Chapter LXXI

"Ah! another letter from 'Floy,'" said Mr. Walter, as he seated himself in his office; "now I shall hear how Lescom and Tibbetts & Co. feel about losing her. 'Floy' had probably told them by the time she wrote, and they have probably told her that she owes her reputation to them, called her ungrateful, and all that sort of thing; let us see what she says."

After reading 'Floy's' letter, Mr. Walter laid it down and began muttering out his thoughts after his usual fashion. "Just as I expected; Lescom has worked on 'Floy's' kind heart till she really feels a sort of necessity not to leave him so abruptly, and requests me as a personal favor to grant his request, at least for a time; no, no, 'Floy'--not unless he will pay you five times as much as he pays you now, and allow you, besides, to write much, or little, as you please; but where is Lescom's communication? Ruth says he wrote by the same mail--ah, here it is:

"MR. WALTER:

"SIR,--Mrs. Hall, 'Floy,' informs me that you have engaged her to
write exclusively for the Household Messenger, and that you will
not consent to her writing for any other publication. Perhaps you
are not aware that _I_ was the first to introduce 'Floy' to the
public, and that I have made her reputation what it is. This being
the case, you will not think it strange that I feel as if I had
some claim on her, so long as I pay her as much as she can get
elsewhere. I need not say to you that The Standard is in a very
flourishing condition; its circulation having nearly doubled during
the past year, and that my resources are such as to enable me to
outbid all competitors for 'Floy's' services, if I choose to take
such a course; but I trust you will at once perceive that the
Standard should be made an exception to your contract, and permit
'Floy' still to write for it.

"Respectfully yours, F. LESCOM."

"Well, upon my word," exclaimed Mr. Walter, when he had finished Mr. Lescom's letter; "if this is not the coolest piece of egotism and impudence that I ever saw; but it is no use wasting vitality about it. I will just answer the letter, and let things take their course; I have the weather-gage of him now, and I'll keep it; he shall have my reply to digest the first thing in the morning; I'll write to 'Floy' first, though."

On the designated Thursday, Ruth, according to her promise, called at the Standard office; something had occurred to detain Mr. Lescom, so she sat down and opened Mr. Walter's letter, which lay on the table waiting for her, and read as follows:

"DEAR RUTH:

"I have just finished reading yours and Lescom's letters. Yours has
touched me deeply. It was just like you, but you know little of the
selfishness and humbuggery of some newspaper publishers; you seem
really to think that you ought to write for Mr. Lescom, if he
so much desires it. This is very good of you, and very amiable,
but (forgive my want of gallantry) very foolish. You can now
understand, if you did not before, why I desired you to sign the
contract by return mail. I was afraid if you went to Mr. Lescom, or
Mr. Tibbetts of the Pilgrim, _before signing it_, that they would
impose upon your good womanly heart, and thereby gain an unfair
advantage over you. I wished to surprise you into signing the
contract, that I might have a fair and righteous advantage over
them. And now, 'Floy,' please to leave the whole matter to me.
I shall not consent to your writing for any paper, unless the
proprietors will give you the full value of your articles--what
they are really worth to them. If things turn out as I confidently
expect they will, from your present popularity, you will soon be in
a state of comparative independence. On the next page you will find
a copy of my answer to Mr. Lescom's letter. Please keep me informed
of the happenings at your end of the route.

"Yours most truly, JOHN WALTER."

Ruth then read Mr. Walter's letter to Mr. Lescom, as follows:

"F. LESCOM, Esq.

"SIR,--Your letter in regard to 'Floy,' &c., is at hand. You say,
that perhaps I am not aware that _you_ were the first to introduce
'Floy' to the public, and that _you_ have made her reputation. It
is fortunate for _you_ that she made The Standard the channel of
her first communications to the public. I know this very well,
but I am not aware, nor do I believe, that _you_ have made her
reputation; neither do I think that you believe this yourself. The
truth is simply this; 'Floy' is a genius; her writings, wherever
published, would have attracted attention, and stamped the writer
as a person of extraordinary talent; hence her fame and success,
the fruits of which _you_ have principally reaped. As to 'Floy's'
being under any obligations to you, I repudiate the idea entirely;
the 'obligation' is all on the other side. _She_ has made 'The
Standard,' instead of you making _her_ reputation. Her genius has
borne its name to England, Scotland, Ireland,--wherever the English
language is spoken,--and raised it from an obscure provincial paper
to a widely-known journal. You say that you are wealthy, and can
pay as much as anybody for 'Floy's' services; I wonder this has
never occurred to you before, especially as she has informed you
frequently how necessitous were her circumstances. You also inform
me that the circulation of The Standard has nearly doubled the past
year. This I can readily believe, since it is something more than
a year since 'Floy' commenced writing for it. In reply to your
declaration, 'that in case you are driven to compete for 'Floy's'
services, you can outbid all competitors,' I have only to say that
my contract with her is for one year; on its expiration, 'Floy'
will be at liberty to decide for herself; you will then have an
opportunity to compete for her pen, and enjoy the privilege of
exhibiting your enterprise and liberality.

"Your ob't servant, JOHN WALTER."

Ruth waited some time after reading these letters, for Mr. Lescom to come in; but, finding he was still unexpectedly detained, she took a handful of letters, which the clerk had just received by mail for her, and bent her steps homeward.