YourMOTHER。
ThisisaletterwrittenbymyfatherafterthepublicationofRichard'sstory"AWalkuptheAvenue。"Richardfrequentlyspokeofhisfatherashis"kindestandseverestcritic。"
PHILADELPHIA，July22nd，1890。
10。30P。M。
MYDEARBoy:
Youcandoit；youhavedoneit；itisallright。IhavereadAWalkuptheAvenue。Itisfarandawaythebestthingyouhaveeverdone——Fulloffinesubtlethought，ofrare，manlyfeeling。
IamnotafraidofDicktheauthor。He'sallright。Ishallonlybeafraid——whenIamafraid——thatDickthemanwillnotliveuptotheotherfellow，thathemayforgethowmuchthegoodLordhasgivenhim，andhowresponsibletothegoodLordandtohimselfheisandwillbeforit。Amanentrustedwithsuchtalentshouldcarryhimselfstraighterthanotherstowhomitisdenied。Hehasgreatdutiestodo；heowestributetothegiver。
Don'tlettheworld'stemptationsinanyofitsformscomebetweenyouandyourwork。Makeyourlifeworthyofyourtalent，andhumblybydayandbynightaskGodtohelpyoutodoit。
Iamveryproudofthiswork。Itisgoodwork，withbrain，bone，nerve，muscleinit。Itishuman，withhealthypulseandheartsomeglowinit。Remember，hereafter，youhavebyitputonthebarsagainstyourselfpreventingyoudoinganyworklessgood。Youhaveyourselfmadeyourrecord，youcan'tlowerit。Youcanonlybeatit。
Lovingly，DAD。
InthelatterpartofDecember，1890，RichardleftTheEveningSuntobecomethemanagingeditorofHarper'sWeekly。GeorgeWilliamCurtiswasthenitseditor，andatthistimenoperiodicalhadabroaderorgreaterinfluenceforthewelfareofthecountry。AsRichardwasthenbuttwenty-six，hisappointmenttohisneweditorialdutiescameasadistincthonor。ThetwoyearsthatRichardhadspentonTheEveningSunhadbeenprobablythehappiesthehadeverknown。HereallylovedNewYork，andatthistimeParisandLondonheldnosuchplaceinhisaffectionsastheydidinlateryears。Andindeedtherewassmallreasonwhytheseshouldnothavebeenhappyyearsforanyyoungman。Attwenty-sixRichardhadalreadyaccomplishedmuch，andhisnamehadbecomeafamiliaronenotonlytoNewYorkersbutthroughoutthecountry。Youthandhealthhehad，andmanyfriends，andatalentthatpromisedtocarryhimfarintheprofessionheloved。Hisnewpositionpaidhimasalaryconsiderablylargerthanhehadreceivedheretofore，andhenowdemandedandreceivedmuchhighertermsforhisstories。
AllofwhichwaswellforRichardbecauseashisincomegrewsogrewhistastes。Ihaveknownfewmenwhocaredlessformoneythandidmybrother，andIhaveknownfewwhocaredmoreforwhatitcouldbuyforhisfriendsandforhimself。Moneytohim，and，duringhislifehemadeverylargesumsofit，healwayschosetoregardasincomebutnevercapital。AbondorashareofstockmeanttohimwhatitwouldbringthatdayontheStockExchange。Therainydaywhichisthebugabooforthemostofus，neverseemedtoshowonhishorizon。Foramanwhoselivelihooddependedonthelastingqualityofhiscreativefacultieshehadaninfinitefaithinthefuture，andindeedhisownexperienceseemedtoshowthathewasjustifiedinthisbelief。Itcouldnothavebeenverylongafterhisstartasafictionwriterthathereceivedashighapriceforhisworkasanyofhiscontemporaries；
andjustprevioustohisdeath，morethantwentyyearslater，hesignedacontracttowritesixstoriesatafigurewhich，sofarasIknow，wasthehighesteverofferedanAmericanauthor。Inanycase，moneyorthelackofitcertainlynevercausedRichardanyworrimentduringtheearlydaysofwhichIwrite。Forwhathemadeheworkedextremelyhard，butthereputationandthespendingofthemoneythatthissamehardworkbroughthimcausedhiminfinitehappiness。Heenjoyedthereputationhehadwonandthefriendsthatsuchareputationhelpedhimtomake；heenjoyedentertainingandbeingentertained，andheenjoyedprettymuchallofthegoodthingsoflife。Andallofthisheenjoyedwiththenaive，almostboyishenthusiasmthatonlyonecouldtowhomithadallbeenmadepossibleattwenty-six。OfthesehappydaysBoothTarkingtonwroteatthetimeofmybrother'sdeath:
"TothecollegeboyoftheearlyninetiesRichardHardingDaviswasthe`beauidealofjeunessedoree，'asophisticatedheartofgold。Hewasofthatcollegeboy'sownage，butalreadyaneditor——alreadypublishingbooks!Hisstalwartgoodlookswereasfamiliartousaswerethoseofourownfootballcaptain；weknewhisfaceasweknewthefaceofthePresidentoftheUnitedStates，butweinfinitelypreferredDavis's。WhentheWaldorfwaswondrouslycompleted，andwecutanexam。inCuneiformInscriptionsforanexcursiontoseetheworldatlunchinitsnewmagnificence，andRichardHardingDaviscameintothePalmRoom——then，oh，then，ourdaywasradiant!Thatwasthetopofourfortune；wecouldneverhavehopedforsomuch。Ofallthegreatpeopleofeverycontinent，thiswastheonewemostdesiredtosee。"
Richard'sintimatefriendsofthesedayswereCharlesDanaGibson，whoillustratedanumberofmybrother'sstories，RobertHowardRussell，AlbertLaMontagne，HelenBenedict，nowMrs。ThomasHastings，EthelBarrymore，MaudeAdams，E。H。
Sothern，hisbrother，Sam，andArthurBrisbane。Noneofthislittlecirclewasmarriedatthetime，itsvariousmemberswereseldomapart，andtheyextractedanenormousamountoffunoutoflife。IhadrecentlysettledinNewYork，andwehadroomsat10EastTwenty-eighthStreet，wherewelivedverycomfortablyformanyyears。IndeedRicharddidnotleavethemuntilhismarriageinthesummerof1899。Theywereverypleasant，sunnyrooms，andinthesitting-room，whichRichardhadmadequiteattractive，wegavemanyteasandsupper-parties。ButofallthehappyincidentsIcanrecallattheTwenty-eighthStreethouse，theoneIremembermostdistinctlytookplaceinthehallwaythenightthatRichardreceivedthefirststatementandcheckforhisfirstbookofshortstories，andbeforethemoneyhadbeguntocomeinasfastasitdidafterward。Wewereonourwaytodinneratsomemodestresortwhenwesawandatoncerecognizedthelongenvelopeonthemantel。Richardguesseditwouldbeforonehundredandninetydollars，butwitharatherdoubtingheartI
raisedmyguesstothreehundred。Andwhen，withtremblingfingers，Richardhadfinallytornopentheenvelopeandfoundacheckforninehundredandodddollars，whatawilddancewedidaboutthehall-table，andwhatadinnerwehadthatnight!
Notatthemodestrestaurantasoriginallyintended，butatDelmonico's!ItwasduringthesedaysthatSeymourHicksandhislovelywifeEllalineTerrissfirstvisitedAmerica，andtheyandRichardformedamutualattachmentthatlasteduntilhisdeath。
Richardhadalwaystakenanintenseinterestinthedrama，andatthetimehewasmanagingeditorofHarper'sWeeklyhadmadehisfirsteffortsasaplaywright。RobertHilliarddidaone-actversionofRichard'sshortstory，"HerFirstAppearance，"whichunderthetitleof"TheLittlestGirl"heplayedinvaudevilleformanyyears。E。H。SothernandRichardhadmanyschemesforwritingaplaytogether，buttheonlyactualresulttheyeverattainedwasaone-actversionSotherndidattheoldLyceumofmybrother'sstory，"TheDisreputableMr。Raegen。"Itwasanextremelytenseandabsorbingdrama，andSothernwasveryfineinthepartofRaegen，butfortheforty-fiveminutestheplayletlastedSothernhadtoholdthestagecontinuouslyalone，andasitprecededaplayoftheregulationlength，theeffortprovedtoomuchfortheactor'sstrength，andafterafewperformancesitwastakenoff。Althoughitwasseveralyearsafterthisthatmybrother'sfirstlongplaywasproducedheneverlostinterestinthecraftofplaywriting，andonlywaitedforthetimeandmeanstoreallydevotehimselftoit。
BOSTON，January22nd，1891。
DEARFAMILY:——
ThisisjusttosaythatIamaliveandsleepy，andthatmyheadisstillitsnormalsize，althoughIhaveatlastfoundonemaninBostonwhohasreadoneofmystories，andthatwasBarrymorefromNewYork。TheFairchilds'dinnerwasatremendousaffair，andIwasconqueredabsolutelybyMr。
