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，writingspecialsprincipallyabouttheatricalpeople，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\'hotevincompristhegenialMr。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。
DEARMOTHERLATEMA:
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。