The San Francisco call., 1908-08-30
: I TOOK a PLAgE,22 2ocp %
ADDPE SSINL WRARPEES

Gramercy square NOT rar from that. 1t
was splendid locality, and / felt
quite at home roaming over the streets
l had read about l didn't mind the
small hall bedroom after while. for 1t
begin to look quite honey with my
souvenirs and photographs about. I
read a good deal. for I could get all the
books wanted from the Young wom-
ans Christian association library,
around the corner.
Perhaps this doesn't sound interest
ing to you. but 1t was extremely so to
me. You see I had never been exactly
my own mistress before and the novelty
time. 1 amused myself for few days
seeing New York by myself and went
to Central park and the museum and
the Battery and other places the tour
lists don't include in their itineraries.
1 picked up an acquaintance here and
there. a ragged child, a nurse maid
taking her blue blooded charges for an
airing, my waitress-for / kept to my
restaurant and liked 1t. You could get
blue points there for a ridiculously
small price, nice steaks and chops and
butter cakes. 1 used to see full grown
men. dining off butter cakes, helping
out with pickles and such things. 1
felt sorry for them. imagining them
out Of workers. Think of your brother
dining on butter cakes One day I
missed my waitress and was told she
was at the hospital having an opera.
ton. II was two weeks before she re.
turned to work, and she said she reall,
could not spare all that time she had
spent on doctoring. She was a married
woman and her husband made such
poor wages she had to work to help
out. She was a genuine case for chari-
ty, but no one would ever have be-
lieved it, for she always dressed neatly
and had nothing OF the poor look
about her
Now have often thought that slum
workers never get really next to the
people they want to benefit. To get
acquainted, to know the people and
how to help them you must go and live
with them and be of them Marie Van
Worst did that; she wrote of the fac
tory child as she knews it, but l know
lot of good. charitable rich people in
New York who wouldn't believe me
when l told of poor proud folks I'd
met, not beggars, but deserving poor
Perhaps it is their wealth that makes
them hold aloof from those who do not
ask for aid. To me it seemed a selfish
lack of sympathy
Il had $50 when l hit Gotham so
decided I'd wait awhile before | tied
myself down to a, desk job l did visit
four editors of big aailies, and they
were most affable, but none seemed at
that particular moment in need of the
services OF "A brilliant beauty from the
west. l had detective story tnat
just knew would lind a market. and
the manuscript Of novel that could
not fail to make publishers mad 70
publish it, l took the former to a
publishing house that makes a sne-
cialty or such matter, but at first the
Office boy would not even take the
story in his hand for fear it might
~~A'it MS ooSs 10 something He
wouldn't let me see the manager-oh.
dear. no-but L told him he'd better
take it to him and save me the stamps.
for I'd mail 1t anyway. / thrust ii
into his reluctant hand and fled.
Il tried my great American novel on
a firm and had great hopes of its ac-
ceptance, for it is. l know, better than
iots OF their output. 1t was still at
their Office when l took train for home.
L got it back yesterday They regret
ted having kept it so long; l duplicated
their regret. The detective story came
back with the usual polite note oh,
they are tremendously polite, those
New York publishers and editors. /
thought the thing might have better
chance If ! got some illustrations, so
passed 1t over to a little artist to whom
a friend had given me an introduction.
l also left with him two OF my choic-
est love stories. / have never seen
him or the stories since 1t seems he
went on a little bat one day, was fired
from his paper and went nobody knew
where-to Chicago. they thought.
The Refusal Courteous
The height of courtesy was reached
by one editor who sent back manu-
script by one of his assistants. He
asked for me by name, and 1 few
downstairs. of course thinking zoma-