Howells，whowentfar，faroutofhiswaytobeaskindandcharmingasanoldmancouldbe。YesterdayMrs。Whitmangaveateainherstudio。Ithoughtshemeanttohaveahalfdozenyoungpeopletodrinkacupwithher，andIsaunteredininthemostnonchalantmannertofindthatabouteverybodyhadbeenaskedtomeetme。Andeverybodycame，principallyowingtothe"HardingDavis"partofthenamefortheyallspokeofmotherandsoverydearlythatitmademeprettynearweep。
EverybodycamefromoldDr。Holmeswhonevergoesanyplace，toMrs。"Jack"Gardnerandallthedebutantes。"Iwasoninthatscene。"IntheeveningIwentwiththeFairchildstoMrs。JuliaWardHowe'stomeettheS——sbutmadeapointnottoashewastalkinglikeacadwhenIheardhimandMrs。
FairchildandIagreedtobetheonlypeopleinBostonwhohadnotclaspedhishand。TherewereonlyafewpeoplepresentandMrs。HowerecitedtheBattleHymnoftheRepublic，whichI
thoughtverycharacteristicofthecity。To-dayIposedagainandCumnocktookmeoverCambridgeandintoalloftheClubswhereImetsomeveryniceboysandfeltveryold。ThenwewenttoateaCushinggaveinhisroomsandtonightIgotoMrs。Deland's。ButthemorningswiththeFairchildsarethebest。
DICK。
Inthespringof1891mymotherandsister，Nora，wentabroadforthesummer，andthefollowingnotewaswrittentoRichardjustbeforemymothersailed:
DEARDICK:
Thisisjusttogivemydearestlovetoyoumydarling。SomedayatseawhenIcannothearyounorseeyou，wheneveritisthatyougetit——nightormorning——youmaybesurethatwearealllovingandthinkingofyou。
KeepclosetotheLord。YourLordwhoneverhasrefusedtohearaprayerofyours。
JustthinkthatIhavekissedyouathousandtimes。
MOTHER。
FRANKLINSQUARE，NEWYORK。
June，1891。
DEARMOTHER:
YourlettersareagreatdelighttomebutIthinkyouaregoingentirelytooquickly。Youdonotfeelitnowbutyouaresimplyhurryingthroughthecoursesofyourlongdinnersorapidlythatwhendessertcomesyouwillnotbeuptoit。A
dayortwo'srestandlessgreedtoseemanythingswouldbemuchmorefunIshouldthink，andyouwillenjoythosedaysmoretolookbacktowhenyouwanderedaroundsomelittletownbyyourselvesandmadediscoveriesthanthoseyouspentdoingwhatyoufeelyououghttodo。ExcusethislecturebutIknowthatwhenIgottoParisIwantedtodonothingbutsitstillandreadandlet"sights"go——Youwillsoonlearnnottoduplicateandthatonecathedralwillanswerforadozen。AndIamdisappointedinyourmaddesiretogettoEdinborotogetlettersfromhome，asthoughyoucouldn'tgetlettersfrommeeverydayofyourlifeandasiftherewerenotenoughofyoutogethertokeepfromgettinghomesick。Iamashamedofyou。
ButthatisallthescoldingIhavetodoforIdonotknowwhathasgivenmemorepleasurethanyourlettersandNora'sespecially。Theytellmethebestnewsintheworldandthatis，thatyouareallgettingasmuchhappinessoutofitasI
haveprayedyouwould。ImaygooverinSeptembermyself。
ButIwouldonlygotoLondon。Now，thenforHomenews。
Ihavesoldthe"ReporterWhoMadeHimselfKing"toMcClure'sfor$300。tobepublishedinthesyndicateinAugust。Ihavefinished"HerFirstAppearance"andGibsonisdoingtheillustrations，three。Igot$175。forit。
IamnowatworkonastoryaboutArthurCumnock，Harvard'sfootballcaptainwhowastheheroofClassDay。ItwillcomeoutthisweekandwillmatchLieut。Grant'schance。InJulyIbeginastorycalledthe"Traveller'sTale"whichwillbeusedintheNovemberHarper。Thatisall_I_amdoing。
Sofarthenoticesof"Gallegher"havebeenverygood，ImeantheEnglishones。
IwentuptoClassDayonFridayandspentthedaywithMissFairchildandMissHowellsandwithMr。H。forchaperone。Heisgettingoldandsaysheneverdeservedthefusstheymadeoverhim。Wehadaprettyperfectdayalthoughitthreatenedrainmostofthetime。Wewanderedaroundfromonespreadtoanothermeetingbeautifullydressedgirlseverywhereand"lions"andcelebrities。ThenthefightfortherosesaroundthetreewasveryinterestingandpicturesqueandarenalikeandthebestofallwassittinginthebroadwindowseatsofthedormitorieswithaGirlortwo，generally"a"girlandlisteningtothegleeclubsingandwatchingthelanternsandthecrowdsofpeopleasbeautifulasRedferncouldmakethem。
