Part 3 (2/2)

Between them they wrote the editorials, criticisms, the London and Paris special correspondence, solicited the advertise of the copies sent to their extre this ti himself as a star reporter on The Press, and was already known as a clever news-gatherer and interviewer

It was in reply to a letter that Richard wrote to Robert Louis Stevenson enclosing an interview he had had with Walt Whit letter--which reatest treasures:

Why, thank you so reeable and natural letter

It is certainly very pleasant that all you young fellows should enjoy ood out of it and it was very kind in you to write and tell me so The tale of the suicide is excellently droll, and your letter, you may be sure, will be preserved If you are to escape unhurt out of your present business you must be very careful, and you must find in your heart much constancy The swiftly done work of the journalist and the cheap finish and ready made methods to which it leads, youwith the most considerate slowness and on the ”--O, believethat I have chiefly in mind If you will do this I hope to hear of you soed

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON

In the spring of 1889 Richard as the correspondent of the Philadelphia Telegraph, accompanied a tealand, but as it was necessary for hi the h of London to give hi to return as soon as the chance offered Late that summer he resumed his work on The Press, but Richard was not at all satisfied with his journalistic progress, and for long his eyes had been turned toward New York There he knew that there was not only a broader field for such talent as he reater, and it was this hope and love of adventure that kept Richardlate in September, 1889, he started for New York to look for a position as reporter on one of the metropolitan newspapers I do not knohether he carried with him any letters or that he had any acquaintances in the journalistic world on whose influence he counted, but, in any case, he visited a nuiven up the day as wasted, and was on his way to take the train back to Philadelphia Tired and discouraged, he sat down on a bench in City Hall Park, and mentally shook his fist at the newspaper offices on Park Row that had given hi came Arthur Brisbane, wholish correspondent of The Sun Brisbane had recently been appointed editor of The Evening Sun, and had alreadythe object of Richard's visit to New York, he promptly offered him a position on his staff and Richard as prora that the fatted calf be killed for dinner that night was not received with unalloyed happiness To myhome to seek his fortune, and that without Richard's love and sympathy the home could never be quite the same But the fatted calf was killed, every one pretended to be just as elated as Richard was over his good fortune, and in two days he left us for his first adventure

The following note to his mother Richard scribbled off in pencil at the railway-station on his way to New York:

I a away for good I could not think of itto h of the business to enable me to live at home in the centre of the universe with you That is truth

God bless you

dick

CHAPTER IV

NEW YORK

Of the many completely happy periods of Richard's life there were few more joyous than the first years he spent as a reporter in New York

For the first ti his oay--a condition which afforded hireatly attached to Brisbane and as devoted to the interests of The Evening Sun as if he had been the editor and publisher In return Brisbane gave him a free rein and allowed him to write very ether, in and out of office hours, and plannedfeatures of the paper which on account of the brilliancy of its news stories and special articles was at that ti an extraordinary a hours between reporting i specials (principally about theatrical people), and the Van Bibber stories, nearly all of which were published for the first ti Sun These short tales of New York life soon made a distinct hit, and, while they appeared anonyenerally known that Richard was their author In addition to his newspaper work azines, and in 1890 scored his first real success in this field, with ”Gallegher,” which appeared in Scribner's This was shortly followed by ”The Other Woman,” ”Miss Catherwaite's Understudy,” ”A Walk up the Avenue,” ”My Disreputable Friend, Mr Raegen,” ”An Unfinished Story,” and other stories that soon gave him an established reputation as a writer of fiction But while Richard's success was attained in a ree, it was not accomplished without an enormous amount of hard work and considerable privation When he first went to New York his salary was but thirty dollars a week, and while he re Sun never over fifty dollars, and the prices he received for his first short stories were extre Sun he had a room in a little house at 108 Waverly Place, and took his hborhood where he happened to find himself and where they were cheapest He usually spent his week-ends in Philadelphia, but his greatest pleasure hen he could induce some member of his family to visit him in New York I fear I was the one who most often accepted his hospitality, and wonderful visits they were, certainly to reat event was our Saturday-night dinner, ays went to a little restaurant on Sixth Avenue I do not ienial Mr Jauss served us was any better than most fifty-cent table-d'hote dinners, but the place was quaint and redolent of strange s as well as of a true bohemian ativen over to the comic operas in which Francis Wilson and De Wolfe Hopper were the stars, and as both of the comedians were fir at the Broadway Soement, and at other ti-roo, because during Wilson's regi-room was a rather solemn sort of place, but when Hopper ruled, the rooars and cha ays breakfasted at old Martin's on University Place eggs a la Martin and that wonderful coffee and pain de e And what a wrench it hen I tore reat city and scurried back to my desk in sleepy Philadelphia Had I been a prince royal Richard could not have planned more carefully than he did for these visits, and to meet the expense was no easy ayeties he usually had to carry his guitar to a neighboring pawn-broker where the instruht-dollar loan But fro one of the great pleasures of his life was to celebrate, or as he called it, to ”have a party” Whenever he had finished a short story he had a party, and when the story had been accepted there was another party, and, of course, the real party hen he received the check And so it was throughout his life, giving a party to so a picture for which he had no use to help a struggling artist, sending a few tons of coal to an old lady as not quite war a letter or a check for soiving to every beggar that he ht refuse one worthy case I think this habit of giving Richard ave out of all proportion to his means, and with never too close a scrutiny to the worthiness of the cause

Both reat desire on the part of ave the recipients pleasure I'reater happiness The following letters were chosen fro of his first days on The Evening Sun, and of his life in New York

YORK Evening Sun--1890

DEAR MOTHER:

Today is as lovely and fresh as the ood in consequence I have just come from a couple of raids, where we had a very lively tiuns I found it necessary to punch a few sports eant froreatest pride in whatever I do or write He regularly assigns me now to certain doors, and I always obey orders like the little gentle h it hurts my chances professionally, as so many of them know me now that I am no use in some districts For instance, in Mott and Pell streets, or in the Bowery, I am as safe as any precinct detective I tell you this to keep you froent or an officer Only it spoilsreportorial-detective work For instance, the captain of the Bowery district refusedto take the shi+ppens around the Chinese and the tougher quarters because he said they were as safe with me as with any of the otherto take a party to the headquarters of the fire department, where I have a cinch on the captain, a very nice felloho is unusually grateful for so to do the Still Alars all came out in to-day's paper The ladies in the Tombs were the shi+ppens, of course; and Mairl, and the story is true from start to finish I think it is a pathetic little history

Giveon the story I have finished and get you to estions It is quite short Since Scribner's have been so civil, I think I will give theuide book and a history of the Haymarket for the paper; both are rich in opportunities This weather et home With lots of love and kisses for you and Nora

dick-O