Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-06-28
A BEST
SELLER
b MARY c ATWOOD


yes: Corastock b making money.
How did he get his starty"
by a misfortune
Come. cease to excite my curiosity
and tell me the story
1T was this way: Coustcck tried
scrfbbiing Mt home. but made no sue
cess. Whether be wrote over the
heads Of the people, or under them.
don't know. His stories didn't sell.
But Comsfock had talent, and all be
wanted WINS something to start him.
One OF his friends told him to go
abroad All Americans who succeed
In literature make their living abroad.
his friend said. and II Comstock was
going to sucrced he'd have to go too.
There's q literary atmosphere there
that doesn't exist here. Besides, the
crowned beads take an interest In
literary work. and king may make
an author II he chooses
'rComstock was persuaded and went
abroad He picked up living for
awhile In London writing for the Eng
fish magazine papers, then went on to
the continent He finally drifted to
Constanttnopie. where be liked It 30
well that be stayed there long while
and learned the language perfectly.
-Au this while fame refused to perch
on his banner. bnt poverty did When
he was pretty near starved In Con-
stanftnopie he got job TO write
serial novel for daily newspaper
there He was TO I'LL two columns
Gay. no more and no less. The price
be was paid for his work was just
enough TO keep him alive.
1T happened that be struck vein
that was natural TO him. and a good
one too. He became absorbed In his
work and was glad to lie absorbed. be
cause 1t made him forget his troubles
But having only enough writing to do
each day to occupy three or four hours.
be spent the rest OF his time planning
ahead. He would lay cut impossible
situations just to keep himself busy
solving them. AZ for his general plan.
that was so intricate that no one
would ever suppose IL possible 10 ex-
tricate his hero from the enlargement
into which an adverse fate had cast
him
'.One day while he was at work on
his story he was astonished to see two
policemen enter bis den. Without a
word of explanation he was ordered to
follow them and bring with him his
manuscript. II occurred to him that
something he had written In his novel
about the government might have
caused his arrest. but this could not
be. for on his arrival he was not only
permitted to keep what be bad writ.
ten. but was commanded TO finish his
work That be might be wen situated
to do %. he was given pleasant quar-
tiers and plenty to eat and drink. At
first he was 50 frightened that he could
not write. whereupon member of the
government sent him word that be
was In no danger. This gave him
courage. and he pursued hts task.
II be Was anxious to kill time be-
fore his arrest be was now doubly 10
He invented new complications and
unraveled them The situation grew
more involved the nearer be approach
ed the end. just n q stone revoived
about a stick moves more rapidly as
the string u shortened. He devoted
every minute Of his time and every
fber Of his brain to his work and at
the end Of few weeks after his i'm
prisonment wrote the concluding chap
ter.
When his story was finished he
dreaded the long hours Of confinement
during which be would be free to
brood upon his situation. He had not
received the slightest information a.
to bis ofYense. But he had not long to
fret As soon ~ his work was fn-
ished his prison doors were thrown
open and he was permitted to 20 out
Z free man. besides being given q large
bag Of gold
''As soon AZ he was released be made
inquiries Of officials high In the serv-
Ice OF the government as to why be
had been arrested and thrown into
prison and whence came the money.
And what do you suppose was the
reason given? The sultan had one day
picked up copy OF the newspaper In
which bis story was running and be-
came interested In II. Too impatient
to wait for It to Come out from day to
day In small quantities, he had taken
q course to hasten the denouement.
"Comstock was Just tickled To Death.
he sent In request through one Of
the sultan's household asking II the
sultan would give him u pun to print
with the publication Of his novel In
America. He was told that the sultan
couldn't come down to that. but Com
stock hit on the expedient Of writing
out . brief account Of the matter for
the newspapers. This be translated
into English and got 1t started In
American journals.
well. b published his novel, Of