The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-08-28
A Literary Career
Lorlglnall


he and others We're accustomed, but
took great interest In creating new
things Both Dwight and his friend
Buckley were on the editorial STAFF OF
the same newspaper and both took
hand IN outside literary work Buckley
unlike Dwight WAS constantly studying
what publishers wanted, not what he
wanted to give them. Al the time there
was \ craze among them for what they
called real life but the real life they
gave seemed to emanate from people
who talked slang aud had not had
much schooling, Buckley went in for
this class OF literature.
For twenty years Dwight p"ddled
his original performances anong pub
fishers. only 10 be laughed ut. Then
he tried bis hand nj the commonplace.
But somehow he couldn't make his
characters talk quite like real horse
Jockeys aud housemads anu athletes,
and his efforts in This direction were
also failure. At last. worn ont 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 tn lie had made some suc"ca.
went to see him Finding tllat soue
thing must he done TO lifl him out Of
the slough Of dc>pond, she took one
of his old manuscripts to her aunt, .
rich old lady with kindly heart, With
whom she consplred TO make her lover
believe that she had found publish
err for the story Then she went back
to the invalid with the welcome news.
Dwight got better, but soon began TO
worry about the delay in the puDica
ton.
SO the aunt furnished few hun
bred dollars for the plates and few
printed copies. Then Grace succeeded
by giving n third rate publisher the
printing job in getting his imprint"
on the title page snd thus found &
distributor
The day Dwight saw his book IL
print he sat up for the first time ID
six months. But he at once began t.
worry about the criticisms, SO his d.
voted sweetheart aided by her aun;
ordered a hundred copies printed and
sent them TO the critics. But those
who noticed the book at all either dis
missed II with contempt or made fan
OF it, Grace was in despair. As each
new criticism appeared She looked
anxously for something that she could
show the sick man. AT last her eye
lit on the following:
The author Of "The Tall House on the
Low I'M" has struck Il new vein Of hu-
NOR Indeed ii Is a creation. bet it VIII
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 Hntil his
audiences cyeelght becomes accustomed
to the ne, light
As soon rs Grace saw this comment
she hurried With II to her lover. She
found him ia despair. He had sur
reptllousiy sent out 10 Il collector Of
newspaper clippings for criticisms, and,
excepting the one Grace bore, they
were all before him. She read the fa
vorJblc words to him with rs triun-
plant an air as size could assume.
That criticism was the turning point
with the patient The one medicine
he needed had been found In hun
dred critics there was but one whose
analytic brain. or power of apprecia-
ton or discrimination. had cnablcd
him 20 strike the keynote OF It's 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
The Tail House on the Low Hill'' was
pronounced the work OF lunatic by
most readers, though few caught
on" f. It's subtle humor. The encomi-
umS of these were n source Of wonder
10 the many, and disputes as 10 what
the author meant grew more and more
frequent
Nevertheless tho book was financial
failure But Dwight had several such
performances in his attic and persu1d-
oil the publisher who had kindly lent
his imprint 10 the first to undertake n
second AT his own expense Dwight
did not know that Grace Bakers aunt
had sent the firm check for $500 to
cover the risk.
The second book. mfr. Barnickel. -
captured the few persons who had seen
the drift of The first. and "a great many
more But people who appreciated
neither Of them wondered that any pub
Usher could be found 10 publish such
rot. Meanwhile t1c audience was
widening Ina mr.. BarnickeI" WAS q
small profit TO author and publisher
Dwight continued 10 brush the dust
from his manuscripts. and under such
slight encoura cement to write others
Mr.. BarnickeI" attracted sufficient at
tcntiOn 10 warrant the editor Of 4
struggling magazine to publish the
third story. -Four and Twenty Black
birds Baked in Tic" before 1t was
issued I'm book form. Rv this time 50
many persons enjoyed the authors pc
cuiiar humor that those Eho did not
pretended they did. The fickering
fame Of appreciation burst into con