The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-08
The ROSE OF DIXIE --- By O: HENRY ;

When The Rose of Dixie magazine was
started by stock company in Toombs
City, Georgia, there was never but one
candidate for its chief editorial position
IN the minds of its owners. Col. Aquila
Ielfair was the man for the place. BY
all the rights of learning. family, repu-
tatlon, and Southern traditions, he was
Its foreordained. fit, and logical editor
so, a committee of the patriotic Georgia
citizens who had subscribed the founding
1und of 100000 called upon Colonel Tel
lair at his residence. Cedar Heights. fear
ful lest the enterprise and the South
should suffer by his possible refusal.
The colonel received them in his great
library. where he spent most Of his days
The library had descended to him from
his father. 1t contained ten thousan nd vol
umes, some of which had been published
as late the year 1851 When the depu-
tation arrived. Colonel Telfair was seated
at his massive white-pine comfortable
reading Burton's Anatomy of Melan-
choly. He arose and shook hands pune
tliously with each member of the COM
mittee- If you were familiar with The
Rose of Dixie you will remember the
coloneFs portrait which appeared in IT
from time to time. You could not for
get the long. carefully brushed white
hair; the hooked, high bridged nose.
slightly twisted to the left the keen eyes
under the still black eyebrows, the classic
mouth beneath the dropping white mus
tache, slightly frazzled at the ends.
The committee solicitously offered him
the position of managing editor, humbly
presenting an outline of the field that
the publication was designed to cover
and mentioning a comforta BILE salary The
rolonels lands were growing poorer each
year and were much cut up by red gull
lies Besides, the honor was not one to
be refused.
In a forty-minute speech of accept
hnce. Colonel Telfair gave an outline of
English literature from Chaucer to Mac
aulay. re-fought the battle of Chancel-
louisville. and said that, God helping
him. he would so conduct The Rose of
Dixie that its ragrance and beauty
would permeate the entire world, hurl-
ing back into the teeth of the Northern
hlinions their belief that no genius or
good could exist in the brains and hearts
of the people whose property they had
destroyed and whose rights they had
rurtailed
Ofices for the ma gazine were partitioned
off and furnished in the second floor of
the First National Bank building; and it
was for the colonel TO cause The Rose
OF Dixie to blossom and flourish or to
wilt in the balmy air of the land of
flowers.
The staff of assistants and contributors
that Editor-Colonel Telfair drew about
him was a peach. 1t was a whole crate
of Georgia peaches The first assistant
editor. Tolliver Lee Fairfax. had had a
father killed during Pickett's charge. The
second assistant. Keats Cnthank, was the
nephew of one of Morsan's Raiders. The |
book reviewer. Jackson Rockingham. had |
been the youngest soldier in the Con- !
federate army, having appeared on the |
field of battle with a sword in one hand |
and a mi!k-bottle IN the other. The art |
editor. RonCesvalles Sykes. was a third |
cousin to a nephew of jefferson Davis. |
Miss Lavinia Terhune. the colonels stem |
oGrapher and typewriter. had an aunt |
who had once been kissed by Stonewall |
Jackson. Tommy Webster. the head Of |
iCe-boy, got his job by having recited |
Father Ryan's poems complete. at the
commencement exercises of the Toombs
-ity High School. The girls who wrap
we'd and addressed the magazines were
members of old Southern families in Re-
!uCed Circumstances. The cashier was
l scrub named Hawkins, from Ann Ar
Dor. Michigan. who had recomme nd lions