adventures and letters-第13章

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In　the　spring　of　1891　my　mother　and　sister；　Nora；　went　abroad　for　the　summer；　and　the　following　note　was　written　to　Richard　just　before　my　mother　sailed：

DEAR　DICK：

This　is　just　to　give　my　dearest　love　to　you　my　darling。　　Some　day　at　sea　when　I　cannot　hear　you　nor　see　you；　whenever　it　is　that　you　get　itnight　or　morning…you　may　be　sure　that　we　are　all　loving　and　thinking　of　you。

Keep　close　to　the　Lord。　　Your　Lord　who　never　has　refused　to　hear　a　prayer　of　yours。

Just　think　that　I　have　kissed　you　a　thousand　times。

MOTHER。



FRANKLIN　SQUARE；　NEW　YORK。

June；　1891。

DEAR　MOTHER：

Your　letters　are　a　great　delight　to　me　but　I　think　you　are　going　entirely　too　quickly。　　You　do　not　feel　it　now　but　you　are　simply　hurrying　through　the　courses　of　your　long　dinner　so　rapidly　that　when　dessert　comes　you　will　not　be　up　to　it。　　A　day　or　two's　rest　and　less　greed　to　see　many　things　would　be　much　more　fun　I　should　think；　and　you　will　enjoy　those　days　more　to　look　back　to　when　you　wandered　around　some　little　town　by　yourselves　and　made　discoveries　than　those　you　spent　doing　what　you　feel　you　ought　to　do。　　Excuse　this　lecture　but　I　know　that　when　I　got　to　Paris　I　wanted　to　do　nothing　but　sit　still　and　read　and　let　〃sights〃　go　You　will　soon　learn　not　to　duplicate　and　that　one　cathedral　will　answer　for　a　dozen。　　And　I　am　disappointed　in　your　mad　desire　to　get　to　Edinboro　to　get　letters　from　home；　as　though　you　couldn't　get　letters　from　me　every　day　of　your　life　and　as　if　there　were　not　enough　of　you　together　to　keep　from　getting　homesick。　　I　am　ashamed　of　you。　　But　that　is　all　the　scolding　I　have　to　do　for　I　do　not　know　what　has　given　me　more　pleasure　than　your　letters　and　Nora's　especially。　　They　tell　me　the　best　news　in　the　world　and　that　is；　that　you　are　all　getting　as　much　happiness　out　of　it　as　I　have　prayed　you　would。　　I　may　go　over　in　September　myself。　　　But　I　would　only　go　to　London。　　Now；　then　for　Home　news。　　　I　have　sold　the　〃Reporter　Who　Made　Himself　King〃　to　　McClure's　for　300。　to　be　published　in　the　syndicate　in　　August。　　I　have　finished　〃Her　First　Appearance〃　and　Gibson　　is　doing　the　illustrations；　three。　　I　got　175。　for　it。

I　am　now　at　work　on　a　story　about　Arthur　Cumnock；　Harvard's　football　captain　who　was　the　hero　of　Class　Day。　　It　will　come　out　this　week　and　will　match　Lieut。　Grant's　chance。　　In　July　I　begin　a　story　called　the　〃Traveller's　Tale〃　which　will　be　used　in　the　November　Harper。　　That　is　all　_I_　am　doing。

So　far　the　notices　of　〃Gallegher〃　have　been　very　good；　I　mean　the　English　ones。

I　went　up　to　Class　Day　on　Friday　and　spent　the　day　with　Miss　Fairchild　and　Miss　Howells　and　with　Mr。　H。　for　chaperone。　　He　is　getting　old　and　says　he　never　deserved　the　fuss　they　made　over　him。　　We　had　a　pretty　perfect　day　although　it　threatened　rain　most　of　the　time。　　We　wandered　around　from　one　spread　to　another　meeting　beautifully　dressed　girls　everywhere　and　〃lions〃　and　celebrities。　　Then　the　fight　for　the　roses　around　the　tree　was　very　interesting　and　picturesque　and　arena　like　and　the　best　of　all　was　sitting　in　the　broad　window　seats　of　the　dormitories　with　a　Girl　or　two；　generally　〃a〃　girl　and　listening　to　the　glee　club　sing　and　watching　the　lanterns　and　the　crowds　of　people　as　beautiful　as　Redfern　could　make　them。

Half　of　Seabright　was　burnt　down　last　week　but　not　my　half；　although　the　fire　destroyed　all　the　stores　and　fishermen's　houses　and　stopped　only　one　house　away　from　Pannachi's；　where　I　will　put　up。　　I　am　very　well　and　content　and　look　forward　to　much　pleasure　this　summer　at　Seabright　and　much　work。　　I　find　I　have　seldom　been　so　happy　as　when　working　hard　and　fast　as　I　have　been　forced　to　do　these　last　two　weeks　and　so　I　will　keep　it　up。　　Not　in　such　a　way　as　to　hurt　me　but　just　enough　to　keep　me　happy。　DICK。


NEW　YORK；　August　1891。　From　The　Pall　Mall　Budget　Gazette。

〃The　Americans　are　saying；　by　the　way；　that　they　have　discovered　a　Rudyard　Kipling　of　their　own。　　This　is　Mr。　Richard　Harding　Davis；　a　volume　of　whose　stories　has　been　published　this　week　by　Mr。　Osgood。　　Mr。　Davis　is　only　twenty…six；　was　for　sometime　on　the　staff　of　the　New　York　Evening　Sun。　　He　is　now　the　editor　of　Harper's　Weekly。〃

