第2章

DEARDAD:

WehavestartedthebestsortofaclubupherewhichIamanxioustotellyouof。Itconsistsofaspread，netpriceofwhichwillbeabout30centseach，everytwoorthreeweeks。

OnlysixfellowsbelongandthosethebestoftheCollege。

Purnell，Hainesandmyselffoundedit。IchoseCharley，Purnell，Reeves，HainesandHowe。WewillmeetSaturdaynightsat9soasnottointerferewithourwork，andsing，read，eatandboxuntilmidnight。Itiscalledthe"PipeandBowl，"andismeanttotaketheplacethatTheHastyPudding，HammerandTongsandMermaiddoatothercolleges。Twoofusaretoinvitetwooutsidersinturneachmeeting。WewillhopetohaveDadamember，honorary，ofcourse，whenwecanpersuadehimtogiveusanightoffwithhiscompany。Wewanttocombinealiteraryfeatureandsowillhaveselectedreadingstoprovokediscussionsafterthepipesarelit。ThemenareveryenthusiasticaboutitandwanttoinviteMr。Allenandyouandeveryonethattheycanmakeanhonorarymemberofimmediately。

Itwasfirstasanassociateeditorandafterwardaseditor-in-chiefofthecollegepaper，TheLehighBurr，thatRichardfoundhisgreatestpleasureandinterestduringhisthreeyearsatLehigh。Inadditiontohiseditorialdutieshewroteaverygreatpartofeveryissueofthepaper，andhiscontributionsincludedshortstories，reportsofnewsevents，editorials，andnumerouspoems。

As，afterhislifeatcollege，Richarddroppedverseasamodeofexpression，Ireprinttwoofthepoemswhichshowhiminthelighterveinofthoseearlydays。

ACOMMENCEMENTIDYL

"I\'maFreshmanwhohasendedhisfirstyear，ButI\'mnew；

AndIdowhate\'ertheJuniors，whomIfear，Bidmedo。

UndersuddenshowersIthrive；

TobebadandboldIstrive，Buttheyask——`Isitalive？\'

Sotheydo。

I\'maSophomorewhohaspassedoffhisexams，Letmeloose!

Withamarkashighasanyotherman\'s，AsobtuseI\'mfraternal。IamJolly。

IamseldommelancholyAndtoboneIthinkisfolly，What\'stheuse？

I\'maJuniorwhomexams。haveleftforlorn，Flunkedmedead；

SoI\'llkeepthetownawake\'tillearlymorn；

Paintitred。

Atclass-meetingsI\'makicker，Takenowaterwithmyliquor，Andadumb-bell\'snotthickerThanmyhead。

I\'maSeniorwhosediploma\'swithinreach，Eighty-four。

OnCommencementDayyou\'llhearmymaiden-speech；

Iwillsoar!

Igotthroughwithoutcondition；

I\'mamassoferudition；

Doyouknowofaposition!"

OURSTREET

"Ourstreetisstillandsilent，Grassgrowsfromcurbtocurb，Nobaker\'sbellsWithjanglingknellsOurstudiousmindsdisturb。

Noorgangrindersevercall，Nohuckstersmarourpeace；

FortrafficshunsourneighborhoodAndleavesustoourease。

Butnowitlivesandbrightens，Assumesalivelierhue；

Thepavementswide，Oneitherside，Wouldseemtofeelittoo。

Youmightnotnotethedifference，Thechangefromgravetogay，ButIcantell，andknowfullwell，Priscillawalksourway。"

ShortlyafterhisreturntocollegeRichardcelebratedhisnineteenthbirthday，andreceivedtheselettersfromhisfatherandmother:

April17th，1883。

MYDEARBOY:

WhenIwasthinkingwhatIcouldgivetoyouto-morrow，I

rememberedthestoryofHerder，whowhenhewasoldandweakandtheybroughthimfoodandwineaskedfor"agreatthoughttoquickenhim。"

SoIhavewrittensomeoldsayingsforyouthathavehelpedme。Maybe，thisyear，orsomeotheryear，whenIamnotwithyou，theymaygiveyou，sometimes，comfortandstrength。

Godblessyoumyson——

YOUROLDMOTHER

wholovesyoudearly——dearly。

THEPHILADELPHIAINQUIRER

PHILADELPHIA，April17th，1883。

MYDEARBOY:

YouaretobenineteenyearsoldonWednesday。Aftertwoyearsmoreyouwillbeaman。YouaresomanlyandgoodaboythatIcouldnotwishyoutochangeinanyseriousorgreatthing。Youhavemadeusveryhappythroughbeingwhatyouhavebeen，whatyouare。Youfilluswithhopeofyourfuturevirtueandusefulness。

Tobegoodisthebestthingofall；itcountsformorethananythingelseintheworld。Weareverygratefulthatyouhaveeveninyouthbeenwiseenoughtochoosetherightroad。

Youwillfinditnoteasytokeepuponitalways，butrememberifyoudogetoffstrugglebacktoit。IdonotknowbutI

thinkGodlovestheefforttodoaswellastheactdone。

Icongratulateyoumydearson，onyournewbirthday。Iwishyouhealth，happinessandGod\'slovingcare。Mayheblessyoumysonforever。Iencloseatrifleforyourpleasure。Mylovetoyoualways，butGodblessyoudearDick。