HalfofSeabrightwasburntdownlastweekbutnotmyhalf，althoughthefiredestroyedallthestoresandfishermen'shousesandstoppedonlyonehouseawayfromPannachi's，whereIwillputup。IamverywellandcontentandlookforwardtomuchpleasurethissummeratSeabrightandmuchwork。IfindIhaveseldombeensohappyaswhenworkinghardandfastasIhavebeenforcedtodotheselasttwoweeksandsoIwillkeepitup。Notinsuchawayastohurtmebutjustenoughtokeepmehappy。
DICK。
NEWYORK，August1891。
FromThePallMallBudgetGazette。
"TheAmericansaresaying，bytheway，thattheyhavediscoveredaRudyardKiplingoftheirown。ThisisMr。
RichardHardingDavis，avolumeofwhosestorieshasbeenpublishedthisweekbyMr。Osgood。Mr。Davisisonlytwenty-six，wasforsometimeonthestaffoftheNewYorkEveningSun。HeisnowtheeditorofHarper'sWeekly。"
Thatisme。IhavealsoamotherandsisterwhooncewenttoLondonandwhatdoyouthinktheyfirstwenttosee，inLondon，mindyou。Theygotintoafourwheelerandtheysaid"cabbydriveasfastasyoucan，"notknowingthatfourwheelersnevergofasterthanadeadmarch——"to——"wheredoyouthink？St。Paul's，theTemple，theAbbey，theirlodgings，theHousesofParliament——thePavilionMusicHall——theTower——notononeofthese——"TothePostOffice。"Thatiswhatmymotherandsisterdid!Afterthiswhentheyhintthattheywouldliketogoagainandsay"thesemuffinsarenotEnglishmuffins"and"doyourememberthelittleInnatChester，ah，thosewerehappydays，"Iwillsay，"AnddoyourememberthePostOfficeinEdinburghandLondon。WehavenonesuchinAmerica。"AndastheyonlygoabroadtogetletterstheywillhereaftergotoRittenhouseSquareandIwillwriteletterstothemfromLondon。AllthisshowsthatasimplehurriedlywrittenletterfromRichardHardingDavisisofmorevaluethanalltheshowplacesofLondon。ItmakesmequitePROUD。Andsodoesthis:
"`Gallegher'isasgoodasanythingofBretHarte's，althoughitisinMr。Davis'sownvein，notintheborrowedveinofBretHarteoranybodyelse。`TheCynicalMissCatherwaight'
isverygood，too，and`Mr。Raegen'isstillbetter。"
Butontheotherhand，itmakesmetired，andsodoesthis:
"`TheOtherWoman'isastorywhichoffendsgoodtasteinmorethanoneway。Itisablundertohavewrittenit，agreaterblundertohavepublishedit，andagreaterblunderSTILLtohaverepublishedit。"
IsupposenowthatDadhascrossedwithPrinceGeorgeandNorahasseentheEmperor，thatyouwillbeproudtoo。ButyouwillbeprouderofyourdarlingboyCharles，eventhoughhedoesgetwipedoutatSeabrightnextweekandyouwillbeevenprouderwhenhewritesgreatstoriesforTheEveningSun。
RICHARD。
ThePlayers，16GramercyPark。
24th，1891。
DEARFAMILY:
Ihadagreatdayatthegameandgoingthereandcomingback。
Imetagreatmanyoldfootballmenandalmostallofthemspokeofthe"OutoftheGame"story。Cumnock，Camp，Poe，Terryandlotsmorewhosenamesmeannothingtoyou，soignorantareyou，werethereandwehadlongtalks。
IwenttoseeClevelandyesterdayaboutathingofwhichI
havethoughtmuchandtalkedlessandthatwasgoingintopoliticsinthiscountry。Tosayhediscouragedmeinsodoingwouldbesayingtherainiswet。Heseemedtothinkbreakingstonesasameansofgettingfameandfortunewasquickerandmoregenteel。IalsosawherandtheBABY。SheexplainedwhyshehadnotwrittenyouandalsoincidentallywhysheHADwrittenChilds。IdonotknowaswhatClevelandsaidmademuchimpressionuponme——althoughIfoundoutwhatI
couldexpectfromhim——thatisnothingherebutapparentlyaplaceabroadifIwantedit。ButhethoughtCongresswasperfectlyfeasiblebutthegreatestfollytogothere。
DICK。
CHAPTERV
FIRSTTRAVELARTICLES
