The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-22

| Mr.. Page something as to the other
| furniture and found that much OF II
| had historic memories
! This camp chest" said he. as he
| pointed to. a box covered with books
was carried by my father throughout
| the whole civil war, and here" pick
| ing up a great steel bit, which hung
at it's side, lis the bride bit with
| which he rode through all his cam
| paign>. He got the bit at first
battle OF Bull Run. taking il from the
horse Of a Yankee, and making it
| serve for the South"
Turning to the other end of the
| room l asked Mr.. Page as to the til
ing which surrounded the fireplace.
1T looks like the electro-plate Of
some manuscript said /.
And that is just what it is was
the reply. Those plates meant a
| great deal to me when the books from
which they were printed appeared.
They are the ~electros Of my first
stories The pages on this side are
from "Marse Chan" and those on top
are Lady while here at the
left are some from I'm Ole Virginia.
and the Two Little Confederates."
/ here asked MIR. Page when he
began to write and whether it had
been easy to get his stuff published.
AS to my first writing. l cannot
remember when I did not want to
write. | made up stories in my head
when | was a boy and wrote them
out upon states when we were too
poor to afford h paper and pencils.
| kept on writing at school and at
college, where my short essays in the
paper gave me the nickname of the
"Short-Article Editor" I sent some
things to b Courier Journal, while
| was a tutor neal Louisville, KY,
but they were not accepted and the
same is true of many OF the first
things I ser to the magazines"
What was your first real story?'
Il don't know what you mean. by
real" said Mr.. Page, but the first
thing of any merit which I can re-
member was a sketch entitled A
Soldier Of the Empire his was writ
ten before Mars Char or 'Meh Lady
although it was not published until
after they had appeared"
What is the story of 'Meh Lady -"
I don't know hat it was worth
publishing was the reply. at was
written during my first practice Of the
law at Richmond. I was always writ
ing at something or other, and while
studying law, I remember would
or Coke. and then try my hand at fc-
ton. | kept this up after l began
; TO practice. and although the greater
part OF my income for years came
from the law, the greater part of nv
work went to fiction. 1t was at the
oeglnnlng OF that time that I con-
celved the plot OF 'Meh Lady, II
seemed to me good. and decided to
bank my literary future upon it. I
wrote and reWrOte it. l cut it and
pruned 1t, and at last when it seemed
! could not in any wa better it.
sent 1t Off to S~cribner's Magazine.
SAYING to myself, This is the very best
! car 90. II the story is accepted, /
snail choose a literary career and if
!, not, | shall keep the practice OF the
! law" "
; IT this point Mr.. Page stopped for a
: moment and / said:
! suppose the story was accepted
: at once?"
4 No, it was not. It was more th.,,
s Lad ! cen done with it. wrote ain
e e again, but my letters were c,as-
S .Fcy ans~ cred or not yer n III
: "ht in the meantime. Meh Lady was
heitner printed nor returned. con
f cfuded that | had beer mistaken in
/ my aoiHty I write, and I put all nv
e TorCe on the law. In the mea ntirn.
the oid Scribner Magazine charoed
hanoS and became the Century an;
one OF the new editors in ,.earro
= up papers found among tasn, ::
hd'ty roll OF manuscript which ha5
nee1. damned into a ~pigeonhole ed
Il tlshtlS that 1t would haI div cons o.,t
k he opened It and began to gianc.
through 1t interested him, and .A1eh
lIsdH was printed. 1t attracted Tow
e orabie attention. and nave been WI,
Ing more or less, from that ti,na -
4 this" amy -
VIVA was the origin OF 'Marse
chan Mr.. Page" asked /. ~
q IT was written before .Meh Lady
q hut was not published unti- after
r ward. 1t may have been held Larl
: on account OF me feeling which sill
e existed between the North and ~.
q south at the close of the civil war
The story dealt largely with :
southern side. AS to its origin. il can,.
E from an old letter which a friend -
T. mine showed me. This letter ~.
n written to 3 Confederate soldier h,
he MS lthterate sweetheart in Geor1;,