Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-11-03
{ A Literary Career
IOriginal.1


Buckley were on the editorial staff OF
the same newspaper, and both took a
hand in outside literary work Buckley.
unlike Dwight, was constantly studying
what publishers wanted, not what he
wanted to give them. At the time there
was a craze among them for what they
called "real life." but the real life they
gave seemed to emanate from people
who talked slang and had not had
much schooling. Buckley went in for
this class of literature.
For twenty years Dwight peddled
his original performances among pub
fishers, only to be laughed at. Then
he tried his hand at the commonplace.
But somehow he couldn't make his
characters talk quite like real horse
jockeys and housemaids and athletes,
and his efforts In this direction were
also failure. At last, worn out with
repeated disappointment, he fell Ill.
Meanwhile Grace Baxter, who had
promised to marry the literary failure
when he had been successfully launch
ed on literary career-he wouldn't be
married till he had made some success
went to see him. Finding that some
thing must be done to lift him out of
the slough Of despond, she took one
Of his old manuscripts to her aunt,
rich old lady with a kindly heart, with
whom she conspired to make her lover
believe that she had found publish
er for the story. Then she went back
to the invalid with the welcome news.
Dwight got better, but soon began 70
worry about the delay In the rublica-
ton.
So the aunt furnished a few hun
dred dollars for the pilates" and few
printed copies. Then Grace succeeded
by giving third rate publisher the
printing job In getting his imprint"
on the title page and thus found
distributor.
The day Dwight saw his book In
print he sat up for the first time In
six months. But he at once began to
worry about the criticisms. So his de-
voted sweetheart, aided by her aunt,
ordered hundred copies printed and
sent them to the critics. But those
who noticed the book at all either dis
missed It with contempt or made fun
Of It. Grace was In despair. As each
new criticism appeared she looked
anxiously for something that she could
show the sick man. At last her eye
lit on the following:
The author Of 1.-THE Tall House on the
Low Hill" has struck a new vein Of hu-
NOR. Indeed, 1t Is a creation, but 1t will
be long before It will be appreciated by
the reading public. for one who steps
into untrodden paths, whether 1t be liter
allure. science or art must wait until his
audiences eyesight becomes accustomed
to the new light.
AS soon as Grace saw this comment
she hurried with it to her lover. She
found him in despair. He had sur
reptitiously sent out to a collector of
newspaper clippings for criticisms, and,
excepting the one Grace bore, they
were all before him. She read the ia
vorable words to him with as trium
plant an air as she could assume
That criticism was the turning point
with the patient The one medicine
he needed had been found. In a hun
dred critics there was but one whose
analytic brain, or power Of apprecia-
ton or discrimination, had enabled
him to strike the keynote of its real
value. Dwight got out Of bed and
took personal charge Of pushing his
book. But the unwelcome fact men
toned by his critic that he must wait
for an audience proved to be true
1.-THE Tall House on the Low HIP was
pronounced the work of a lunatic by
most readers, though a few caught
on" to its subtle humor. The encomi.
ums Of these were a source of wonder
to the many. and disputes as to what
the author meant grew more and more
frequent
Nevertheless the book was a financial
failure. But Dwight had several such
performances in his attic and persuad-
ed the publisher who had kindly lent
his imprint to the first to undertake q
second at his own expense. Dwight
did not know that Grace Bakers aunt
had sent the firm a check for $500 to
cover the risk.
The second book, "Mr. Barnickel,"
captured the few persons who had seen
the drift Of the first, and great many
more. But people who appreciated
neither Of them wondered that any pub
Usher could be found to publish such
rot. Meanwhile the audience was
widening. In 'Mr. Barnickel' was a
small profit to author and publisher.
Dwight continued to brush the dust
from his manuscripts, and under such
slight encouragement to write others
"AIr. Barnickel" attracted sufficient at.
tention to warrant the editor Of a
struggling magazine to publish the
third story. -Four and Twenty Black.
birds Baked In a Pie" before it was
issued In book form. By this time so
many persons enjoyed the authors pc
culiar humor that those who did not
pretended they did. The pickering
fame Of appreciation burst into a con-
flagration. The name of Willoughby
Dwight was on every ones tongue His