Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-02

successful periodical,
Forest and Field. IN
searching for a match, found mora than
he expected. He had wandered into his
assistants room. but that industrious
individual being no smoker, was match
less SO the editor took piece of torn
paper from the waste basket to make
spill of it and thus bring fire to the
bowl Of his pipe. when his eye caught
woodland phrase on the sheet which
arrested his attention as protrudlng
nail LAYS hold on a travelling garment.
The pipe remained between his teeth
lfeless as he read on to the end of the
scrap: then he CROPPED in the waste
basket and salvased. bit by bit. the torn
manuscript. asserting the remnants on
the table of his assistant who looked
on uneasily. The silence was oppres-
sive as the editor slowly cryptograme1
his way through the scraWl.
Where did this come from?' he
asked at last.
oh, that replies the assistant.
visibly perturbed. fearing that he had
somehow made a mistake. which in
deed was the case. It's from some
old duffer out in the country. He sends
a letter every week, but he doesn't know
how to spell and has the most clement
AIRY ideas about grammar"
, This simply reeks of the soil. my boy.
We can supply grammar in the office.
and there are several dictionaries. Just
paste these pieces together and bring
them to me-
, He has never given lis name and
address. but merely signs himself
Pathfinder rajoined the assistant,
anxious to exculDate himself by quot
ing a rigid rule. not to be broken III a
well-resulated newspaper Office.
That's ali right. 1 want 20 see any
thing else this man sends in" and John
Stobcross went to his own room, for
getting his request of the match. Tn
thinking people called Stobcross lucky,
but he was merely a person who knew
a good thing when he saw it, most
valuable quality in an editor.
From that time on the Pathfinder"
articles appeared nearly every week in
the Forest and Field. their instantana-
Gus success more than justifying the
Judgment of the editor. They We're quot
ed by many journals, letters of admiral
ton were written to the office about,
them from various parts of rhe world
and finally Il noted publisher asked per
mission to collect The stories and issue
II ~ book FORM.
john Stobcross was not the man to
let such a volume slip through his fin.
gers into the hands of any other pub
Usher. The newspaper got out books
On its own account, and The Forest and
Field library is too we'll known to need
any praise at this late day But the
mysterious contributor retained that
anonymity which had so deeply offended
1,n sci, IN, yI>,-.
was most unusual. for the Forest ana
'ield paid handsomely when contribu-
lion pleased it, and there never before
had been an instance where an author
has considered himself unworthy Of his
hire. Stnbcross was not going to ad-
init to any one that he knew nothing
Of the celebrated correspondent. There
was ample money due the "Pathfindar"
f h would but call for it. still this
does not usually keep an editor awake
nights: but by and by the question of
book rights came up, and it was iinpor-
can't to find the man behind the nom de
Srarre.
OF course, technically. the office could
publish the book, for the articles had
been copyrighted in the name of the
sheet. and the author might find diff
Guilty in establishing any legal claim
still the Forest and Field was an hon
est trader. and wished to have its deal
ingS done in proper form.
II was impossible to advertise bold
1y for the unknown man; that would
be tantamount to making public the
secret of the dilemma. 1t would not do
to print an announcement under the
head of Missing" Stolen or strayed
valuable contributor. Answers to the
name of Pathfinder Any person re-
turning same to the Office of Forest and
Field win be suitably rewarded
Nevertheless Stobcross did something
very similar. He printed a note at the
end of one of the articles which ran,
"Will Pathfinder kindly ccmmunicat t.
with X. Y. T.. Box 49, office of flores
and Field London, E. c." But Path
finder, unkindiy did nothing of tn,
kind, and so StobcroSs published tina
celebrated volume "And Pastures New.
without the authors permission.
Vhe, book was warmly welcomed an,