Excerpt: ...of hard toil and drudging mechanism. Again regretting that we do not consider your contributions available any longer, we are, yours sincerely, THE EDITOR. I handed this letter to my wife. After she had read it her face grew extremely long, and there were tears in her eyes. "The mean old thing!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I'm sure your pieces are just as good as they ever were. And it doesn't take you half as long to write them as it did." And then, I suppose, Louisa thought of the checks that would cease ...
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Excerpt: ...of hard toil and drudging mechanism. Again regretting that we do not consider your contributions available any longer, we are, yours sincerely, THE EDITOR. I handed this letter to my wife. After she had read it her face grew extremely long, and there were tears in her eyes. "The mean old thing!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I'm sure your pieces are just as good as they ever were. And it doesn't take you half as long to write them as it did." And then, I suppose, Louisa thought of the checks that would cease coming. "Oh, John," she wailed, "what will you do now?" For an answer I got up and began to do a polka step around the supper table. I am sure Louisa thought the trouble had driven me mad; and I think the children hoped it had, for they tore after me, yelling with glee and emulating my steps. I was now something like their old playmate as of yore. "The theatre for us to-night!" I shouted; "nothing less. And a late, wild, disreputable supper for all of us at the Palace Restaurant. Lumpty-diddle-de-dee-de-dum!" And then I explained my glee by declaring that I was now a partner in a prosperous undertaking establishment, and that written jokes might go hide their heads in sackcloth and ashes for all me. With the editor's letter in her hand to justify the deed I had done, my wife could advance no objections save a few mild ones based on the feminine inability to appreciate a good thing such as the little back room of Peter Hef
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