DAD。

Inthefallof1885，RicharddecidedtoleaveLehighandgotoJohnHopkinsUniversity，wherehetookaspecialcourseinsuchstudiesaswouldbestbenefithiminthecareerwhichhehadnowcarefullyplanned。DuringthisyearinBaltimoreRichard\'slettersshowthathepaidconsiderableattentiontosuchimportantsubjectsaspoliticaleconomyandourownlaborproblems，buttheyalsoshowthathedidnotneglectfootballorthelightersocialdiversions。Inashortspaceoftimehehadmademanyfriends，wasverybusygoingtodinnersanddances，andhadfalleninlovewithanentirelynewsetofmaidsandmatrons。Richardhadalreadybeguntosendcontributionstothemagazines，andanoccasionalacceptancecausedhimthesatisfactioncommontoallbeginners。ItwasinregardtooneoftheseearlycontributionsthatmymotherwroteRichardthefollowingletter:

PHILADELPHIA

January1887。

DEARBOY:

WhathasbecomeofTheCurrent？Ithasnotcomeyet。Ifithassuspendedpublicationbesureandgetyourarticleback。

Youmustnotdestroyasinglepageyouwrite。Youwillfindeveryideaofusetoyouhereafter。

SometimesIamafraidyouthinkIdon\'ttakeinterestenoughinyourimmediatesuccessnowwiththearticlesyousend。ButI\'vehadthirtyyearsexperienceandIknowhowmuchthatsortofsuccessdependsonthearticlessuitingthepresentneedsofthemagazine，andalsoonthemoodoftheeditorwhenhereadsit。

Besides——exceptforyourowndisappointment——Iknowitwouldbebetterifyouwouldnotpublishunderyourownnameforalittlewhile。Dr。Holland——whohadlotsofliteraryshrewdnessbothaswriterandpublisher——usedtosayforayoungmanorwomantorushintoprintwassureruintotheirlastingfame。Theyeithercompromisedtheirreputationsbyinferiorworkortheymadeagreathitandneverplayeduptoit，afterwards，inpublicopinion。

Nowmydearoldmanthissoundslikeawfullycoldcomfort。

Butitisthewisestideayourmotherhasgot。IconfessIhaveGREATfaithinyou——andItrytojudgeyouasifyouwerenotmyson。IthinkyouaregoingtotakeahighplaceamongAmericanauthors，butIdonotthinkyouaregoingtodoitbyarticleslikethatyousenttoTheCurrent。ThequalitieswhichIthinkwillbringittoyou，youdon\'tseemtovalueatall。Theyareyourdramaticeye。

Imeanyourquickperceptionofcharacterandofthewaycharactershowsitselfinlooks，tones，dress，etc。，andinyourkeensympathy——withallkindsofpeople——Now，thesearetherequisitesforanovelist。Addedtothatyourhumour。

Yououghttomakeanovelistofthefirstclass。Butyoumustnotexpecttodoitthisweekornext。Alasting，realsuccesstakestime，andpatient，steadywork。ReadBoz\'sfirstsketchesof"LondonLife"andcomparethemwith"SydneyCarton"or"DavidCopperfield"andyouwillseewhattimeandhardworkwilldotodevelopgenius。

IsupposeyouwillwonderwhyIammovedtosayallthis？Itis，Ithink，becauseofyoursaying"thearticlesenttoSt。

Nicholaswasthebestyouwouldbeabletodoforyearstocome"andIsawyouweregoingtomakeitacrucialtestofyourability。Thatis，forgiveme，nothingbutnonsense。

Whateverthearticlemaybe，youmaywriteoneinfinitelysuperiortoitnextweekormonth。Justinproportionasyoufeelmoredeeply，ornoticemorekeenly，andasyouacquirethefacultyofexpressingyourfeelingsorobservationsmoredelicatelyandpowerfullywhichfacultymustcomeintopractice。Itisnotinspiration——itneverwasthat——withoutpractice，withanywriterfromShakespearedown。

me。Idon\'tsay，likePapa，stopwriting。Godforbid。Iwouldalmostassoonsaystopbreathing，foritisprettymuchthesamething。Butonlytorememberthatyouhavenotyetconqueredyourart。Youareajourneymannotamasterworkman，soifyoudon\'tsucceed，itdoesnotcount。ThefutureiswhatIlookto，foryou。Ihadtostopmyworktosayallthis，sogood-byedearoldchum。

Yours，MOTHER。

IfanythingworriedRichardatallatthisperiod，Ithinkitwashisdesiretogetdowntosteadynewspaperwork，orindeedanykindofworkthatwouldactasthefirststepofhiscareerandbywhichhecouldpayhisownwayintheworld。Itwaswiththisideauppermostinhismindinthelatespringof1886，andwithoutanyparticularregretfortheendingofhiscollegecareer，thatheleftBaltimoreand，returningtohishomeinPhiladelphia，determinedtoacceptthefirstpositionthatpresenteditself。Butinsteadofgoingtoworkatonce，heoncemorechangedhisplansanddecidedtosailforSantiagodeCubawithhisfriendWilliamW。Thurston，whoaspresidentoftheBethlehemSteelCompany，wasdeeplyinterestedintheironminesofthatregion。HereandthenitwasthatRichardfirstfellinlovewithCuba——alovewhichinlateryearsbecamealmostanobsessionwithhim。Throughouthislifewheneveritwaspossible，andsometimeswhenitseemedpracticallyimpossible，mybrotherwouldlistentothecallofhisbelovedtropicsand，castingasideallresponsibilities，wouldsetsailforSantiago。AfterallitwasquitenaturalthatheshouldfeelashedidaboutthislittleCubancoasttown，forapartfromitslazylife，spicysmells，wavingpalmsandSpanishcooking，itwasherethathefoundthematerialforhisfirstnovelandgreatestmonetarysuccess，"SoldiersofFortune。"ApartfromthemanypurelypleasuretripshemadetoSantiago，twicehereturnedtheretowork——onceasacorrespondentduringtheSpanish-AmericanWar，andagainwhenhewentwithAugustusThomastoassistinthelatter\'sfilmversionoftheplaywhichyearsbeforeThomashadmadefromthenovel。

