The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-27
HIS LAST FIFTEEN CENTS.
Story Of an minoisan Brought Up on
McGuffey's Fifth Render.

McGuffey's Fifth Render.
To THE EDITOR OF THE s%uN-sir:
have but fifteen cents and do not know
where or when l am to get any more
1 have been wondering all day and try
ing to hit upon n plan to earn not only
fifteen cents but a much larger amount
In dollars that | must have, for | an
haunted by u fear that j will not be
able to meet the rent bill and fuel bill
and grocery bill. and by that bring grief
to my wife and an invalid daughter
In my earlier years was a newspaper
correspondent and supplied severa
metropolitan papers with news items
from "a Western county seat. / have
also written acceptable short stories
stories that always ended well, for !
had no many unfortunate endings in my
own experiences that | never could
bring myself to manufacture fictitious
ones for story characters. | have also
written books, and eight volumes are
now on boOkstands In several cities, bul
none OF them ave eve been mentioned
among the eight best sellers. ! wrote
my first book more than twenty-five
years ago and 1t Is yet listed in the
general analogue OF the original pub
Usher. ] never received any royalty or
that o o or any Of six others. because
| sold the manuscript outright to first
publisher who would take 1t. and that
because each and every book was writ
ten just as this article Is written and
sent out, to get a little money to tide
over the shoals of financial need. These
facts explain in part why ] am writing
this true story about my last fifteen
cents. that Is, ] believe l have some
ability AZ narrator of facts. and as news
papers exist upon facts I am hoping
some one will buy this copy.
My plan Is this To send an Identical
account to three of the greatest news
papers In the nation, trusting that one
Of the three will accept, pay for and
story to tell which will be not OF my
last fifteen cents but OF my next
dollars. II will be a serial. for perhaps
the dollar will grow as no other dol.
lars i possessed ever did, and that will
be another story. n In that way / can
keep on telling stories that will sell until
the time comes when some one will write
that the story and the story teller had
gone TO keep an engagement with death.
Every line OF this story Is true indeed
every word Is true except the sigma
ture. and that Is untrue simply because
! could not get consent OF my pride 10
- 's ''NN s''A nAoN iN
| am, for though ! am sending this to
newspapers outside my own city some
body here may be a reader OF the dis
tant paper that prints this.
1t will take six of my fifteen oenta
TO send these three envelopes and en-
closures. and that will leave me only
nine, but where nothing is ventured
nothing Is gained.
l have not been idle nor careless nor
e~xtravagant that ! find myself where
am. 1t Is not egotism for me to say
i have never been. l commenced ac-
tive life by enlisting as q soldier In the
civil war. Before tina l had earned
twenty dollars as clerk in a hardware
store In Illinois. | count my recollec-
ton OF my army experience my great
est comfort. | escaped death but left
the larger part of my health In the
swamps along the Mississippi River In
Arkansas. l did very, very little TO pre-
serve the Union. but I am devoutly
thankful that l was privileged ever e.
try to do something. When | came
home l taught school several years,
studying at night TO keep ahead OF my
classes that were TO recite the next day
the lessons l learned the night before.
Little did those big boys and girls in
the winter schools of Illinois know that
| was going 10 school myself with them
and was only a few hours ahead of
them. ] got through and SO did they.
! stumbled one day, though, and nearly
lost my school teacher life. hut was
saved by a young lady pupil whose
memory | bless to this hour for her great
kindness.
The class in the old McGuney Fifth
Reader was on the floor. A lad was
stumbling through a verse in one OF
the stately selections that marked that
old text book and came TO the word
"patr!cian.' He appealed TO me for
help TO pronounce It. ! came 10 his aid
with 'pat-ri-kan"! That young ladx.
nearly a woman fun grown, the beauty
OF the school az we'll as the brightest
and best pupil. had the next verse and
In that verse | discovered. in looking
over the shoulder OF the lad ! had
helped pronounce" also occurred the
word "pltrician." The right pronun-
citation flashed across my mind Instant
ly. and ] fairly reeled and nearly tainted
In dread Of the exposure Of my igno-
rance which should follow ner correc,
pronunciation. for | knew she knew
When she came 10 the word she hest
tated just a second. glanced up at me
as | stared at her in terror such as I had
never known In the army, and then,
with ever so faint a smile she read
"pat-ri-kan" and went on through the
verse quietly as though she had done
nothing worth thinking about! was
saved
lf this were not a true story. II It were
Just a story such as | have written
out or my head" many and many a
time, ! would say I made 1t convenient
TO walk home with that young a
after school, that I told her how very
much ! appreciated her thoughtful kind
ness In saving my reputation as a
teacher. that some time ! hoped 70 re-
pay her. but that up to that time !
could only ask her 10 believe that !
was her devoted admirer and wanted
always to be her friend. The fact is !
never mentioned the affair to her IN
any way at any time, but It Is also m,
tact thnt ! have never ceased TO be
grateful to her mt ~rejoiced when o.
became the wife of my dear boyhood
friend.
After several years OF country and
village school teaching ! bee, me teacheI
~ mathematics in n high school Tier
| entered the ministry, but germs n,
the army life undermined my health ami
| was asso lat" editor of a strupginp
country town daily Later I recnt,reI
the ministry and pioneered In northern
Michigan blter. health falling ag,,n
| cnne 10 Detroit and took up work as
salesman In "A dry goods store After
some years went back into the ministry
hut having lost "mv grade" through en-.
forced retirement. ! served, MS hes, I
could, scr"ral churches In the poorer dis.
,ricts OF ohio.
mention these things az iustlrving
my statement that I h've not been ll,e
! have not been careless, have M,
been ~extravacant, and vet to-day