ForRichardthesefirstyearsinNewYorkwerefilledtooverflowingwithmanyvariedinterests，quiteenoughtosatisfymostyoungmenoftwenty-seven。Hehadcomeandseenandtoadegree，sofarasthelimitationofhisworkwouldpermit，hadconqueredNewYork，butRichardthoroughlyrealizedthatNewYorkwasnotonlyaverysmallpartoftheworldbutofhisowncountry，andthattowriteabouthisownpeopleandhisowncountryandotherpeopleandotherlandshemuststarthistravelsatanearlyage，andgoontravellinguntiltheend。Andforthetwenty-fiveyearsthatfollowedthatwaswhatRicharddid。EvenwhenhewasnotonhistravelsbutworkingonanoveloraplayatMarionorlateronatMountKisco，sofarasitwaspossiblehekeptintouchwitheventsthatwerehappeningandthefriendsthathehadmadeallovertheglobe。HesubscribedtomostoftheEnglishandFrenchillustratedperiodicalsandtooneLondondailynewspaperwhicheverydayhereadwiththesameinterestthathereadhalfadozenNewYorknewspapersandtheinterestwasalwaysthatofthetrainededitoratwork。Richardwasnotonlyphysicallyrestlessbuthismindpracticallyneverrelaxed。Whenothers，tiredafterahardday'sworkorplay，woulddevotetheeveningtocardsorbilliardsorchatter，Richardwouldwritelettersorporeoversomestrangeforeignmagazine，consultmaps，makenotes，orreadthestoriesofhiscontemporaries。HepracticallyreadeveryAmericanmagazinefromcovertocover——advertisementswereadelighttohim，andthefindingofanewwritergavehimasmuchpleasureasifhehadbeenthefictioneditorwhohadacceptedthefirststorybytheembryogenius。Theofficialorgansofourarmyandnavyhefoundofparticularinterest。NotonlydidhethusfollowthemovementsofhisfriendsinthesebranchesoftheservicebutifhereadofacasewhereinhethoughtasailororasoldierhadbeendoneaninjusticehewouldpromptlytakethematterupwiththeauthoritiesatWashington，andtheresultsheobtainedwereoftennotonlyextremelygratifyingtothewrongedpartybutcausedRichardnoendofpleasure。
Accordingtomybrother'sarrangementwiththeHarpers，hewastodevoteacertainnumberofmonthsofeveryyeartotheeditingofTheWeekly，andtheremaindertotravelandthewritingofhisexperiencesforHarper'sMonthly。HestartedonthefirstofthesetripsinJanuary，1892，andtheresultwasaseriesofarticleswhichafterwardappearedunderthetitleof"TheWestfromaCarWindow。"
January，1892。
SomeplaceinTexas
IleftSt。Louislastnight，Wednesday，andwenttobedandsleptfortwelvehours。To-dayhasbeenmosttryingandI
shallbeverygladtogetondrylandagain。ThesnowhasceasedalthoughthepaperssaythisisthecoldestsnaptheyhavehadinSanAntoniointenyears。ItmighthavewaitedamonthformeIthink。Ithasbeenamostdrearytripfromacarwindowpointofview。Nowthatthesnowhasgone，thereismudandiceandpinetreesandcoloredpeople，butnocowboysasyet。TheytalknothingbutChiliandwarandtheymakesuchfunnymistakes。WehaveaG。A。R。excursiononthetrain，consistingofonefatandprosperousG。A。R。，therestoftheexcursionhavingbackedoutonaccountofGarzawhothesalientwarriorsimagineasaroaringlionseekingwhomhemaydevour。Oneoldchapwithwhitehaircameonboardatadesolatestationandaskedfor"theboysinblue"andwasverymuchdisgustedwhenhefoundthat"thatgrasshopperGarza"hadscaredthemaway——Hehadtrampedfivemilesthroughthemudtogreetapossiblecomradeandwasmuchchagrined。Theexcursionshookhandswithhimandtheytookadrinktogether。
Theexcursiontellsmeheisaglassmanufacturer，anownerofaslatequarryandthebestembalmerofbodiesinthecountry。
Hesayshecankeepthemfouryearsanddoesso"forspecimens"thosethatareleftonhishandsandothershepurchasesfromthemorgue。HehasasonwhoisanactorandhefillsmefullofthemostharrowingtalesofIndianwarfareandthedetailsoftheundertakingbusiness。HeisSOfunnyaboutthelatterthatIweepwithlaughterandhecannotseewhy——JoeJeffersonandIwenttoamatineeonWednesdayandsawRobsonin"ShestoopstoConquer。"ThehousewasabsolutelypackedandwhenJoecameintheboxtheyyelledandapplaudedandhenoddedtotheminthemostfatherly，friendlywayasthoughtosay"Howareyou，Idon'tjustrememberyournamebutI'mgladtoseeyou——"ItwassomuchsweeterthanifhehadgotupandbowedasIwouldhavedone。
SANANTONIO