CHAPTERIII

FIRSTNEWSPAPEREXPERIENCES

Inthelatesummerof1886RichardreturnedfromCubaandsettleddowninPhiladelphiatowriteanarticleabouthisexperiencesatSantiagoandtolookforregularnewspaperwork。EarlyinSeptemberhewrotehismother:

September，1886。

DEARMOTHER:

IsawtheRecordpeopleto-day。Theysaidtherewasnotanopeningbutcouldgiveme"chance"work，thatis，Iwastoreporteachdayatoneandgetwhatwasleftover。IsaidI

wouldtakeitasIwouldhavemymorningsfreetowritethearticleandwhatafternoonsIdidnothavenewspaperworkbesides。Thisissatisfactory。TheyareeitherdoingalltheycantoobligeDadorelsegivingmeatrialtripbeforemakinganopening。Thearticleisprogressingbutslowly。ToparaphraseTalleyrand，what\'sdoneisbutlittleandthatlittleisnotgood。However，sinceyourlastletterfullofsuchexcellent"tips"Ihaverewrittenitandthinkitismuchimproved。IwillwritetoThurstonconcerningtheartistto-morrow。HeisawayfromB。atpresent。Onthewholethearticleisnotbad。

Yourboy，DICK。

Richard\'sstayonTheRecord，however，wasshort-lived。Hisexcuseforthebrevityoftheexperiencewasgiveninaninterviewsomeyearslater。"MyCityEditordidn\'tlikemebecauseoncolddaysIworegloves。

Buthewasdeterminedtomakemework，andgavemeabouteighteenassignmentsaday，andpaidme$7。aweek。Attheendofthreemonthshedischargedmeasincompetent。"

FromTheRecordRichardwenttoThePress，whichwasmuchmoretohisliking，and，indeeditwasherethathedidhisfirstrealworkandshowedhisfirstpromise。Fornearlythreeyearshedidgeneralreportingandduringthistimegainedagreatdealmorepersonalsuccessthancomestomostmembersofthatusuallyanonymousprofession。HisbigchancecamewiththeJohnstownflood，andthenewsstorieshewiredtohispapershowedthefirstglimpseofhisabilityasacorrespondent。Lateron，disguisedasacrook，hejoinedagangofyeggmen，livedwiththemintheworstdivesofthecity，andeventuallygainedtheirgoodopiniontotheextentofbeingallowedtoassistinplanningaburglary。Butbeforetheactualrobberytookplace，Richardhadobtainedenoughevidenceagainsthiscrookcompanionstoturnthemovertothepoliceandeventuallylandtheminprison。Itwasduringthesedaysthathewrotehisfirststoryforamagazine，andthefollowinglettershowsthatitwassomethingofamilestoneinhiscareer。

PHILADELPHIA。

August，1888。

DEARFAMILY:

TheSt。Nicholaspeoplesentmeacheckfor$50forthe"pirate"story。ItwouldbeinsupportableaffectationtosaythatIwasnotdelighted。JenningsCruteandIwerewaitingforbreakfastwhenIfoundtheletter。Iopeneditveryslowly，forIfearedtheywouldbluffmewithsomeletteraboutillustrationsorrevision，orofferingmeareducedsubscriptiontothemagazine。Therewasaletterinsideandacheck。IreadtheletterbeforeIlookedatthecheck，whichI

supposedwouldbefor$30，astheotherstorywasvaluedat$20。

ThenotesaidthataperfectgentlemannamedChichesterwouldbepleasedifIwouldfindenclosedacheckfor$50。IlookedatJennyhelplessly，andsaid，"It\'sforfifty，Jenny。"Crutehadaninsanelookinhiseyesashemurmured"halfahundreddollars，andonyourdayoff，too。"ThenIsatdownsuddenlyandwonderedwhatIwouldbuyfirst，andCrutesatinadazedcondition，andabstractedlytookahandfulofsegarsoutoftheboxdearoldDadgaveme。AsIdidn\'tsayanything，hetookanotherhandful，andthensatdownandgazedatthecheckforfiveminutesinawe。AfterbreakfastIcalculatedhowmuchIwouldhaveafterIpaidmydebts。Istillowesay$23，andIhavesomeshoestopayforandmyhairtocut。IhadawildideaofgoingovertoNewYorkandbuyingsomestocks，butIguessI\'llgotoBond\'sandBaker\'sinstead。

I\'mgoingdownstreetnowtoseeifDrexelwantstoborrowanyreadymoney-onthewaydownIwillmakepurchasesandpaybillssothatmymarchwillbeatriumphalprocession。

