Part 20 (2/2)

He dawned onof 1906, a stocky, sturdy, penetrative tee, steady of eye, rather aloof and yet pervasive and bristling; a devouring type

Without saying rain of salt, he ed to impress hih I could see at a glance that he was not so very much impressed with me I was an older man than he by, say, ten years, an editor of an uniht in (which he did not know) to turn it into so better In order to earn a few dollars he had undertaken to prepare for the previous editor aabout newspaper writing as a career for woed, and I felt that it was but just that it should be paid for

”Why do you waste your ti to criticize and yet encourage him at one and the sanement which could not now be used ”You look to me to have tooworth your ti sledge-dog, of which by the way he reazine in this town that would buy anything that I thought worthy of , but you really don't want anything very is probably, written to a theory or down to 'our policy' I know Give me the stuff You don't have to take it

It was ordered, but I'll throw it in the waste basket”

”Not so fast! Not so fast!” I replied, ade andconditions in Ae in his way, quite ani as fresh and clean about hiin prairies He typified for th of my country, but with more ”punch” than it usually et excited, and don't snarl,” I cooed ”I knohat you say is true They don't really wantfor some one else, as most of us do, for the dear circulation departet very far above crowd needs and tastes

I've been in your position exactly I am now Where do you come from?”

He told me--Missouri--and some very few years before from its state university

”And what is it you want to do?”

”What's that to you?” he replied irritatingly, with an ingrowing and obvious self-conviction of superiority and withdrawing as though he highly resentedand intrusive ”You probably wouldn't understand if I told you Just noant to write enough , that's all”

”Dear, dear!” I said, laughing at the slap ”What a bravo we are!

Really, you're interesting But suppose now you and I get down to brass tacks You want to do soet paid for it I rather like you, and anyhow you look to s I want, or so you can--soet aith in this enuine color out of the life of New York, if such a thing can be published in an ordinaryI want,” and I outlined to hiazine under ht”to recast it into a national or international htly

”Well, ht co I don't know It's _possible_ that you may be the one to do it” He e

Judging by the snide editors and publications in this town, no one in A decent” His lip curled ”I have ah the azines of this town; e was under way here”

”Well, it is,” I said ”Still, you can't expect much from this either, reazine We'll see how far we can go with really interesting material And now if you know of any others like yourself, bring them in here I need them I'll pay you for that article, only I'll include it in a better price I'll give you for so else later, see?”

I smiled and he smiled His was a warmth which was infectious when he chose to yield, but it was always a repressed warht He went away and I saw hiht ivea staff which should if possible, I decided after seeing him, include him I could probably use him as a salaried ”special” writer, provided he could be trained to write ”specials” He looked so intelligent and ambitious that he promised much Besides, the little article which he had left when he caed as to its ideas or best points, was exceedingly ritten fro I had given him to atte picture of the East Side, intended to appeal to readers elsewhere than in the city, but while in the matter of color and definiteness of expression as well as choice of words it was exceptional, it was lacking in, quite as the first one had been, the arrangement of its best points This I explained to him, and also made it clear to him that I could show hih, quite anxious, although alith an air of reserve, as if he were accorasped the idea of order swiftly, and in a little while, having worked at a table in an outer rooeda nu on one ”special” and another in this ith rasp the theory I had, or at least to develop a method of his ohich was quite as satisfactory to me, and I was very ular salary

It was pathetic, as I look at it now, the things ere trying to do and the conditions under which ere trying to do them--the raw co, the necessity of explaining and fighting for so ue over at all We were in new roo, filled with lu the completion of partitions which, as some one remarked, ”would divide us up” Our publisher and oas a sotism and middle-class conviction as to the need of ”push,”

ambition, ”closeness to life,” ”punch,” and what not else, A on us, orthe ”hows” and the ”whyfors” of the drea aboutto make real

It was essential todifferent should be done, so metropolitan life and action be struck; the old, slow and sos dispensed with, at least in this instance, and here was a youth who seeorous, so avid of life, so anxious to picture the very at to portray I felt stronger, better for having hirowth of the city, the character and atreat social fortune, event, condition, crime interested him intensely; on the other hand he was so very easy to teach, quick to sense anted and the order in which it must be presented A few brief technical explanations froertips, and thereafter gavetowas his own character, as it was revealed tocontact with hilad to learn, was no na school of literary composition On the contrary he sounded, for the first tis with literary aspirants of every kind, that sure, sane, penetrating, non-sentimental note so common to the best writers of the Continent, a note entirely free from mush, bravado and cant He had a style as clear as water, as simple as rain; color, romance, humor; and if a little too ive hi with literary and artistic aspirants of different kinds in connection with the publications of which I had been a part, this one appealed tochange

One day, only a feeeks after I hadthat I was alert for fiction, poetry and short essays or prose phantasies, all illustrative of the spirit of New York, he brought reatly It was so brief and forceful and yet so delicate, a double triolet of the old French order, but with the modernity and flavor of the streets outside, the conduit cars, hand-organs and dancing children of the pavelish word ”Spring” would have done as well, but it was typical of his mood at the time, his literary adorations He was in leash to the French school of which de Maupassant was the outstanding lu,” I exclai else you have Do you write short stories?”

For answer heand arrogant and contemptuous way, as much as to say, ”Let me see if you are really worth my tied ht write a short story” Seeing that I ned to say, ”Sure, I write short stories What do you think I'ht be interested in novels only or plays, or poetry”