Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-11-11

of me since then, but nothing which
ever gave me such a sense Of being
a superior being as that. To look like
a city girl!-wh'at joy! Yet l had
never seen a city girl then, | am sure.
Her First Triumph.
During my thirteenth year the New
| York Mercury ceased to come to us. /
missed it's weekly visits with an inten-
| sity scarcely to be understood by one
! who has not known the same lonely
! surroundings and possessed the same
| temperament There was not money
enough floating about in those times
| to permit a subscription to the Mer-
curry, and if / were to possess it
knew | must either obtain long list
of subscribers, which would be diff
fcult and laborious Undertaking, or
| earn it by my pen.
| resolved to try. But, fearing fall
ure, 1 did not want the family to
know of ny venture. l wrote two es-
says-just what the subjects were |
have forgotten and the clippings were
lost years since, regret to say How
to post my letter was the next ques-
ion. | often acted as mail-carrier to
i the postoff1ce, five miles distant, riding
across fields and over fences on my
graceful single-footer, Kitty, in COM
pany with a schoolmate, Alice Ellis,
who possessed a Shetland pony. We
rode without saddles, blanketing and
bridling our own steeds-and it is
| fortunate did not live in Buffalo Bills
vicinity or my career might have ter
minated in the wild west show
While I could post letter unknown
to my family, the stamp had first to
be obtained. Finally l decided on a
stratagem. ] was corresponding with
young girl, several years my senior,
who was in the freshman class at Mad
| ison university. I confided in her,
inclosed the Mercury letter and as
sured her she would be reimbursed for
the stamp when we next met. | would
save my pennies for that purpose.
Jean posted my letter and watched
the newsstand for results. Two months
later, long after had relinquished all
| hope, she wrote me that my essays
had appeared; whereupon wrote a
stern reproof to the editor for not
sending me the paper, Eat least, as pay
for my work" if he could afford no
other remuneration. Shortly after
ward large package of back numbers
of the New York Mercury came adj
dressed to me through the country
postoff1ce.
Even at that immature period [ had
a wooer-a young man past voting age,
possessed of mustache, tenor voice
and no visible means Of support. He
played the violin and sang This Night
or Never My Bride Thou Shalt Be in
truly fascinating manner. He had
been given to understand by the family
that his room was preferable to his
company, however, and had ceased to
call. When the enormous roll of news
papers direct from the editors Office
came to me a stern senior member
of the household at once concluded
that the lovelorn swain had subscribed
to win new favor in my eyes. This ac-
cusation was made before | was ques-
toned on the subject. Perhaps the
most triumphant and dramatic hour
of my life was when I stepped forth
in short skirts and long ringlets, and
announced to the family that not my
would-be lover, but my literary work,
had procured the coveted Mercury for
our united enjoyment
The world seemed to grow larger
4 nE,,J
hour I was then IA.
Prizes for Contributions.
wrote to Jean and asked her to
send me a list of all the weeklies and
monthlies she could find in the book
stands, and to each and every one l.
sent essays, stories and poems with
enthusiasm and persistency. Every
penny was saved for postage and the
family entered into my ambitions with
faith in my success.
soon filled the house with all the
periodicals we had time to read, and
in addition the editors sent me books
and pictures and bric-a-brac and table
ware-articles from their prize lists,
which were more precious than gems
would have been to me. They served
| to relieve the bare and commonplace
aspect of the home, and the happiness
[ felt in earning these things with my
| pen is beyond words to describe. 1t is
curious incident that the first bit of
siIverware which came into the home
was manufactured by the house with
which the man whose name | am for
tunate in bearing today was afterward
associated.
The very first verses / sent for pub
LEGATION were numerically ''guyed'' by
my beloved Mercury. The editor urged
me to keep to prose and to avoid any
| further attempts at rhyme. He said
that, while this criticism would wound
me temporarily, it would eventually
confer a favor on me and the world
at large
l recall only two stanzas of that I'M
fortunate poem. 1t related the woes Of
lovelorn maiden, and described her
as