Having made up my mind to become a novelist, I naturally studied the
productions of my predecessors, and found out, I assure you, in a very
brief period of time, the little tricks of the trade. As I do not wish
to have the business flooded with neophytes, I refrain from informing
your readers how every man can become his own novel writer. One very
curious thing, however, which I discovered, I will here relate.
I was very much puzzled by the curious titles which novelists selected
for their books, and very much annoyed by my inability to discover where
they picked them up. I persevered, however, and discovered that they
found them in the daily papers. In fact, I shrewdly suspect that I have
discovered, in these veracious sheets, the very incidents which
suggested the names of a number of volumes. Let me place before you the
extracts, which I have culled from the papers.
_"Put Yourself in his Place."_--READE.
"Yesterday morning an unknown man was found hanging from the limbs of a
tree in JONES' Wood. He was quite dead when discovered."
_"Red as a Rose is She."_
"Bridget Flynn was arrested for vagrancy. When brought before the Court
she was quite drunk. She had evidently been a hard drinker for years, as
her face was of a brilliant carmine color."
_"Man and Wife."_ COLLINS.
"Married.--At Salt Lake City, on the 1st day of August, 1870, BRIGHAM
YOUNG, Esq., to Miss LETITIA BLACK, Mrs. SUSAN BROWN and Miss JENNIE
SMITH."
_"What will he do with it?"_ BULWER.
"It is stated by the police authorities, that the description of Mr.
NATHAN'S watch has been spread so widely, that the robber will be unable
to dispose of it to any jeweler or pawnbroker."
_"Our Mutual Friend"_--DICKENS.
"England is supplying both France and Prussia with horses."
_"John."_--Mrs. OLIPHANT.
"Mr. SAMPSON has sent to California for another cargo of Chinese
shoemakers."
_"Friends in Council."_--HELPS.
"Mr. Drew and Mr. Fisk were closeted together for more than an hour
yesterday."
_"A Tale of Two Cities."_--DICKENS.
"The census will show that our city has a population of at least
500,000."--_Chicago paper._
"St Louis has undoubtedly a population of 400,000."--_St. Louis paper._
"Chicago, 300,000; St. Louis, 190,000."--_Census returns._
_"Stern Necessity."_--F.W. ROBINSON.
"It is stated that a well-known yacht failed to win the prize in the
late race, because her rudder slipped out of her fastenings and was
lost."
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