The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-21
AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF A MANUSCRIPT.
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I was born when my mother was
nineteen years old Her uncle, a mid
die aged man. had done something In
literary way, and l was turned over
to him by my mothers mother to be
looked over. He took me to his study
and sat down with me, first sharpen
ing his pencil with which to cut me in
pieces, for / heard him say that my
mother knew nothing about writing
and he supposed 'the thing was full
of rhetorical blunders." When he be-
gan to read me he wore bored look,
but he had read but one paragraph
before his expression changed. As he
read on he forgot who had written me,
and when he had finished he ex-
claimed:
"By thunderp'
Then he called my mother and her
mother into his study and asked my
mother:
Where did you learn to write Eng
lish correctlyW
"At school"
"School be hanged! There's some
thing else here that you didn't learn
at all. 1t was born in you. Send your
story out just as 1t is. If 1t Is appre-
ciated it viii be accepted but l don't
believe it viii be. 1t will come back
to you and keep coming back"
They took me away, and the mother
said TO the daughter: "Your uncle is
sore because all his own manuscripts
come back TO him. Don't you believe
him, my dear Your story will be ac-
cepted, and you will get good price
for It,"
The next day / was sent TO the Globe
Publishing company. | was turned
over TO young fellow they called
weeder. lie looked over the manu-
scripts which came in the mornings
mail and out of the lot picked one. l
heard him mention the authors name.
| had heard It often before. The rest
OF us were put in envelopes with
printed slips with the EDITORS name TO
them, saying few very nice things
and thanking our parents for sending
us In. Then we were put away for
awhile and when II 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 TO her the tears started
In her eyes. Her uncle said: ~ told
you so. don't believe they read a
line of 1t. However, | know Simpson
S Co. They've turned down a lot OF
my work, but perhaps they'll read this
II l make a personal request. Let me
have 1t tomorrow"
The next day he took me to Simpson
&c Co. and had long talk about me
with the editor, who was very polite
and promised to give me his especial
| attention. After my mothers uncle
had gone away the editor tossed me to
4 weary looking man sitting at a desk
covered with manuscripts and said:
"Read that"
1t was two weeks before the tired
/ looking man took me up in my turn,
then ran over twenty pages of me in
as many seconds and wrote on my
wrapper Declined" And so was
sent back again to my mother, who
had hoped that her uncle's personal eff
| fort would insure success. She was
nearly as much disappointed as at first
And so | continued TO go from one
| publishing house TO another without
acceptance. Finally attracted the at
tention of an intellectual looking edi-
tor, who wrote this criticism:
| II we were looking for literature I
would recommend the publication OF this
book. But as we are looking for "best
sellers l would decline II.
! However, my mother got nothing
but the printed slip when l was re-
turned, though 1t was couched in just
as polite terms as the first.
Meanwhile a publisher told my moth
er that she would better write some
/ thing 'startling"-a tritie erotic, he
said. So innocent was she that she
thought he said erratlc. She went to
work and turned out my brother.
Poor hoy! He was deformed in frame
| and intellect from birth. Mother was
! very much ashamed of him and
I wouldn't acknowledge him by publish
Ing him under heI own name. But he
was published under a nom de plume
ana proved n second best seller.
My mother continued to give me all
her affection Notwithstanding the fact
that my brother made so much money
for her, She was now deluged with
requests for something from her gift
ed pen" She sent me out once more,
and | was accepted at once, but she
refused to permit my publication un-
der the name which had been append
ed TO my crazy brother. The publish
ers would not issue me unless she con-
sented TO this. They offered her u
large sum with that name TO me, but
she was obdurate, and so was obliged
TO remain in obscurity.
Mother would write nothing more,
and at 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 the public had forgotten her for
rner book, that the character, of all
fiction had changed and that If he
were to publish me under any name