adventures and letters-第12节

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e　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　read　half　a　dozen　New　York　newspapers　and　the　interest　was　always　that　of　the　trained　editor　at　work。　　Richard　was　not　only　physically　restless　but　his　mind　practically　never　relaxed。　　When　others；　tired　after　a　hard　day's　work　or　　play；　would　devote　the　evening　to　cards　or　billiards　　or　chatter；　Richard　would　write　letters　or　pore　over　some　strange　foreign　magazine；　consult　maps；　make　notes；　or　read　the　stories　of　his　contemporaries。　　He　practically　read　every　American　magazine　from　cover　to　coveradvertisements　were　a　delight　to　him；　and　the　finding　of　a　new　writer　gave　him　as　much　pleasure　as　if　he　had　been　the　fiction　editor　who　had　accepted　the　first　story　by　the　embryo　genius。　　The　official　organs　of　our　army　and　navy　he　found　of　particular　interest。　　Not　only　did　he　thus　follow　the　movements　of　his　friends　in　these　branches　of　the　service　but　if　he　read　of　a　case　wherein　he　thought　a　sailor　or　a　soldier　had　been　done　an　injustice　he　would　promptly　take　the　matter　up　with　the　authorities　at　Washington；　and　the　results　he　obtained　were　often　not　only　extremely　gratifying　to　the　wronged　party　but　caused　Richard　no　end　of　pleasure。

According　to　my　brother's　arrangement　with　the　Harpers；　he　was　to　devote　a　certain　number　of　months　of　every　year　to　the　editing　of　The　Weekly；　and　the　remainder　to　travel　and　the　writing　of　his　experiences　for　Harper's　Monthly。　　He　started　on　the　first　of　these　trips　in　January；　1892；　and　the　result　was　a　series　of　articles　which　afterward　appeared　under　the　title　of　〃The　West　from　a　Car　Window。〃

January；　1892。　（Some　place　in　Texas）

I　left　St。　Louis　last　night；　Wednesday；　and　went　to　bed　and　slept　for　twelve　hours。　　To…day　has　been　most　trying　and　I　shall　be　very　glad　to　get　on　dry　land　again。　　The　snow　has　ceased　although　the　papers　say　this　is　the　coldest　snap　they　have　had　in　San　Antonio　in　ten　years。　　It　might　have　waited　a　month　for　me　I　think。　　It　has　been　a　most　dreary　trip　from　　a　car　window　point　of　view。　　Now　that　the　snow　has　gone；　there　is　mud　and　ice　and　pine　trees　and　colored　people；　but　no　cowboys　as　yet。　　They　talk　nothing　but　Chili　and　war　and　they　make　such　funny　mistakes。　　We　have　a　G。　A。　R。　excursion　on　the　train；　consisting　of　one　fat　and　prosperous　G。　A。　R。；　the　rest　of　the　excursion　having　backed　out　on　account　of　Garza　who　the　salient　warriors　imagine　as　a　roaring　lion　seeking　whom　he　may　devour。　　One　old　chap　with　white　hair　came　on　board　at　a　desolate　station　and　asked　for　〃the　boys　in　blue〃　and　was　very　much　disgusted　when　he　found　that　〃that　grasshopper　Garza〃　had　scared　them　away　He　had　tramped　five　miles　through　the　mud　to　greet　a　possible　comrade　and　was　much　chagrined。　　The　excursion　shook　hands　with　him　and　they　took　a　drink　together。　　The　excursion　tells　me　he　is　a　glass　manufacturer；　an　owner　of　a　slate　quarry　and　the　best　embalmer　of　bodies　in　the　country。　　He　says　he　can　keep　them　four　years　and　does　so　〃for　specimens〃　those　that　are　left　on　his　hands　and　others　he　purchases　from　the　morgue。　　He　has　a　son　who　is　an　actor　and　he　fills　me　full　of　the　most　harrowing　tales　of　Indian　warfare　and　the　details　of　the　undertaking　business。　　He　is　SO　funny　about　the　latter　that　I　weep　with　laughter　and　he　cannot　see　why　Joe　Jefferson　and　I　went　to　a　matinee　on　Wednesday　and　saw　Robson　in　〃She　stoops　to　Conquer。〃　　The　house　was　absolutely　packed　and　when　Joe　came　in　the　box　they　yelled　and　applauded　and　he　nodded　to　them　in　the　most　fatherly；　friendly　way　as　though　to　say　〃How　are　you；　I　don't　just　remember　your　name　but　I'm　glad　to　see　you〃　It　was　so　much　sweeter　than　if　he　had　got　up　and　bowed　as　I　would　have　done。


SAN　ANTONIO

I　knew　more　about　Texas　than　the　Texans　and　when　they　told　me　I　would　find　summer　here　I　smiled　knowingly　That　is　all　the　smiling　I　have　done…Did　you　ever　see　a　stage　set　for　a　garden　or　wood　scene　by　daylight　or　Coney　Island　in　Marchthat　is　what　the　glorious；　beautiful　baking　city　of　San　Antonio　is　like。　　There　is　mud　and　mud　and　mudin　cans；　in　the　gardens　of　the　Mexicans　and　snow　around　the　palms　and　palmettos　Does　the　sun　shine　anywhere？　　Are　peo