IknewmoreaboutTexasthantheTexansandwhentheytoldmeIwouldfindsummerhereIsmiledknowingly——ThatisallthesmilingIhavedone——DidyoueverseeastagesetforagardenorwoodscenebydaylightorConeyIslandinMarch——thatiswhattheglorious，beautifulbakingcityofSanAntonioislike。Thereismudandmudandmud——incans，inthegardensoftheMexicansandsnowaroundthepalmsandpalmettos——Doesthesunshineanywhere？Arepeopleeverwarm——Itisraw，uglyandmuddy，theMexicansaremerelydirtyandnotpicturesque。Iamgreatlydisappointed。ButI
havesetmyteethhardandIwillgoonandseeitthroughtothebitterend——ButIwillnotwriteanythingforpublicationuntilIcantakeamorecheerfulviewofit。IalreadyhavereachedthestagewhereIadmitthelaughisonme——ButthereisstillLondontolookforwardtoandthismaygetbetterwhenthesuncomesout——Iwenttothefortto-dayandwasmostcourteouslyreceived。ButtheytoldmeIshouldgoontoLaredo，ifIexpectedtoseeanycampaigning——ThereisnofightingnorisanyexpectedbuttheysaytheywillgivemeahorseandIcanridearoundthechaparralaslongasIwant。
IwillwriteyoufromLaredo，whereIgoto-morrow，Saturday——
DICK。
AtLaredoRichardleftthebeatentrackofthetraveller，andwithTrooperTyler，whoactedashisguide，joinedCaptainHardieinhissearchforGarza。Thefamousrevolutionistwassupposedtobeinhidingthissideoftheborder，andtheMexicanGovernmenthadaskedtheUnitedStatestofindhimandreturnhimtotheofficialsofhisowncountry。
InCamp，February2nd。
DEARMOTHER:——
WehavestoppedbythesideofatrailforawhileandIwilltakethechanceitgivesmetotellyouwhatIhavebeendoing。AfterTylerandIreturnedtocamp，wehadadayofrestbeforeCaptainHardiearrived。Heisayoung，red-moustached，pointed-beardedchapwithlightblueeyes，roughwithlivingintheWestbutmostkindheartedandenthusiastic。HetreatsmeasthoughIwerehissonwhichisratherabsurdasheisonlyuptomyshoulder。ItissohotI
cannotmakethewordsgostraightandyoumustnotmindifI
wander。Wearehuggingafenceforalltheshadethereisandthehorsesandmenhaveallcrawledtothedarksideofitandaresleepingorswearingatthesun。Itisabouttwoo'clockandwehavebeenridingsincehalf-pastseven。IhavehadafirstratetimebutIdonotseethattherehasbeenmuchinittointerestanyonebutmyselfandwhereHarperBrothersorthe"gentlereader"comesin，IamafraidIcannotsee，andifIcannotseeitIfearhewillbeinabadway。IthaspleasedandinterestedmetoseehowIcouldgetalongunderdifficultcircumstancesandwithsomuchdiscomfortbutasI
sayIwasnotsentoutheretoimprovemytemperormyhealthortomakememorecontentwithmygoodthingsintheEast。
Ifwecouldhaveafightorsomethingthatwouldexcuseandmakeaclimaxforallthismarchingandreconnoiteringanddiscomfortthestorywouldhaveasuitablefinaleandaraisond'etre。However，ImaygetsomethingoutofitifonlytoabusetheGovernmentfortheirstupidityinchasingajackrabbitwithabrassbandorbypraisingthemenfordoingtheirdutywhentheyknowthereisnodutytobedone。Thiscountryismoreliketheoceanthananythingelseanddrivesonecrazywithitsmonotonyanddesolation。AndtothinkwewenttowarwithMexicoforit——To-dayismytenthdaywiththetroopsinthecampandinthefieldandIwillleavethemassoonasthisscoutisoverwhichwillbeinthreedaysatthemost。ThenI
willgotoCorpusChristiandfromtheretotheranchesbutI
willwaituntilIgetbaths，haircutsandadinnerandcoolthingstodrink——OnethinghaspleasedmeverymuchandthatisthatI，withTylerandtheMexicanScoutmadethesecondbestridingrecordofthetroopsincetheyhavebeeninthefieldthiswinter。Theothersrode115milesin32hours，fourofthemunderthefirstSergeant，afterrevolutionists，andwemade110milesin33hours。Therestofthedetachmentmade90milesandourhavingtheextrathirtytoourcreditwasanaccident。Onthe31stHardiesentoutthescoutandtwotroopers，ofwhichTylerwasone，togetatrailandasI
