth and | had been introduced to a young woman
connected with a newspaper the day before, and
she had said "stuF'-"really good stuff about
Chicago or Boston or Philadelphia, and they would
simply laugh al you. But Just try going to them
with something about New York. and II would
fairly I've wrested from your hand"
~ iilcu u III "'o'
smile, az one who had Just discovered a very shock
Ing state Of affairs. but no, very much shocked
George Eliot says somewhere that We must learn
u distrust men without bitterness
You are a remarkably sstute young woman"
! murmurrd. Il would not like TO have your
scarchlight turned on mol"
1T II true" she answered bhskly, AN New
York v ants to know Is Just a little more about New
York.
There Is a good deal TO know ! admitted. A
thousand half memories foated through my mind:
memories of sun-llt avenues, gay with car
riascs, bewildering shop windows, flower stands
and beautiful women; and at night, long lines n
twtnkling lights, a hanson. and somewhere In a
litde corner behind a palm some friendly people,
and something In a glass that kept bubbling.
YES, there is q good deal TO know " said.
"Of course said Elizabeth again. And we
must 60 out and see something, Dolly, and como
home and wnte II up. look al the material there
Is here. Why, | can think Of a thousand things
that would make really Interesting reading. and
with nothing slushy in It. either. Even | am
tired Of reading about bananas and dhed apples
for the complexion on Sunday mornings"
She spoke with so much impotence that | was
lust about to defend myself under a vague impress
sion that | somehow had been 10 blame, when sho
asked me suddenly II | knew how much royalty
had been paid in the last month on a certain popu-
lar novel ! did know, for she herself had told
me regularly every day since she had read Il In
some newspaper. but | eagerly denied any knowl.
edge Of II, because II was something | was always
ready ~ hear again, and something in which !
took both pain aud pleasure pleasure that 80
much money could be made out Of a book, and
pain that had not madcit always received the
news from her IN the same way: first, staggered
by the amount second, filed with a terrible sense
of something undone, and, last, settling down
quietly 10 an exact knowledge In dollars Of my
own deficiencies
|, WAS in the blood that Elizabeth and ! should
both write. but It somehow had never succeeded
in getting any further We never failed TO talk
Of books togethrr: We followed the career Of each
author who srrHrg up. W knew all about circu
~laIous and royalties, and longed 10 know the
heart beat Of the literary world. With q courage
undlmmed by n failure Il wears We swore 10 our
selves every time We looked at the ofic Of q mag
nzine that We would get in that magazine Of
die"-and the thing Is still unsettled. Bu, oul
ambitions had taken a new turn the day befor'
at Mrs. Van Tassell's. where We had met a tai
blonde, fresh looking young woman from one O
the newspapers. That IL. she said she did worn
for the newspapers:it was a mistake for any wrte
In New York 10 tie himself down 10 a salary: ont
could do a thousand tines better with his owr
ime. She said II WAS also a mistake 70 senc
vat fiction In any other way than between w,
covers. and she told us Of 40 many ways tina
were all wrong that We finally asked her uha
was rght She promptly replied that the onl,
way 10 do WAS 70 go out and get what she call
material" and writs some good articles for the
newspapers. Good work found It's own place
When we wer. recovering from the cold plunge
Of her conscious superiority the next day, which
was no, an easy thing TO do. Elizabeth said she
saw that We. too, had been making a mis-
take We had begun wrong We had not beer
practical enough: IT WAS, after all, mere business
II was only necessary 10 select an interesting
topic and then wn,e about il
But where are you going to get the topic1
! wanted to know.
ANY place, said Elizabeth, waving her hand
vaguely The streets are full Of them, Nov
you come down here ut 10 o clock 10 morrow morn
ing, and " will start out. And il must he bust
urSsl.Ar too. no looking In hat windows to see i
W" would rather have c%urTants or cherries OF
our hats no talk about ~toulards or cluny lace
We will Just put IN short skirts and plain hat
down over our eyes, md g. forth
Whore IRE W going | venturod 10 ask.
Il think We had better 20 To- the BOwrry first
why. fli2Aheth tourteney. 60 there alone"
Dolly, You are n sooN", OF course We car
gu there alone"
"But We could not possibly write anything
better about the BOwery than has been writer
already
well. | have never read anything about thos.
interesting looking places have seen down there
Oh. ! don't mean those free mainees, or eigh
lovely sisters having a candy chewing contest
mean all those queer old shops with strange look
inc things in them. Why, | went down thor,
one afternoon with Alice Moreland and her bro'hrI
and saw some pieces Of copper inst as good a,
those You lave nj home,
Would We dar" e. ia the shops" ! asked, u
am afraid they would seize us
Elizabeth looked AT me scurnfully.
Il suppose It would b. all right, though" ! sait
weakly. w" could hunt up Nh officer and tel
him W. were going in n certain shop, and ask hin
10 watch IL n little while
y sort uf an ifl-don't come ut-in- ten minutes
arrangement" shifted Eli7aheth. NO, Dolly,
there Is a fine field there. Why. think Of ali tht
uawnshops. ! believe will wnta an article nbuut
Them and call u, At the Sign Of the Three Balls
Wouldn't that lie good? ! could describe all the
curious things N pawn, and Muse and dream a
httlc about them. ana then | could speak Of In
redeemed Pledges and say they were not tbs
only unredeered pledges IN the world.
IN expression Of profound melancholy settled
on ilizaheths pretty face. She had had II love
sihcr then on various occasions To assume the
attitude Of one v ho stood aside and watched the
world go by, She Sighed deeply, and arose with
Al effort and crossed over TO her little mahogany
writing desk and made A note Of "Unredeemed
Pledges,
"Now / want you to he here early in the morn
ing she said.
The rose pink and SKY blue tint had somehow
worn oil my literary dream the next morning when
! presented myself at lh2ahetn's. or AZ least that
-. II u - II II II