The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-08

THE TROUBLES OF AUTHORS

Even successful authors. It seems.
have troubles. General Charles King.
the soldier-author. whose
terary "reminiscences VIII be found
in the November L~ippincott's. certain
" had his. one Of his most unpl1as-
ant experiences was with a p hlisher
who has since failed. The General
had emerged from his retirement To
take command OF a brigade during
the war with Spain.
shortly after reaching Manila"
he avs there came a big clipping
from the New York Tribune. with a
portrait. and tremendously menda-
cious stories of deeds of physical
proves n the Civil War. such as car
rying a wounded officer a mile and a
half under heavy fire, he weighing
two hundred pounds. This was ac-
companied by announcement that the
heroic p~ersona"e described was now
engaged in writing a novel for his
new publisher. The clipping came
from Number Four himself, with the
statement that he had been instru-
mental in its insertion. 1t was six
weeks coming. My answer ~repudiat-
ing the whole thing was like 4 time
in getting back. So over two months
elapsed between Number Four's first
and second letters on the subject.
quite time enough to enable him to
forget the first.
In 81 officers Of the army serving
on the staff of the Grand Marshal IT
the inauguration parade wore full
dress uniform, with q broad white
silken shoulder sash. Camera fiends
had caught many of them. and a
home photographer bed asked me for
2 sitting for q certain As
luck would have it, Nu41her Four
soon thereafter came rf9n one or
the resultant p~hntngrarfs and in
etantly wrote his desire to use n m
the next book. It was promptly de-
MED. He persisted. One Of his rep
resentatives even came out to arrue
The matter, but he was positively for
hidden to use II for any such purpose.
yet. the first things I saw on
reaching San Francisco were scores
/ OF Prints from that very PHOTOGRAPH
on my persistent publishers adVer-
fisinp DODGERS During nv absence
| he had sent an agent 70 the photo
rrarher on the plea that ne was
bringing out 2 souvenir volume am
| asking for al photographs that he
| had Of the author. There was no time
TO write. he explained: the photo
graphs were needed at once. and the
photcrrapher fell into the trap. The
mischief was done before 7 knew it.
Number Four was much aggrieved
hen ordered to surrender that plate.
He promised compliance. but when
the EXPRESS rackaee reached the Of
Gee it contained every plate hrt that.
He a retained Il long enough TO
have coricd It. so that when the boo
came forth the following month-the
lost book Of mine he eVnr published
it was enhellished with the f0rbfH-
don photograph and scattered by
thousands all over the land. So. too.
! hy that tina were manv thousands IT
| the few others 7 had been foolish
l=~- III "a nfj-
| flows selling e~vervwhere for thirty
| cents or 90 and spoilinr the market
! for their hettArs. Though Il cost me
much more than 2 wears pay, md
! cona lust rs the notes fell due and I
WIS CHOOSING nv cabin for the now
lonq-lnoke3-for vova"e and another
reeD at tho now l~0n~-aheAnt fanny,
7 read without snrn~i~e End almost
| with corn r~'acencv that the pnbTSner
had filed an involuntary petition.