The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-09-25

story Of the early Efforts Of Famous
English Novelist.

tDArAuH Dy QAys DAl WhSh Zig AAA9.AS
ell they were almost awesome.
Rossetti's Prophecy.
Rossetti was a sleeples man (rarely
sleeping before or 3 in the morning.,
ma to beguile the long hours after
lark read aloud to him from old mas
.ers: Fielding. Richardson, Scott Tur-
xenieff. OCCASIONALLY varied this by
.eIiing stories sometimes Of Cumbrian
lie, but generally Of Manx Down 70
Chat time. though I had been haunting
he outer courts Of literature, had
aot written any fiction. and one morn
ing as we were going up, candle in
hand. to bed. Rossetti thrilled me to
The heart by saying, as nearly as can
remember: do you know my boy.
you are a natural story teller and I
shouldn't be surprised II that is the di-
fectlon In which the future Of your
sfe viii lie. 10 be the Manx bard
hat would be something"
Novel Writing Not Easy.
Since then 7 have written twelve
novels, a poor output in point Of num-
oer but then / have written each Of
them at least twice. and some Tone
way or other) three. four and even
live times
The truth is that though I began, as
believe, with the naturak aptitude Of
The story teller / have found story tell
Ing very hard work indeed. 1t is a
Tine and difficult art. and I do not
hing even the greatest Of my fellow
novelists, living or dead, has ever mas
tered it-no, not one.
Assuredly nobody knows better than
do that / have not, and when look
back at the work Of my 40 years, and
see how often have lessened the grip
Or stopped the flow Of my stories by
saying essential things too soon or too
late or not at all tell myself that if
were compelled to be one of myowl
critics (Which God forbid / should be
the deadliest Of them all.
Payment for Early Novels.
Ny bank book for the year 1885
gives the account OF my first earning
as a novelist I was then some years
married, my first child was born, and
I was living in country cottage out
side London and supporting my little
family on my earnings as casual
that time were at the average rate of
five pounds every ten days, exclusive
Of rates and taxes. and my mornings
about balanced them. had already
published two novels.
For the copyright OF the first I re-
ceived so pounds payment at the rate
Of the present day unemployment dole
for the time spent on 1t. For the Sec
ond had received rather more-earn-
lngs In the measure of a pit boys
wages. And was then at work on my
third story. The bank book shows so
pounds as the first earnings OF this
third novel. and an old letter shows
the source from which this money
came.
A canny Scot.
When my third story was about
half done I wrote to the editor Of
scotch weekly journal, offering it for
serial publication at that price. The
good man CHS letter is before me) was
very cautious: 1T great risk taxi
Ing an unfinished story by an unknol n
author (our circulation Is so great.
but II we can have the sole serial
rights in Scotland do not think the
price you ask, so pounds, win be a
drawback. And Il your story takes on
With our readers you may, OF course,
command higher terms for a future
tale'p
K agreed, and the money was paid to
me apparently I needed 1t in advance,
but when my novel was finished the
editor rued his bargain. In another LETT
ter he tells me that on second thoughts
he has decided not to publish my story
I'm the journal Of great circulation"
being afraid It would not take on"
with his readers, but to run it in an
evening paper published by the same
proprietors. This he did, ourtailing It
numerically, as If anxious to get 1t
over and done with.
OF course my pride was humbled to
the dust. and In my wrath / wrote a
Wild, vain and Intellectual letter Of
protest (Which I am told stin exists).
but my real revenge came later. That
was IN 1855, and at the beginning of
the present year, 1921, the good man
being long gone, his successor In the
editorial chair wrote asking for the
temporary use OF the same story and
offering $50 pounds for it. I answered
q trust good naturedly) telling the
foregoing story and he replied AMIGA
bly,, saying Don't visit the sins OF the
father upon the children" / did not.
The story was The Deempster."
Fiction Mistaken for Fact.
Not the least Of my rewards as a
story teller has been the difficulty Of
simple souls to distinguish my fiction
from fact. After the publication of tbs
first OF my Manx novels. an old Manx-
woman brought me worn table knife,
saying It was the actual knife with
which Dan had killed Evan, and that
Dan Che Is supposed to have lived 200
years ago. gave it her himself to keep
# out OF the way Of the police.
After the publlcationof the second or
my ATanx novels. an old Manx fisher
man told me that he perfectly remem-
bered Jasons' flour mill at Port .vullin
ct had never existed except in my
brain), and that he had "feIed" it him
self And after the publication Of my