New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-20
THE PATH TO FAME.
On Object Lesson for the Young
Historical R0mancer.

prefers TO begin work the salient features OF i'S
diet the number Of copies sold Of ms last
masterpiece, and the number Of days lkeN ~
elarse before he gives another one TO waiting
world On the other hand. he never seems VIII
ing 10 tell inquirers just how he does the trlch
-Perhaps he fears that fl he were TO snow any
o,a how very Siropl> the trick is competition
would grow really annoying and his occupau"''
would he gone At all events. II has been lei' :"
an ANONYMOUS contributor TO blach"ooo
Magazine" TO set forth, in series OF Letters u
= Literary Aspirant" what he calls AN an
ator1v of art" or as might express H. lhe
art and mystery of writing novels OF any k'hu
and winning thereby both fame and fortune
F5e represents these letters as passing from III
uncle TO his nephew. Ia the first of the series
The alntahIe old gentleman deals with genera
ideas They are All sound, but 1t is when the
,,rcla masses from precept to example that he
becomes most interesting
Suppose" he says. 'yoU select as your orls-
jnal idea the fascinating notion of young man
who shall come into his own or somebody else
--;v,,o,,,- after many hairbreadth adventures
thinning on his way q beautiful wife. though
oz,-;ng TO her excess OF maidenly Innocence ne
shall not at first perceive that she reciprocateS
his affection" This. the nephew Is reminded Is
called the Inspiration. Make the perlou Suie
epocb in history when stirring events "oulo
naturally be imagined by your reader 10 occur
and 10 convey an even liveher glamour OF eal-
lantry. let the scene be France, as has been SO
f,sbionable az late" We ale then vOuchsafed
1,erfect example Of the way In which bne 'hiils
s sone. the accommodating uncle in'erspersins
IN brackets certain notes on the general man
.,o-,er+ NJ the mechanism involved. Nothing
could he more eloquent, more suggestive Noth-
s,r could show the young author more clearly
the path 10 fame. This model historical TO-
nance follows intact;
:, ~ the springtime of l346-the last
r1,-ee figures being sposable-uPon 10
hereafter printed indehby upon m! N 49,
rba+ +he due summoned ne to MS ante-clalIi
- As ,assed down the long passage leaoIile
fror, me hattlement TO the ar1nofy eaN
through q creVice in the Nenerable StoIeo ~
leefing glimpse OF white clouds, blue river T ;
green fields that uplifted my boyish heaFI inc
Bordeaux wine - -,;-o folds
mai depressed etc, ike a Bordeaux pigeon;
the xr7oie tone is given IN this meteorologlcaI
sentence, while the slliie is tntentiona'iS
French IN either case.
M Ie Due is strange this morning" said
Pierre ..,o.z MART
-7oen1s as he had guarded my grandfather
before him in the Wars Of the Jacquerle anu
League. -, 49,. nav
Note how the relationships of all these per per
sons and The precise period of history are neatIy
indicated III one brief sentence IheIe ls ~
I1ausing over uninteresting performances IN ~
How sou 1 asked. ,.r "a
He has not called for his chocolate re-
soonded the crizzled henchman-
|Trais is subtle. 'I have noticed stream OF
blood flowing under the door, would be the oo-
yious retort- II would indicate an amateur
drew aside the curtain and entered. ana
,ber l paused in uncertainty how TO proceed.
Instead Of the customary "Parbleu, [Anauoie'
,,ous ates roujours"' with which my uncle Wei
coined ne on the rare occasions on Whlcn %aS
e.1TnT0oned 70 his presence. 1 heard nothing but
Of the
the tap-tapping Of ivy leaves upon the "lhuo"
zane. =, a,,-,,,
Mon uncle lie Due. Je suis here: Where
ann there was no need to ask With dag
ger driven hard into his heart. the Due Raoul
Saint Crist6phe de la Mangerie- RochVallenclele
law stark upon the floor OF his boudor.
Even in death ne looked what indeed he was
a great noble1nan Of France; and then and there
! ain!,ed my young fingers IL his blood ana
vowed that II !, Aaatole Jean de la Mangerle-
T5chvanenciene. were given life and strength,
his murderer would some day lie even as ne lay
This terrible threat becomes even more Ter
rible by its sligbt-and Observation-Disclosures
ness. .,,.z,
Let not the assassin escape" l screamed Win
all the strength Of my youthful lungs.
was answered by light girlish laugh
Monsieur Is very much in earnest, salo a
soft voice behind me.
I turned as though l had been struck. and
.bere in that chamher which the moment be
fore had held only the dead and myself stood a
fair and slender figure cToWned with an aureole
II golden hair: and ! found myself looking INTO
pair Of eyes " hose singular spell held me star
ing ike a country BOBBY while YOU could have
counted twenty.
characteristic OF the modern romantic hero
See David Ralfour and al his variations
1IalenoiseIIe OF I stammered-
,'Vonefellr9~ she smiled
= am unable I began. with all the dignity
I could muster. Ito account for this
'gn;rUsion?" she inquired
7 cd viii
worthy thought to myself Of De ia Mangerie-
R0chyalenci6-e-
lin fact II is quite unnecessary 10 account Tor
it at all: for IN this branch OF art the incidents
need merely be picturesque n themselves and
follow 50 closely Al the heels Of one another az
leave no time for criticism shaA give al
instance OF this now
Ter Ii2s parted 10 answer me- d smile was
beginning 10 gather in the dimples OF her cheeks.
when a strange thing happened The color SUD
denly flew from her face, leaving II "hlte as Ie
paIlid duo upon the carpet and into her lovely
eyes rushed eNoression of terror that after
al these years haUnts me still.
Quickly following their frozen glance l turned
inv head, and there. seen for an instant through
the oriel window, 7 heheld the face of-the Duo
&c L Raoul Saint Cristtphe de Ia Manger1t-
Roc hVaIl auCIenc-
IBy shis neat trick attention is diverted from,
the mysterious enJVv Of the lady-which might
he difticUlt explain without some constructive
care; and II YOU waste time on this you may
miss your market
We viii suppose that readers have
been hurried through seventeen eighteen
similar episodes; that the lady is still partly
wrapped In obscuri:y. though her name is dis
covered TO be Antoi0ette Enaspic de Cotolette,
and herself the high spirited representative Of
q rival and much injured house; that the mys
rprv Of the two dues has merely thiCkened: that
a wicked rChhshop and designing count have
appeared on the scene and finally that our hero
has come 70 Paris for reasons which have been
evaded by a similar device to that described
above Let Us now assume we are at Chapter
% and let US do the Earl Court Exhibition
old Pa ris-street scene so popular with deyouT-
ers Of these rornances-l
The landlord conducted me up stairs intermina-