IgotastoryonthefrontpagethismorningaboutanexplosionatColumbiaAvenueStation——Iwentoutonitwithanothermanmyseniorinyearsandexperience，whomWatrousexpectedtowritethestorywhileIhustledforfacts。WhenwegotbackIhadallthefacts，andwhatlittlehehadwasincorrect——soIsaidIwoulddispensewithhisservicesandwritethestorymyself。Ididitverypolitely，butitqueeredthemanbeforethemen，andWatrousgrewverysarcasticathisexpense。NexttimeAndywillknowbetterandletmegetmyownstoriesalone。

YourMillionaireSon，DICK。

I\'mstillthe"sameoldDick"；notproudabit。

Thiswasmymother\'sreply:

Thursday。

August1888。

DEARDICK:

Yourletterhasjustcomeandwearealldelighted。WelldoneforoldSt。Nicholas!Ithoughttheymeanttowaittillthestorywaspublished。IttookmebacktothedaywhenIgot$50。for"LifeintheIronMills。"Icarriedtheletterhalfadaybeforeopeningit，beingsosurethatitwasarefusal。

IhadagreatmindtoreadthelettertoDavisandCecilewhowereontheporchbutwasafraidyouwouldnotlikeit。

IdidreadthemanextremelyimpertinentenclosurewhichwassoliketheletterIsentyesterday。ThatIthinkyougotitbeforewritingthis……WellIamgladaboutthatcheque!HaveyoudoneanythingonGallagher？Thatisbyfarthebestworkyou\'vedone——oh，byfar——SendthattoGilder。InoldtimesTheCenturywouldnotprinttheword"brandy。"Butthosedaysareover。

Twomoredays——dearboy——

MOTHER。

InadditiontohisworkonThePress，Richardalsofoundtimetoassisthisfriend，MortonMcMichael，3d，intheeditingofaweeklypublicationcalledTheStage。Infactwiththeexceptionoftheservicesofanofficeboy，McMichaelandRichardwereTheStage。Betweenthemtheywrotetheeditorials，criticisms，theLondonandParisspecialcorrespondence，solicitedtheadvertisements，andfrequentlyassistedinthewrappingandmailingofthecopiessenttotheirextremelylimitedlistofsubscribers。

Duringthistime，however，RichardwasestablishinghimselfasastarreporteronThePress，andwasalreadyknownasaclevernews-gathererandinterviewer。ItwasinreplytoaletterthatRichardwrotetoRobertLouisStevensonenclosinganinterviewhehadhadwithWaltWhitman，thatStevensonwrotethefollowingletter——whichmybrotheralwaysregardedasoneofhisgreatesttreasures:

Why，thankyousomuchforyourfrank，agreeableandnaturalletter。Itiscertainlyverypleasantthatallyouyoungfellowsshouldenjoymyworkandgetsomegoodoutofitanditwasverykindinyoutowriteandtellmeso。Thetaleofthesuicideisexcellentlydroll，andyourletter，youmaybesure，willbepreserved。Ifyouaretoescapeunhurtoutofyourpresentbusinessyoumustbeverycareful，andyoumustfindinyourheartmuchconstancy。Theswiftlydoneworkofthejournalistandthecheapfinishandreadymademethodstowhichitleads，youmusttrytocounteractinprivatebywritingwiththemostconsiderateslownessandonthemostambitiousmodels。AndwhenIsay"writing"——O，believeme，itisrewritingthatIhavechieflyinmind。IfyouwilldothisIhopetohearofyousomeday。

PleaseexcusethissermonfromYourobligedROBERTLOUISSTEVENSON。

Inthespringof1889RichardasthecorrespondentofthePhiladelphiaTelegraph，accompaniedateamofPhiladelphiacricketersonatourofIrelandandEngland，butasitwasnecessaryforhimtospendmostofhistimereportingthematchesplayedinsmalluniversitytowns，hesawonlyenoughofLondontogivehimagreatlongingtoreturnassoonasthechanceoffered。LatethatsummerheresumedhisworkonThePress，butRichardwasnotatallsatisfiedwithhisjournalisticprogress，andforlonghiseyeshadbeenturnedtowardNewYork。Thereheknewthattherewasnotonlyabroaderfieldforsuchtalentashemightpossess，butthatthechanceforadventurewasmuchgreater，anditwasthishopeandloveofadventurethatkeptRichardmovingonallofhislife。

OnamorninglateinSeptember，1889，hestartedforNewYorktolookforapositionasreporterononeofthemetropolitannewspapers。Idonotknowwhetherhecarriedwithhimanylettersorthathehadanyacquaintancesinthejournalisticworldonwhoseinfluencehecounted，but，inanycase，hevisitedanumberofofficeswithoutanysuccesswhatever。

Indeed，hehadgivenupthedayaswasted，andwasonhiswaytotakethetrainbacktoPhiladelphia。Tiredanddiscouraged，hesatdownonabenchinCityHallPark，andmentallyshookhisfistatthenewspaperofficesonParkRowthathadgivenhimsocoldareception。Atthisall-importantmomentalongcameArthurBrisbane，whomRichardhadmetinLondonwhentheformerwastheEnglishcorrespondentofTheSun。BrisbanehadrecentlybeenappointededitorofTheEveningSun，andhadalreadymetwitharatherspectacularsuccess。OnhearingtheobjectofRichard\'svisittoNewYork，hepromptlyofferedhimapositiononhisstaffandRichardaspromptlyaccepted。Irememberthatthejoyoustelegramhesenttomymother，tellingofhissuccess，anddemandingthatthefattedcalfbekilledfordinnerthatnightwasnotreceivedwithunalloyedhappiness。Tomymotherandfatheritmeantthattheirfirst-bornwasleavinghometoseekhisfortune，andthatwithoutRichard\'sloveandsympathythehomecouldneverbequitethesame。Butthefattedcalfwaskilled，everyonepretendedtobejustaselatedasRichardwasoverhisgoodfortune，andintwodaysheleftusforhisfirstadventure。

