Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-05

This manuscript comes from Hay
! thorn Hayes. 1 didn't understand
when he went away that he had an
unpublished novel finished
/ ..Eor 1. sir Nevertheless this manu-
script has been sent US by express,
! and a letter has come by mail with
regard to it."
Mr.. Cartwright handed his employer
type written letter, which read as
follows:
Messrs. Chandler Bros:
Dear Eirs-On the eve OF my departure
find a manuscript. which L send you By
| express 1t was written some time ago
and laid aside until should have made a
| market for II by other work more likely ts
be accepted by a wider though perhaps
lower grade of readers. have no time to
enter further into particulars. Perhaps
you VIII use It during my absence. Very
truly yours. H. II
Mr.. Chandler read the letter and
looked puzzled.
"Do you think there is anything
wrong about itf' asked Cartwright.
II don't know that there is. II on
| either the manuscript or the letter
there was scrap of Hayes writing l
would like it better However, you
may have the story read and IL there
is a marked difference between its
! style and that of his other works let
me know"
! The reader reported that there was
considerable difference between the
STYLE of THE Aeronaut' and that of
! Mr.. Hayes other works. There was q
| crudity in it that indicated he had
! written it before he had had much
practice.
In, r,d
| They had published two novels for
Haythorn Hayes under his initials, IN.
H. with very good success. They had
advised him to print his full name on
the title page, and he had ignored their
advice to his sorrow, for with success
came a desire to be known as a sue
cessful author. But since H. H" was
well known to the public and Haythorn
Hayes was not, a novel by the latter
would not reap the benefit of the adj
vertising of one by the former. He
was therefore obliged to continue to
publish under his initials.
There's no hope of reaching Hayes"
said the head of the publishing firm.
He has gone up the Amazon river to
find the legendary amazon women,
who he believes have or have had a
real existence, with view to writing !
q story about them. If we don't pub /
fish this "Aeronaut'' We'll doubtless Of |
fend him, and when he returns some 4
rival firm will get his Amazon novel; |
Put the book in press and advertise /
largely that it is Forthcoming. We /
must make sure of the story be is aft
er, and the best way to do so is to put
him under obligations to us by boom
ing this 'Aeronaut story
THE Aeronaut'' was offered to the
publishers late in the autumn and was
rushed through for the spring trade. A
paragraph in a literary journal had an
nounced Mr.. Hayes departure with
view to getting material for unique
novel, and his publishers occasionally
logged the memory of the public by an
item as to the singular possibilities of
such theme.
However, when 1.-THE Aeronaut' ap-
peared it very soon became manifest !
that it must stand on its own merits.
Being unlike Mr.. Hayes other works,
it did not appeal especially to his ad-
mirers. For some time it looked as
though it would be a failure. Those
dealers who had bought copies with
the privilege of returning those that
were unsoId began to send them in by
the hundreds.
Never mind" said Mr. Chandler, |
well make it all up on the Amazon
deal''
But one day there came call for
more copies of 1.-The Aeronaut" by q
prominent dealer, which was followed
by new orders from other booksellers.
There was evidently call for the
work on the part of the public 1t was
not long before the fact was recog
nized that the sale of the book had
taken a start. The start became q de-
mand and the demand became a clamor
from the dealers to supply the public
The sale of THE Aeronaut' far sur
passed that of any of Mr.. Hayes other
works and increased his reputation
.enfold.
Chandler Bros. thought it a good OPP =
TO make advertising capital /,
# the fact that no one knew, who III.
L." was. They therefore had an item q
Inserted in a newspaper stating that =
lie was a prominent playwright named =
Henry Harbeson. Mr.. Harbeson de- =
led the change. Another item named
mother man, and 1t was not long be- .
ore half a dozen prominent persons .
we're trying to put off an honor that .
I'D not belong to them. Chandler O
BROS. chuckled and refused positively !.
o give the name of the real author.
Meanwhile Haythorn Hayes was 9
uniting for the amazons In the interior
{ South America. Nothing came from :
i'm for n year. at the end of which :.
Ime he reappeared at the mouth of .
he river from the Amazonas province =
Brazil and reported that he had 8,
Ound traces of the amazon women. "
But he would give no particulars. ! g,
handler Bros. made as much of the 90
ews as possible and eagerly looked 8,
Or his return to his home.
One morning he appeared. bronzed
Y the equatorial sun. IN the ONCE or |