Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-10

ffty-two weeks at $25 a week is $780, and had
good deal Of outside work
AS have been asked hundreds of times why came
New York want to say that the idea did not orig
nate with me, but nstilled into my mind by well
meaning friends who said:-"Why on earth don't you
go to New York; The suggestion enough. My
ambition fed it. my imagination built upon it. and
But wish to call attention to the fact that
here was deliberate cleavage accomplished without
my active desire.
Apparently no venture could have been more favor
able, for my paper agreed to take a years weekly
letters, for which I got $50 per month"; and with
twenty-five letters of introduction and million
suggestions as to where to live and what to do ar
rived here, not knowing human being save the
newspaper man from home who met me. forgot to
say that just before left man whom knew and
liked very well-a widower-asked me to marry him.
/ had known all along that he going to do It, but
l managed to smooth it over for him, and he mar
ried another We have always remained
friends He is financially prosperous and would have
given me good home.
1 had already acquired the hotel habit, tooN
room at good hotel at rate of So a week. on the
European plan and remained there for year. That
first year, although it is true that did good deal
of work, it is also true that had such good time
with my dinner and theatre invitations and the gen.
l.
to work with my usual unremitting industry. No
staff openings available, but it was the fruit
full era of the woman's page and as I began to sell
short fiction stories to the syndicates got along very
we'll have not at hand single figure to quote
rectly as to my income, but remember that from
time to time saw that was making about fifty per
cent more than had formerly made yet many times
that faithful little $50 check was all there was in
sight 1 know that didn't realize how much
that check meant to The spectre of uncertainty
did not yet stalk by my side and haunt my dreams
At the end o. year my letters to the home paper
ended. My newspaper friend, now holding respon-
sibe position had sent for his sister, splendid cook
and housekeeper, and we went up in the eighties
and took apartment The plan worked to a charm
for three years. Ny share was SIP a week. We
lived well and got along without sign Of friction
Now there dawned three very busy years worked
industriously and began to the field in a gen
eral way wrote verses short stories and several
and three part stories and serials, had number of
assignments for Sunday issues, did some club and
department work, got interviews, became somewhat
familiar with the east SIDE wrote number of little
prose sketches and for about year contributed with
less regularity to the funny page" Of an
evening paper.
I would give good deal to know exactly what I
earned. can only set down approximately what I
remember. For a lot Of newspaper stuff got the
regular space rates. from So to SO column and
for specials" Sunday otherwise $50 SIS
story. The evening paper paid me well for my non
stuff, and asked for than could possibly
write. l got general rate of about SIS column
but time and again pleasantly surprised at the
cashiers window by more than had expected. Syn
dicates and magazines paid rate of about cent
word for short fiction STORIES so got from SO to
$50 $50 for those but if 1 could please editor
with special story written ito order" ION ap-
prevail" got more, and so developed aptitude
for Christmas, New Years, Easter Thanksgiving and
Fourth of July stories, and don't mind saying that
it was as hard work 1 did.
And now as I am even more willing to tell Of my
mistakes than Of my success l wish to point out
here that in this apparent success lay unsupported
all the germs of future discomfort and Of limitations
that later, seemed to spring hydra-headed from
every 1t the uncertainty of the income
that began to get in its evil work Sometimes /
earned from SIS to 500 in week, again only $50,
again only $685. sometimes nothing at all. Imme-
diately connected with this my first experience
in having my work refused, and disappointment,
chagrin, the intense resentment of mortified ambi-
ton and the bitterness of Inundated pride all COM
bined to set up new mental attitude within
| kept my counsel pretty closely, laughed
most of it down, and lied about the rest to my
friends and associates that they suspected moth
ing. The conditions peculiar to free lancing are
especially conducive to lying and living life Of
deceit. For instance three or four magazines Of
any given month might contain some of my work
This looked very prosperous, yet, as all of it had
been paid for on acceptance, 1 might be penniess,
or very nearly so, when my stories appeared. Then
invariably ran across end of people who would
say:-"My, but you're coming along fast Getting
rich, aren't you? Oh, how you must enjoy being
a clever, independent womanw
This the beginning of ''blufling" 1t was easy
at first. Also, 1 began to do fool things with my
money. One cannot have friends and go around
without doing something in return, and to do some
thing, a little, costs in New York A little
luncheon little dinner at swell restaurant or
hotel requires real money, and the occasional cab
and the sometimes play, the thousand and one ways
in which one may spend money here, took many
weeks income. Then lively hustle to catch up