ThefollowingnotetohismotherRichardscribbledoffinpencilattherailway-stationonhiswaytoNewYork:

IamnotsurprisedthatyouweresadifyouthoughtIwasgoingawayforgood。Icouldnotthinkofitmyself。Iamonlygoingtomakealittlereputationandtolearnenoughofthebusinesstoenablemetoliveathomeinthecentreoftheuniversewithyou。Thatistruth。Godblessyou。

DICK。

CHAPTERIV

NEWYORK

OfthemanycompletelyhappyperiodsofRichard\'slifetherewerefewmorejoyousthanthefirstyearshespentasareporterinNewYork。Forthefirsttimehewascompletelyhisownmasterandpayinghisownway——aconditionwhichaffordedhiminfinitesatisfaction。HewasgreatlyattachedtoBrisbaneandasdevotedtotheinterestsofTheEveningSunasifhehadbeentheeditorandpublisher。InreturnBrisbanegavehimafreereinandallowedhimtowriteverymuchwhatandashechose。Thetwomenwereconstantlytogether，inandoutofofficehours，andplannedmanyoftheleadingfeaturesofthepaperwhichonaccountofthebrilliancyofitsnewsstoriesandspecialarticleswasatthattimeattractinganextraordinaryamountofattention。

Richarddividedhisworkinghoursbetweenreportingimportantnewsevents，writingspecials(principallyabouttheatricalpeople)，andtheVanBibberstories，nearlyallofwhichwerepublishedforthefirsttimeinTheEveningSun。TheseshorttalesofNewYorklifesoonmadeadistincthit，and，whiletheyappearedanonymously，itwasgenerallyknownthatRichardwastheirauthor。Inadditiontohisnewspaperworkmybrotherwasalsoworkingonshortstoriesforthemagazines，andin1890scoredhisfirstrealsuccessinthisfield，with"Gallegher，"whichappearedinScribner\'s。Thiswasshortlyfollowedby"TheOtherWoman，""MissCatherwaite\'sUnderstudy，""AWalkuptheAvenue，""MyDisreputableFriend，Mr。Raegen，""AnUnfinishedStory，"andotherstoriesthatsoongavehimanestablishedreputationasawriteroffiction。ButwhileRichard\'ssuccesswasattainedinaremarkablyshortspaceoftimeandatanextremelyearlyage，itwasnotaccomplishedwithoutanenormousamountofhardworkandconsiderableprivation。WhenhefirstwenttoNewYorkhissalarywasbutthirtydollarsaweek，andwhileheremainedonTheEveningSunneveroverfiftydollars，andthepriceshereceivedforhisfirstshortstorieswereextremelymeagre。DuringtheearlydaysonTheEveningSunhehadaroominalittlehouseat108WaverlyPlace，andtookhismealsintheneighborhoodwherehehappenedtofindhimselfandwheretheywerecheapest。Heusuallyspenthisweek-endsinPhiladelphia，buthisgreatestpleasurewaswhenhecouldinducesomememberofhisfamilytovisithiminNewYork。IfearIwastheonewhomostoftenacceptedhishospitality，andwonderfulvisitstheywere，certainlytome，andIthinktoRichardaswell。ThegreateventwasourSaturday-nightdinner，whenwealwayswenttoalittlerestaurantonSixthAvenue。Idonotimaginethefifty-centtabled\'hote(vincompris)thegenialMr。Jaussserveduswasanybetterthanmostfifty-centtable-d\'hotedinners，buttheplacewasquaintandredolentofstrangesmellsofcookingaswellasofatruebohemianatmosphere。ThosewerethedayswhentheBroadwayTheatrewasgivenovertothecomicoperasinwhichFrancisWilsonandDeWolfeHopperwerethestars，andasbothofthecomedianswerefirmfriendsofRichard，weinvariablyendedoureveningattheBroadway。Sometimesweoccupiedaboxastheguestsofthemanagement，andatothertimeswewentbehindthescenesandsatinthestar\'sdressing-room。IthinkIlikeditbestwhenHopperwasplaying，becauseduringWilson\'sregimethebigdressing-roomwasarathersolemnsortofplace，butwhenHopperruled，theroomwasfilledwithprettygirlsandhetreatedustofinecigarsandchampagne。

