The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-06-25

Hhbu any UuAluehh 10 put IuGtu up
The two went on placidly picking
wild flowers. unaware that they had
been talking to the owner himself.
In his last year Mr.. Davis proved
himself to be AZ good as ever at his
writing, both in articles and Action.
II was doubtless because he retained
all the freshness OF youth In his point
Of view as well as his physical con.
ditiOn. He was deeply Interested in
the smallest tribe. and he had the
camera. eye OF the born observer. His
power of description was not sur
passed. In my estimation. During
the present war he wrote a story
which was classic. a story Of the
Gray Ghost" army that came into
Brussels. and. with the passing Of
two scout bicycle riders which pre-
coded IL. Davis made you feel as II
everything human ended. The rest
was miraculous machine that
moved on endleEsly. Nobody knew
the Germans were wearing these
gray-green uniforms until Mr.. Davis
discovered 1t all, and then he told
the world OF II in short. crisp sen
fences that cracked. and everybody
knew about II.
Unlike some OF the modern writ.
ers who find they can increase their
output by using the trusty typewriter.
Mr.. Davis always wrote everything
by hand on squares OF yellow paper
In wretched chiroGraphy. the manu-.
script usually being amazingly inter.
lined. And he would not turn In u
story until he was satisfied with II
himself He would rewrite and re-
write parts OF II. so that the room
where he worked was Uttered with
scraps OF paper that failed to please
him. until 1t looked as II a sunHower
had been mOulting there. One Of his
big assets was his supreme patience
in constructing and polishing a story.
He also hated to agree to produce
story on Il certain date. because he
did not like to write unless he felt
he had real story TO tell. and then
he worked on endlessly. forgetting
time and place and engagements. He
was in no way like another author
with whom l am acquainted.
II don't believe in the foibles Of
the genius" this man said. Il see
these writer's hang around for three
or four days waiting for an inspira-
tion. have always believed that
II man just sits down In front Of
a typewriter long enough. he is
bound to get mad after while and
produce something. II may not be
a full-siIed masterpiece the first heat,
but it is something"
This writer is very successful II
you care to measure success by guam
tity.
Mr.. Davis came from literary stock
so his trade was the natural one for
him to follow. He first worked on
the Philadelphia Ledger. and then
the Press. when he had hardly at
tanned voting age. II was while
on the Philadelphia Press he found
Gallagher. the wise office boy. whose
sapience permitted him to express
opinions on current events in a man
ner which held Mr.. Davis's readerE.
Philadelphia did not ut Mr.. Davis
very long. He Outgrew II. He soon
was a member OF the STAFF of the Nov
York Evening Sun. and It was while
employed on this newspaper that he
brought CORTLAND Van Bibber to a
position of real prominence. By the
time he was 90 he was far from be-
ing an unrecogniEed writer. Every
thing he produced seemed to be writ
ten for the very Joy OF It, When he
was 25 he had fully arrived.
Davis was always extremely clean
of both mind and body. He never ap.
peared on the street that he did not
look like an advertisement for a safe
ty razor. and you always felt he was
ut and ready to meet all sorts in the
world, with his hat cooked just a
little TO one side and at least a hg-
urative flower in his buttonhole. Fo
was favored by fortune since youth.
He had never been stranded In a
strange country without funds. He
had never been forced to starve in
day broken only by the postman's
whistle. returning rejected manu-
scripts. Richard Harding Davis was
a success from the start.
Davis lived with a capital II, see
ing both the amusing and the pathet-
&c in life all the way. and he made
It a point TO stick close to the In
side rail of human emotions. He
did the unusual for his own amuse-
ment. He never lost his capacity for
enjoyment He was always boy at
heart.
Less than six weeks before this ar.
ticlc was written he burst into our
offices with commission for James
Driscoll. the capable Office boy OF the
syndicate.
jimmy" exclaimed Davis. without
any explanation. do you want to be
detectuf?"
Mr.. DrIscoll. who had recently put
on long trousers and therefore de-
served the dignity OF the title
thought he would He nodded his
head in assent. for he was still bash
full and not yet fully accustomed 10
rubbing up against fame, although he
secretly rated Mr. Davis below Chris
" Mathewson. who was also a fire.
uuent visitor to tho Office. II was
always impossible to get any work
from Mr.. Driscoll when MRtty was
around
IF you want to be a detectuf,"
continued Mr.. Davis, go around to
the New York Herald Office and ask
II there is any mail for Henry WRg-