Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-21
JAMES OTIS"
Ire Popular Maine Author of
Juvenile Books.
The Romantic Story Of His Own Early
Life.
In Private Life He is James Otis ka,er. Super.
intendent Of South Portland Schools.

Tyler during the ten weeks he spent
with the circus. To these Young
readers Toby is a very real person
and so are the kindly old driver who
befriended him, the little girl with
whom he performed in the ring, ana
Mr.. Stubhs. For the benefit of those
peniShted individuals who have never
read of Toby and his friends it may
be stated that Mr.. Stubbs was the
WHOSE. look of human intel
ligence so Won the heart Of the lone
Iy boy that Mr.. Stubbs became his
confidant TO whom he told the story
of his woes in the hours when he
COULD snatch a few moments from the
tasks Of the day and linger by the
side OF the monkeys cage. The title
page of this fascinating book for young
people declares that it is the work OF
James Otis and james Otis is the pen
name of MIR. james Otis Kaler. who
has been writing boys books ever
since Toby Tyler made its success 20
years ago or NOR. and Who for the
past three years haS found time in al
iition to that devoted to his literary
ttork. 10 hold the office of superintcn-
dent of schools IN tho city uf South
Portland. Ii goes withou. saving that
= man " No understands young people
rs does IN" writer OF III" books Of
James Otis Is the right person Ia make
school life both pr"iitablr'an pleasant
That the boys of Portland and their
elders might know something about
Mr. Klicr. a reuorter spent pleasant
hour with him one day recently. dur
IN hf..h ~. NJ u .t.-
nimS,lf-among others. how h" ,ani5
To write that first hoys' book. which
WAS such a success that no has since
written so many stories for Young peo-
pie that the bound volumes ill several
book eases in his library.
Thc story of III" manner ir which
Mr.. Kaler got his start III lirc would "
Itself make a fascinating story for
the future successful mon Of America.
1t was in 1851 that green country boy
from little town on the Penobscot
river went to Boston. HI had heard
that the great city was the right place
4 in which to lay the foundations for 2
large fortune. Il was 50 gre en-" ho
said, that the horses could smell me 4
long way Oft. ara when secured Il
situation in q Eoston stor" at a salary
If .hrae dollars and a half week |
was so pleased with the prospect tha,
/ sent for my cousin to come and share
my good luck. 1t cost me three dollars
week To live and I thought the extra
half dollar n very large sum Of money.
Ny cousin and lived togethel and We
got along all right until the cold
weather when we We're confr0rtcd with
the necessity of heating our room.
Nearby was store and We made n
bargain for Il stove for which we Were
to pay on the installment plan. AT the
rate Of fifty cents q Wcak. That ar
| rangcmcnt worked Well for a time but
there We're several holidays on which
we made inroadS into our surplus and
the time came when We We're unable
10 meet the weekly payment had
heard that there was a market for
stories and so | made my first literary
venture in the shape OF story about
NIooschead lake. ! WAS Very green
AMI didn't know how poor that story
vas The Boston journal; was ther
the leading paper in the city and
| took my effort there | Mas fourteen
! years old and small 50 when entered
the office with the envelope in my hand
| suppose that she editors thought
was a messenger with private Ines-
sage for Mr.. Charles @. Rogers. then
! ut the head Of the paper. Thar is the
only supposition on which | have
ocen able to account for The fact that
| was allowed to go to Lis room.
| showed; him the story rnd waited while
he read it. When he had finished he
| said.
You don't know much about spell
| ing to which 7 assrnted. Then he
said: You don't know much about
grammar" anJ ] aS9il assented. Af-
ter that he asked ma how I came to
| write the story and I told him about
the stove. He knew the man for whom
I worked and said that needn't go
to the store for Il week. He said that
he would write my employer a note
explaining matters, and then h" told
me that he would buy the story al
though he couldn't use it in the paper.
II want you to stay about the Office
for a week. he said; then | want you
10 write a story about Boston Com
mon. You can look over the files Of
the paper and see what has been writ
ten about it and then you can see if you
can write something new. Then he
gave me an order on the cashier and /
started out to meet my cousin who
was waiting for me at the head oi the
stairs We supposed that | had per-
haps received as much as .iftE CENTS.
and when we found that the order was
for s25 | returned to Mr.. Rogers To tell
hin, that he had made a mistake. I
was assured that he knew what he
wanted to pay for the story and that
I needn't come back to him until was
ready to write my story about the
Common.
well. | stayed around the office and
was told by the editors that Boston
Common had been written up so many
times that there was nothing new TO
say of it. The last dav OF the week
was on the Common wondering what
/ should write and thinking that the
bottom had dropped out of my Gclconda
In those days there were woodenl benches
on the Common. and as l sat there l
noticed the names. initials and devices
carved in the benches by the hands OF
,ha ;dlers. I concluded that shorid
] tl1Hl an -fyrfy