Halcyonnightsthose，andthenonSundaymorningwealwaysbreakfastedatoldMartin\'sonUniversityPlaceeggsalaMartinandthatwonderfulcoffeeandpaindemenage。AndwhatawrenchitwaswhenItoremyselfawayfromthedelightsofthegreatcityandscurriedbacktomydeskinsleepyPhiladelphia。HadIbeenaprinceroyalRichardcouldnothaveplannedmorecarefullythanhedidforthesevisits，andtomeettheexpensewasnoeasymatterforhim。Indeed，I

knowthattopayforallourgayetiesheusuallyhadtocarryhisguitartoaneighboringpawn-brokerwheretheinstrumentwasalwaysgoodforaneight-dollarloan。ButfromthetimeRichardfirstbegantomakehisownlivingoneofthegreatpleasuresofhislifewastocelebrate，orashecalledit，to"haveaparty。"Wheneverhehadfinishedashortstoryhehadaparty，andwhenthestoryhadbeenacceptedtherewasanotherparty，and，ofcourse，therealpartywaswhenhereceivedthecheck。Andsoitwasthroughouthislife，givingapartytosomeonewhomapartywouldhelp，buyingapictureforwhichhehadnousetohelpastrugglingartist，sendingafewtonsofcoaltoanoldladywhowasnotquitewarmenough，alwayswritingaletteroracheckforsomeoneofhisowncraftwhohadbeenlessfortunatethanhe——givingtoeverybeggarthathemet，fearingthatamongallthethousandfakershemightrefuseoneworthycase。IthinkthishabitofgivingRichardmusthaveinheritedfromhisfather，whogaveoutofallproportiontohismeans，andwithnevertoocloseascrutinytotheworthinessofthecause。Bothmenweretoointenselyhumantodothat，butifthisgreatdesireonthepartofmyfatherandbrothertohelpothersgavetherecipientspleasureI\'msurethatitcausedintheheartsofthegiversanevengreaterhappiness。ThefollowingletterswerechosenfromagreatnumberwhichRichardwrotetohisfamily，tellingofhisfirstdaysonTheEveningSun，andofhislifeinNewYork。

YORKEveningSun——1890

DEARMOTHER:

Todayisaslovelyandfreshasthemorning，arealspringday，andIfeelgoodinconsequence。Ihavejustcomefromacoupleofraids，wherewehadaverylivelytime，andsomeofthemhadtopulltheirguns。Ifounditnecessarytopunchafewsportsmyself。TheoldsergeantfromheadquarterstreatsmelikeasonandtakesthegreatestprideinwhateverIdoorwrite。Heregularlyassignsmenowtocertaindoors，andI

alwaysobeyorderslikethelittlegentlemanthatIam。

Insteadofmakingmeunpopular，Ifindithelpsmewiththesports，thoughithurtsmychancesprofessionally，assomanyofthemknowmenowthatIamnouseinsomedistricts。Forinstance，inMottandPellstreets，orintheBowery，Iamassafeasanyprecinctdetective。Itellyouthistokeepyoufromworrying。Theywon\'ttouchamanwhomtheythinkisanagentoranofficer。Onlyitspoilsmychancesofdoingreportorial-detectivework。Forinstance，thecaptainoftheBowerydistrictrefusedmeadetectivetheothermorningtotaketheShippensaroundtheChineseandthetougherquartersbecausehesaidtheywereassafewithmeaswithanyoftheothermenwhosefacesareaswellknown。To-nightIamgoingtotakeapartytotheheadquartersofthefiredepartment，whereI

haveacinchonthecaptain，averynicefellow，whoisunusuallygratefulforsomethingIwroteabouthimandhismen。TheyaregoingtodotheStillAlarmactforme。

Theseclippingsallcameoutinto-day\'spaper。TheladiesintheTombsweretheShippens，ofcourse；andMamieBlakeisarealgirl，andthestoryistruefromstarttofinish。I

thinkitisapatheticlittlehistory。

Givemylovetoall。IwillbringonthestoryIhavefinishedandgetyoutomakesomesuggestions。Itisquiteshort。SinceScribner\'shavebeensocivil，IthinkIwillgivethemachanceatthegreatprize。IamwritingacomicguidebookandahistoryoftheHaymarketforthepaper；botharerichinopportunities。Thisweathermakesmefeellikeanotherperson。Iwillbesogladtogethome。WithlotsofloveandkissesforyouandNora。

DICK-O。

NEWYORK——1890。

DEARCHAS:

BrisbanehassuggestedtomethattheBradleystorywouldleadanyonetosupposethatmyeveningswerespentintheboudoirsofthehorizontalesof34thStreetandhasscaredmesomewhatinconsequence。IfitstrikesyouandDadthesamewaydon\'tshowittoMother。DadmadeonemistakebythinkingIwroteagamblingstorywhichhasmademenervous。Itishardlythefairthingtosupposethatamanmusthaveanintimateacquaintancewithwhateverhewritesofintimately。Alotofhuntingpeople，forinstance，wouldnotbelievethatIhadwrittenthe"Traver\'sOnlyRide"storybecausetheyknewIdidnothunt。Don\'teitheryouorDadmakeanymistakeaboutthis。

DICK。

Asamatteroffacttheywouldnotletmeintheroom，andI

don\'tknowwhetheritaboundedinsignedetchingsorBougereau\'snymphs。

NEWYORK——1890。

DEARFAMILY:

Todayhasbeenmoreorlessfeverish。Inthemorning\'smailI

receivedaletterfromBerlinaskingpermissiontotranslate"Gallegher"intoGerman，andaproofofaparagraphfromTheCriticonmyburlesqueofRudyardKipling，whichwasmeanttopleasebutwhichboredme。Thenthe"Raegen"storycamein，makingninepagesoftheScribner\'s，whichattendollarsapageoughttobe$90。Prettygoodpayforthreeweeks\'work，anditisagoodstory。Thenattwelveayoungmancamebustlingintotheoffice，stuckhiscarddownonthedeskandsaid，"IamS。S。McClure。IhavesentmyLondonrepresentativetoBerlinandmyNewYorkmantoLondon。WillyoutakechargeofmyNewYorkend？"