hadbeenrestingandloafingforthreedays，Iwentoutwiththem。Weleftateightafterbreakfastandreturnedatseven，havingmadethirtymiles。Whenwegotinwefoundthatadetachmentwasgoingoutoninformationsentinwhilewewereout。Tylerwasinitandsowegotfreshhorsesandputoutatnineo'clockbymoonlight。Thatwastokeepthepeopleintheranchfromknowingweweregoingout。Werodeuntilhalf-pastthreeinthemorningandthencampedatthesideoftheroaduntilhalf——pastsix，whenwerodeonuntilfiveintheafternoon。ThemenwhowerewatchingtoseemegiveupgrewmoreandmoreinterestedasthemilesrolledoutandtheFirstSergeantwasveryfearfulforhisrecordforwhichhehasbeenrecommendedforthecertificateofmerit。TheCaptainwasverymuchpleasedandallthemencameandspoketome。ItmusthavebeenagoodrideforTylerwhoisafifthyearmanwassotiredthathepaidamantodohissentryduty。WesleptatCaptainHunter'scampthatlastnightandwebothcameonthismorning，ridingthirtymilesuptotwoo'clockto-day。Fromherewegoonintothebrushagain。Iamveryproudofthatridingrecordandofmybeardwhichisfine。I
willfinishthiswhenwegetnearapost-office。
DICK。
February4th——WerodefortymilesthroughthebrushbutsawnothingofGarza，whowassupposedtobeinit。Butwecaptured3revolutionists，oneofwhomranawaybutthescoutgothim。Hardie，Tyler，whoishisorderly，andthescoutandItooktheminbecausetherestofthecolumnwaslaggingintherearandtheLieutenantgotballyhoolyforit。TylerdisarmedoneandItookawaytheotherchapsthings。Thenwetookafourthinandletthemallgoforwantofevidenceandaftersomeoftheranchmenhadidentifiedthem。
CORPUSCHRISTI，February6。
Weendedourscoutyesterday，andcampedatCaptainHunter'slastnight——MothercannowresthersoulinpeaceasIhavedonewithscoutingsandhavereplacedthefreeandeasybeltandrevolverfortheblacksilksuspendersandthefirebadgeofcivilization。Iamstillcoveredwith11daysdirtbutwillgetlotsofgoodthingstoeatanddrinkandsmokeatCorpusChristitonight，whereIwillstayfortwodays。I
amwritingthisonthecarandarangerisshootingsplintersoutofthetelegraphpolesfromthewindowinfrontandhasaNewYorkdrummerinastateofabsolutenervousprostration。
ImettheRangerslastnightaswecameintocampandfindthemquitethemostinterestingthingsyet。TheyarejustwhatIexpectedtofindhereandhavenotdisappointedme。
Everythingelseiseitherwhatweknowittobeandknowallaboutorelseisdisappointinglycommonplace。ImeanweknowcertainthingsarepicturesqueandIfindthemsobuttheyhavebeen"done"todeathandnewmaterialseemssoscarce。I
amsometimesveryfearfulofthesuccessoftheletters——
However，theRangersIsimplyloved。TheyweregentlevoicedanddidnotswearasthesoldiersdoandsomeofthemwereashandsomemenasIeversawandSOBIG。Andsuchchildren。
TheyshowedmealltheirtricksattherequestoftheAdjutantGeneral，wholooksuponthemashisspecialproperty。Theyshotfourshotsintoatreewitharevolver，goingatfullgallop，hitamarkwithbothhandsatonce，shotwiththepistolupsidedownandtheCaptainputeightshotsintoaboardwithaWinchester，whileIwasputtingtwointothefieldaroundit。WegotalongverywellindeedandtheywerequitekeenformetogobackandchaseGarza。Theyaresuretheyhavehimnow。IgavetheCaptainpermissiontoputfourshotsintomywhitehelmet。Heonlyputtwoandtherestofthecompanythinkingtheirreputationswereatstakewhippedouttheirgunsandsnatcheduptheirriflesandblazedawayuntiltheydancedthehatallovertheranch。Thenremorseovercamethemandtheyproposedtakingupacollectiontogetmeasombrero，whichIstopped。SoNora'shatisgonebutIamgoingtogetanotherandsavemyselffromsunstrokeagain。ThelastpartoftheridewasenlivenedbythepresenceofthreeMexicanmurderershandcuffedandchainedwithironbandsaroundtheneck，thatisTexascivilizationisn'tit——