That　is　me。　　I　have　also　a　mother　and　sister　who　once　went　to　London　and　what　do　you　think　they　first　went　to　see；　in　London；　mind　you。　　They　got　into　a　four　wheeler　and　they　said　〃cabby　drive　as　fast　as　you　can；〃　not　knowing　that　four　wheelers　never　go　faster　than　a　dead　march〃　to〃　where　do　you　think？　St。　Paul's；　the　Temple；　the　Abbey；　their　lodgings；　the　Houses　of　Parliamentthe　Pavilion　Music　Hallthe　Towerno　to　none　of　these〃To　the　Post　Office。〃　　That　is　what　my　mother　and　sister　did！　　After　this　when　they　hint　that　they　would　like　to　go　again　and　say　〃these　muffins　are　not　English　muffins〃　and　〃do　you　remember　the　little　Inn　at　Chester；　ah；　those　were　happy　days；〃　I　will　say；　〃And　do　you　remember　the　Post　Office　in　Edinburgh　and　London。　　We　have　none　such　in　America。〃　　And　as　they　only　go　abroad　to　get　letters　they　will　hereafter　go　to　Rittenhouse　Square　and　I　will　write　letters　to　them　from　London。　　All　this　shows　that　a　simple　hurriedly　written　letter　from　Richard　Harding　Davis　is　of　more　value　than　all　the　show　places　of　London。　　It　makes　me　quite　PROUD。　　And　so　does　this：

〃‘Gallegher'　is　as　good　as　anything　of　Bret　Harte's；　although　it　is　in　Mr。　Davis's　own　vein；　not　in　the　borrowed　vein　of　Bret　Harte　or　anybody　else。　　‘The　Cynical　Miss　Catherwaight'　is　very　good；　too；　and　‘Mr。　Raegen'　is　still　better。〃

But　on　the　other　hand；　it　makes　me　tired；　and　so　does　this：

〃‘The　Other　Woman'　is　a　story　which　offends　good　taste　in　more　than　one　way。　　It　is　a　blunder　to　have　written　it；　a　greater　blunder　to　have　published　it；　and　a　greater　blunder　STILL　to　have　republished　it。〃

I　suppose　now　that　Dad　has　crossed　with　Prince　George　and　Nora　has　seen　the　Emperor；　that　you　will　be　proud　too。　　But　you　will　be　prouder　of　your　darling　boy　Charles；　even　though　he　does　get　wiped　out　at　Seabright　next　week　and　you　will　be　even　prouder　when　he　writes　great　stories　for　The　Evening　Sun。

RICHARD。


The　Players；

16　Gramercy　Park。

24th；　　1891。　DEAR　FAMILY：

I　had　a　great　day　at　the　game　and　going　there　and　coming　back。　　I　met　a　great　many　old　football　men　and　almost　all　of　them　spoke　of　the　〃Out　of　the　Game〃　story。　　Cumnock；　Camp；　Poe；　Terry　and　lots　more　whose　names　mean　nothing　to　you；　so　ignorant　are　you；　were　there　and　we　had　long　talks。　I　went　to　see　Cleveland　yesterday　about　a　thing　of　which　I　have　thought　much　and　talked　less　and　that　was　going　into　politics　in　this　country。　　To　say　he　discouraged　me　in　so　doing　would　be　saying　the　rain　is　wet。　　He　seemed　to　think　breaking　stones　as　a　means　of　getting　fame　and　fortune　was　quicker　and　more　genteel。　　I　also　saw　her　and　the　BABY。　　She　explained　why　she　had　not　written　you　and　also　incidentally　why　she　HAD　written　Childs。　　I　do　not　know　as　what　Cleveland　said　made　much　impression　upon　mealthough　I　found　out　what　I　could　expect　from　himthat　is　nothing　here　but　apparently　a　place　abroad　if　I　wanted　it。　　But　he　thought　Congress　was　perfectly　feasible　but　the　greatest　folly　to　go　there。　DICK。



CHAPTER　V　FIRST　TRAVEL　ARTICLES


For　Richard　these　first　years　in　New　York　were　filled　to　overflowing　with　many　varied　interests；　quite　enough　to　satisfy　most　young　men　of　twenty…seven。　　He　had　come　and　seen　and　to　a　degree；　so　far　as　the　limitation　of　his　work　would　permit；　had　conquered　New　York；　but　Richard　thoroughly　realized　that　New　York　was　not　only　a　very　small　part　of　the　world　but　of　his　own　country；　and　that　to　write　about　his　own　people　and　his　own　country　and　other　people　and　other　lands　he　must　start　his　travels　at　an　early　age；　and　go　on　travelling　until　the　end。　　And　for　the　twenty…five　years　that　followed　that　was　what　Richard　did。　　Even　when　he　was　not　on　his　travels　but　working　on　a　novel　or　a　play　at　Marion　or　later　on　at　Mount　Kisco；　so　far　as　it　was　possible　he　kept　in　touch　with　events　that　were　happening　and　the　friends　that　he　had　made　all　over　the　globe。　　He　subscribed　to　most　of　the　English　and　French　illustrated　periodicals　and　to　one　London　daily　newspaper　which　every　day　he　read　with　the　same　interest　that　he