The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-08-28
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF A MANUSCRIPT.


a literary way. a1d | was turned over
j 10 him by my mothers mother 20 be
looked over. lie took me 70 bis study
aud sat down with me. FIRST sharpen
4 ing his pencil with which 90 cut me in
pieces, for heard him say fiat my
mother knew nothing about writing
and he supposed "ihe thing was full
( OF Rhetorical blunders" when lie be.
! gan to read me he wore bored look,
but hc had read but one paragraphs
/ before his expression changed. As he
read on he forgot who had written me.
and when he had iinisllcd he ex-
claimed:
Ky thundcrr'
Then he called my mother aud her
mother into his study aud asked my
mother:
where dill you learn to write Eng
lish corrcctly|
"At school"
"school be hanged. There's some
thing else here that You didn't learn
at all. Il was born in you. Send your
story out Just as It Is. II Il Is appre-
ciatcd It viii he accepted. but l don't
i
to YOU and keep coming lack"
They took me away, and the mother
said 10 The daughter: "Nour uncle IL
sore because all his own manuscripts
come back to him. Don't you believe
him, my dear Your story will be ac
copied. and you Will get good price
for IT,"
The next day | was sent TO the Globe
Publishing company. ! was tnrned
over TO young fellow they called 4
wecdcr He looked over the manu-
scripts which came IN the mornings
mail and oui df tae lot picked one.
heard him mention the authors name.
I had heard II often before The rcst
OF US were put in envelopes with
printed slips with the editors nnms,sj
them. raging few very nice things
ard thanking Our parents for sending
Us In. Then we were put away for
awhile aud when It was convenient
were sent back TO where we came
from
When my poor little mother saw by
the bulk Of the package that | had
been returned 70 her the tears started
IN her eyes Her uncle said: Il told
YOU so | don't helies. they read n
line Of II. However, know Simpson
& Co. dheyve turned down a lot OF
my work. but perhaps they'll read this
II ! make a personal request Let me
have II tomorrow"
The nest day he took me 10 Simpson
& Go. aud had a long talk about me
with the editor. who was very polite
aud promised to give me his especial
attention. After my mothers uncle
had gone away the editor tossed me TO
weary looking man sitting at a desk
covered WITH manuscripts and said.
! Read that"
II WAS two weeks before the tired
looking man took me up In my turn.
then ran over twenty pages Of me In
as may seconds ana wrote on my
wrapper Declined" And 80 I was
, sent back again 70 my mother. who
had hoped that her uncles personal ef-
! fort would insure success. She was
, .ishrly Hs much disappointed as at first.
And so / continued 10 20 froth one
publishing house TO another without
. acceptance. Finally attracted the at
!, ientlon Of an intellectual looking cdi-
tor, who wrote this criticism:
II ve wore looking for literature
WoGld recommend the publication of this
bou.t lut as we ure looking for best
sellers / would decline #.
However. my mother got nothing
but The printed slip when ! was re-
turned, though It was couched In just
as polite terms as the Grst.
Meanwhile publisher told my moth
or that she would better write some
thing startling" trhe erotlc. he
said. So Innocent was SHE that she
though. he said crratlc. She went TO
, work and turned oUt my brother.
! Poor boy. He was deformed IN frame
and Intellect from birth Mother was
very much ashamed Of him and
wouldn't acknowledge him by publish
ing him under her own name. But he
was published under a nom de plume
qnd proved second best seller
Ny mother continued 10 give me all
her affection Notwithstanding the fact
that my brother made so much money
for her She vas DOW deluged with
requests FOR something from her gift
ed pen" She sent me out once more,
and | was accepted at once, but she
refused 10 permit my publication un-
der The name which had been append
ell 10 my crazy brother The publish
ers would not issue me unless she con-
seniei to this. They offered her a
large sum with that name 70 the. but
she was obdurate, and SO I was Obliged
10 remain Ia obscurity.
Mother would write nothing more.
ard al last, not making any money.
which She needed she wrote the pub
Usher who had wanted me that he
could have me TO publish under her
fictitious name. He wrote her IN reply
that tee public had forgotten her for
mer book, that the character Of all
fiction had changed and that II he
were % publish me under any name
whatever he couldn't sell a thousand
copies. lie added Your hrst effort
could only have been sold as by the