Chapter XXVI: Patrons and Profits for Twenty-Two Years 175 (4)

On the day following there came a letter from Harte & Perkins ordering work in the old Five-Cent Library--work that would keep Edwards busy for the rest of the year. Ten of the old stories which Edwards had written were to be revised and lengthened by 10,000 words. For this work he was to be paid $30 for each story. When the ten numbers had been revised and lengthened, he was to go on with the stories, writing a new one each week. Fifty dollars apiece was to be paid for the new stories.

There was an order, too, for more sketches for the trade paper, to be done in another vein.

On Aug. 5 the length of the Five-Cent Library stories was cut from 30,000 words to 20,000, and the remuneration was cut from $50 to $40. Another juvenile paper was started and Edwards was asked to submit serials for it. In fact, 1901 might be called a "boom" year for the Fiction Factory, although the returns, while satisfactory, were not of the "boom" variety.

Perhaps the reader may remember the serial, "A Vassar Girl," referred to in a previous chapter as having been submitted to Harte & Perkins and rejected. Edwards had faith in this story and offered it to Mr. White. Mr. White's judgment, however, tallied with that of Harte & Perkins. Under date of June 13 Mr. White wrote:

"I am sorry that 'A Vassar Girl' has not borne out the promise of the
opening chapters. The interest in it is not sufficiently _sustained_
for serial use. The story might be divided into several incidents,
which do not grow inevitably the one out of the other. For this
reason it has, as a whole, proved disappointing and I am returning
the manuscript by express. We should be glad, however, to have you
continue to submit work to us."

With faith undiminished, Edwards forwarded the story to McClure's Newspaper Syndicate. It was returned without an explanation of any kind. Again he prevailed upon Harte & Perkins to consider it. It came back from them on Sept. 13, with this message:

"I am sorry to say that we do not feel inclined to revise our
judgement with reference to your manuscript story, 'A Vassar Girl.' I
am inclined to think from looking over the review of the story that
it would be well for you to sell it just as it is, and we hope you
will be able to find a market for it somewhere. It would not pay us
to publish."

Edwards knew that the story, wrought out of his Arizona experiences, was true in local color and good of its kind, and he failed to understand why it was not appreciated. Then, on Sep. 14, came this from the S. S. McClure Company:

"During July we had under consideration a story of yours entitled, 'A
Vassar Girl.' On July 31 we wrote you from the Syndicate, informing
you that we hoped to be able to use the story as a serial in the very
near future. The serial was taken back for consideration in the book
department by one of the readers who wished again to examine it, and
from there it was erroneously returned to you. Now if you have not
disposed of the serial rights of 'A Vassar Girl' we should like you
again to forward the story to us, and we will submit it to some of
our papers as we had always intended to do. We will then give you a
prompt decision."

The story was purchased, and Edwards' faith in it was confirmed.

It was during this year of 1901 that Edwards had a fleeting glimpse of fortune as a playwright. His story, "The Tangle in Butte," had been read by an actor, a leading man in a Kansas City stock company, who wanted dramatic rights so that he might have a play taken from it and written around him. Edwards proposed to write the play himself. He did so, and was promptly offered $5,000 for the play, payable in installments after production. Following a good deal of correspondence it was decided to put on the piece for a week's try-out in Kansas City. Edwards waived his right to royalties for the week, models of the scenery were made, rehearsals began--and then the actor was suddenly stricken with a serious illness and the deal was off. When he had recovered sufficiently to travel he went East, taking the play with him. For several months he tried to interest various managers in it, but without effect.

The year 1901 closed for Edwards with the sketches for the trade paper no longer in demand; but, otherwise, he faced a steadily brightening prospect for the Fiction Factory.

1900:
Circus Series, 28 @ $40 each $1120.00
Circus Series, Completing unfinished story 20.00
Five-Cent Library, 23 @ $40 each 920.00
Trade Paper Sketches, 10 @ $10 each 100.00
"He Was A Stranger," 250.00
"The Man From Dakota," 200.00
"What Happened to the Colonel," 75.00
---------
Total $2685.00

1901:
Five-Cent Library, 10 rewritten @ $30 each $ 300.00
Five-Cent Library, 8 @ $50 each 400.00
Five-Cent Library, 16 @ $40 each 640.00
Four Boys' Serials @ $100 each 400.00
"The Tangle in Butte," 200.00
"Tale of Two Towns," 150.00
"A Vassar Girl," 100.00
Trade Paper Sketches, 9 @ $10 each 90.00
---------
Total $2280.00

=Very Often.=

_Poeta nascitur; non fit._ This has been somewhat freely translated
by one who should know, as "The poet is born; not paid."

FOOTNOTES:

[G] What do you think of _that_!

XV.

FROM THE
FACTORY'S FILES

A letter of commendation from the reader of a story to the writer is not only a pleasant thing in itself but it proves the reader a person of noble soul and high motives. _Noblesse oblige!_

The writer who loves his work is not of a sordid nature. The check an editor sends him for his story is the smallest part of his reward. His has been the joy to create, to see a thought take form and amplify under the spell of his inspiration. A joy which is scarcely less is to know that his work has been appreciated by others.

A letter like the one below, for instance, not only gives pleasure to the recipient but at the same time fires a writer with determination never to let his work fall short of a previous performance. This reader's good will he _must_ keep, at all hazards.

"Wayland, N. Y., March 22nd, 1905.

Mr. John Milton Edwards,
Care The F. A. Munsey Co., New York.

My dear Sir:

I read the story in this last _Argosy_, entitled 'Fate and the Figure
Seven,' and was in a way considering if it were possible that a man
could act in the subconscious state you picture. Deem my surprise,
last night, when I read of a similar case in the report of the
Brockton accident.

In case you should have failed to notice this item, I send you a
clipping from a Buffalo paper.