Ifhethoughttorattlemehewasverymuchoutofit，forI

saidinhissametoneandmanner，"BringyourNewYorkrepresentativebackandsendmetoLondon，andI\'llconsiderit。AslongasIaminNewYorkIwillnotleaveTheEveningSun。"

"EdmundGosseismyLondonrepresentative，"hesaid；"youcanhavethesameworkhere。Comeoutandtakelunch。"

Isaid，"Thankyou，Ican\'t；I\'llseeyouonTuesday。"

"Allright，"hesaid。"I\'llcomeforyou。ThinkofwhatI

say。I\'llmakeyourfortune。BradfordMerrilltoldmetogetyou。Youwon\'thaveanythingtodobutaskpeopletowritenovelsandeditthem。I\'llsendyouabroadlaterifyoudon\'tlikeNewYork。Canyouwriteanychildren\'sstoriesforme？"

"No，"Isaid，"seeyouTuesday。"

Thisisaverbalreportofallandeverythingthatwassaid。

Iconsideritacuriousinterview。ItwillraisemysalaryhereorIgo。WhatdoYOUthink？

DICK。

NEWYORK——1890。

DEARFAMILY:

ThemoreIthoughtoftheMcClureofferthelessIthoughtofit。SoItoldhimlastnightIwassatisfiedwhereIwas，andthatthe$75heofferedmewasnoinducement。BrisbanesaysI

willget$50aboutthefirstofOctober，whichisplentyandenoughforayoungmanwhointendstobegoodtohisfolks。I

cannotdobetterthanstaywhereIam，foritisunderstoodbetweenBrisbaneandLaffanthatintheeventoftheformer\'sgoingintopoliticsIshalltakehisplace，whichwillsuitverywelluntilsomethingbetterturnsup。ThenthereisthechanceofWhite\'scomingbackandmygoingtoLunnon，whichwouldpleasemenowmoreforwhatIthinkIcouldmakeofitthanwhatIthinkothershavemadeofit。IfIhadgonetoMcClureIwouldhavebeenshelvedandside-tracked，andIamstillintherunning，andlearningeveryday。

BrisbaneandIhavehadourfirstseriousdifficultyoverMrs。R——，whoisstayingwithMrs。"Bill。"Thereisatpresentthemostdesperaterivalry，andwediscusseachother\'schanceswithgreatanger。Hecountsonhistranscontinentalknowledge，butmyshortstorieshitveryhard，andheisnotinitwhenIsing"ThyFaceWillLeadMeOn"and"WhenKerriganStruckHighC。"ShehasafatalfondnessforSullivan，whichismostunfortunate，asBrisbanecananddoestellherabouthimbythehalfhour。Yesterdaywebothtriedtoimpressherbyridingdowninfrontoftheporchandshowingoffthehorsesandourselves。Brisbanecameoffbest，thoughIcameoffquickest，formyhorseputhisfootinaholeandwentdownonhisknees，whileIwentoverhisheadliketheWhiteKnightin"Alice。"Iwouldthinknothingofslidingoffaroofnow。ButImadeupforthismishapbycomingbackinmygreysuitandhavingitcomparedwiththepictureinTheCentury。Itisaveryclosefight，and，whileBrisbaneischasingovertownforphotographsofSullivan，Iambuyingbooksofversesofwhichsheseemstobefond。Assoonasshegetsherdivorceoneofusisgoingtomarryher。Wedon\'tknowwhich。SheisaboutasbeautifulawomanasIeversaw，andverywittyandwell-informed，butitwouldcostagooddealtokeepherindiamonds。ShewearssometheQueengaveher，butshewantsmore。

DICK。

NEWYORK——1890。

DEARMOTHER(LATEMA):

Iamwellandwithlotstodo。IwentuptoseeHoppertheothernight，whichwasthefirsttimeinthreemonthsthatI

havebeenbackofatheater，anditwaslikegoinghome。

ThereisasmellaboutthepaintyandgassyanddustyplacethatIloveasmuchasfreshearthandnewlycuthay，andthegirlslooksoprettyandboldlyingaroundonthesets，andthemensooutoffocusandwithsuchstartlingcheeksandlips。Theywereverygladtoseemeandmadeagreatfuss。ThenI\'vebeentoseeCarmencitadance，whichIenjoyedremarkably，andIhavebeenreadingRudyardKipling\'sshortstories，andIthinkitisdisgustingthataboylikethatshouldwritesuchstories。Hehasn\'tlefthimselfanythingtodowhenhegetsold。HeremindsmeofBretHarteandnotabitofStevenson，towhomsomeofthemcomparehim。

Iamverygladyoulikedtheladyinmid-airstorysomuch，butitwasn\'tabitnecessarytoaddtheMORALfromaMOTHER。IsawitcomingupbeforeIhadreadtwolines；andaverygoodmoralitis，too，withwhichIagreeheartily。

But，ofcourse，youknowitisnotanewideatome。Anythingasgoodandtrueasthatmoralcannotbenewatthislatedate。IwenttotheBrooklynHandicapraceyesterday。Itisoneofthethreebiggestracesoftheyear，andamanstoodinfrontofmeinthepaddockinawhitehat。Anothermanaskedhimwhathewas"playing。"

"Well，"hesaid，"IfancyFidesmyself。"

"Fides!"saidhisfriend，"why，sheain\'tinit。Shewon\'tseehome。Raceland\'sthehorseforyourmoney；she\'sfavorite，andthereisn\'tanysecondchoice。ButFides!Why，she\'ssimplyimpossible。RacelandbeatHERlastSuburban。"

"Yes，Iremember，"saidthemaninthewhitehat，"butIfancyFides。"

Thenanotherchapsaidtohim，"Fidesisallgoodenoughonadusttrackonasunny，pleasantday，butshecan\'traninthemud。Shehasn\'tgotthestayingpowers。She\'saprettyonetolookat，butshe\'sjusta`grandstand\'ladies\'choice。Sheain\'tinitwithRacelandorErica。ThehorseYOUwantisnotapretty，daintyflyer，butastayer，thatissureandthatbringsingoodmoney，notbigodds，butgoodmoney。Why，Icannameyouadozenbetter\'nFides。"

"Still，somehow，IlikeFidesbest，"saidtheobstinatemaninthewhitehat。

"ButFideswilltakethebitinhermouthandrunaway，orthrowthejockorbreakintothefence。Sheisn\'tsteady。

She\'sallrighttohavealittlebeton，justenoughforaflyer，butshe\'snotthehorsetoplungeon。Ifyou\'reamillionairewithmoneytothrowaway，why，youmightputsomeofituponher，but，asitis，youwanttoputyourmoneywhereitwillbesureofa`place，\'anyway。Now，letmemarkyourcardforyou？"

"No，"saidtheman，"whatyouallsayisreasonable，Iseethat；but，somehow，IratherfancyFidesbest。"

I\'veforgottennowwhetherFideswonornot，andwhethershelandedthemanwhojustfanciedherwithoutknowingwhyawinnerorsenthimhomebroke。But，inanyevent，thatisquiteimmaterial，thestorysimplyshowshowobstinatesomemenareasregardshorsesand——otheruncertaincritters。I

havenodoubtbutthattheMethodistminister\'sdaughterwouldhavemadeHiramhappyifhehadlovedher，buthedidn\'t。NodoubtAnne——，Nan——，Katy——andMaude——wouldhavemademehappyiftheywouldhaveconsentedtohavemeandI

hadhappenedtolovethem，butIfanciedFides。

ButnowsinceIhavescaredyousufficiently，letmeaddforyourpeaceofmindthatI\'venotenoughmoneytobackanyhorsesjustatpresent，andbeforeIputanymoneyuponanyoneofthemfortheMatrimonialstakes，Iwillaskyoufirsttolookoverthecardandgivemeafewpointers。Imayn\'tfollowthem，youknow，butI\'llgiveyouafairwarning，atanyrate。

"You\'remysweetheart，I\'myourbeau。"

DICK。

NEWYORK，May29，1890。

ThisisjustalittlegoodnightnotetosayhowIwishIwaswithyoudownatthatdearoldplaceandhowmuchIloveyouandNorawhoisgettinglovelierandsweeterandprettiereverydayandIknowaprettygirlwhenIsee\'em，Fides，forinstance。ButIwon\'tteaseyouaboutthatanymore。

IfinishedashortsillystorytonightwhichIamindoubtwhethertosendoffornot。IthinkIwillkeepituntilI

readittoyouandlearnwhatyouthink。

Mr。GilderhasaskedmetostaywiththematMarion，andtogotoCambridgewithMrs。GilderanddearMrs。ClevelandandGroverCleveland，whenhereadsthepoembeforeD。K。E。

Ihaveboughtabookondecorations，colored，andIamchoosingwhatIwant，likeaboywithanewpairofboots。

Good-night，mydearestMama。

DICK。

InadditiontohisregularworkonTheEveningSun，mybrother，asIhavealreadysaid，wasdevotingagreatpart，ofhisleisuremomentstothewritingofshortstories，andhadmadeatentativeagreementwithawell-knownmagazinetodoaseriesofshortsketchesofNewYorktypes。EvidentlyfearfulthatRichardwaswritingtoomuchandwithaviewtopecuniarygain，mymotherwrotethefollowingnoteofwarning:

PHILADELPHIA，1890。

DEARDICK:

Iwouldn\'tundertakethe"types。"Foronething，youwillloseprestigewritingfor——\'spaper。Foranother，Idreadbeyondeverythingyourbeginningtodohackworkformoney。

Itisthebeginningofdecadencebothinworkandreputationforyou。Iknowbymyownandathousandotherpeople。Begintowritebecauseit"isalotofmoney"andyoustopdoingyourbestwork。Youmakeyourworkcommonandyourpriceswillsoongodown。GeorgeLewesmanagedGeorgeEliotwisely。

Hestoppedherhackwork。Keptheratwritingnovelsandsoononeeachyearbroughther$40，000。Iamtakingapurelymercenaryviewofthething。ThereisanotherwhichyouunderstandbetterthanI——MindyourMother\'sadvicetoyou——nowandallthetimeis"doonlyyourbestwork——evenifyoustarvedoingit。"Butyouwon\'tstarve。You\'llgetyourdinneratMartin\'sinsteadofDelmonico\'s，whichwon\'thurtyouinthelongrun。Anyhow，$1000。for12，500wordsisnotagreatprice。

Thatwasafineteayougave。Ishouldliketohaveheardthegoodtalk。Itwasliketheregimentofbrigadiergeneralswithnoprivates。