IhavehadmydinnerandafinedinneritwaswithfreshfishandduckandoystersandsegarswhichIhavenothadforaweek。IamfinishingthisatConstantine'sandwillbeherefortwodaystowritethingsandwillthengoontoKing'sranchandfromtheretoSanAntonio，whereIwillalsorestaweek。Iwilljustaboutgetthroughmyscheduleinthetenweeksatthisrate。Ihadagoodtimeinthebushandamenjoyingitverymuchthoughitislonelynowandthen——
Still，itisveryinterestingandifthestoriesamounttoanythingIwillbepleasedbutIamconstantlywonderinghowonearthChasstooditashedid。HeisaherotomeforI
havesomehopeofgettingbackandhehadnot——Heisasport——HowIwillsleeptonight——arealbedandsheetsandpajamas，afterthegroundandthesameclothesforelevendays。
oflove。
DICK。
WhileRichardwastravellingintheWest，hissecondvolumeofshortstories，"VanBibberandOthers，"waspublished。Thevolumewasdedicatedtomyfather，whowroteRichardthefollowingletter:
PHILADELPHIA，February15，1892。
MYDEAROWNDICK:
IhavenotbeenthecompleteletterwriterIshouldhavebeen，asItoldyouonSaturday，butIknowyouwillunderstand。Yourtwogoodletterscamethisevening，onetoMammaandonetoNora。Theywereagooddealtousall，most，ofcourse，toyourdearmotherandsister，whohaveafond，foolishfancyorloveforyou——strange——isn'tit？
Yes，dearboy，Ilikedthenewstoryvery，verymuch。Itwasinyourbestbookandinfinespirit，andIliked，too，thededicationofthebook——itsmeaninganditsmanner。Iamgladtobeassociatedwithmydearboyandwithhisworkeveninthatbriefway。Youmaynotyetthoughtaboutitafterthisfashion，butIhavethoughtagooddealaboutit。Reportscometomeofyoufrommanysources，andtheyareallgood，andtheyallreflecthonoruponme——UponmeasI'mgettingreadytosalutetheworld，asourFrenchfriendssay。ItisverypleasanttomeasIthinkitovertofeelandtoknowthatmyboyhashonoredmyname，thathehasdonesomethinggoodandusefulintheworldandfortheworld。Ihavesomethingmorethanprideinyou。Iamgratefultoyou。Ifthisisalittleprosie，dearoldfellow，forgiveit。ItislateatnightandIamalittletired，andbeingtiredstupid。
YousawTheAtlanticnoticeofyourwork。IwishyoucouldhaveheardNoraontheauthorofit，whowouldnothavebeenhappyinhismindifhehadunhappilyheardher。ShewentforthatHeathenChineelikeawildcat。Nodisrespecttoher，but，allthesame，likeawildcat。Tomeitwasinteresting。
Ididnotagreewithit，buthereandthereIsawtheflashoftruthevenintheadversepraise。Ishouldhavehadmorerespectfortheauthor'sopinionifhehadlikedthatvitalspeck，Raegen。Ifhecouldnotseethedivine，humansparkinthat——aflashfromCalvary，whatistheuseofconsideringhim？Mygreatestprideinyou，thatwhichhasaddedsomesweetnessandjoytomylife，hasbeentherecognitionthatsomethingofthedivineelementwasgivenyou，andthatyourvoicerangoutsweetandpureatatimewhenothervoicesweresoundingthefascinationsofimpurity。That，likeChrist，youtaughthumanity。Don'tbeafraidofbeingthought"fresh，"feartobethought"knowing。"Lifeisn'tmuchworthatbest，——itisworthnothingatallunlesssomegoodbedoneinit——themore，thebetter。Don'tmakeittooseriouseither。Enjoyitasyougo，butafterafashionthatwillbringnoreproachtoyourmanhood。Don'tbeafraidtopreachthetruthandaboveallthereligionofhumanity。Goodnight，dearboy。I'malittletiredtonight。
Withgreatlove，DAD。
ANADARKO-February26th，1892。
DEARFAMILY:——
IcouldnotwriteyoubeforeasIhavebeentravelingfrompillarstoposts，ajoke，inastage，nightandday。IwenttoFortRenofromOklahomaCitywheretheydrovemecrazyalmostwithtownlotsandlotsitesandhomesteadholdings。
Itwasallrawandmean，andgreedyformoneyandamanismuchbetteroffineverywayinatenementonSecondAvenuethanthe"ownerofhisownhome"inoneofthesemushroomcities——SoIthink。IwenttoFortRenobystageanditseemedtomethatIwasreallyintheWestforthefirsttime——
TheresthasbeenasmuchliketheoiltownsaroundPittsburghasanythingelse。Butheretherearerollingprairielandswithmillionsofprairiedogsanddeepcanonsandbluffsofredclaythatstandoutasclearasarazorhollowedandcarvedawaybythewaterlongago。AndthegrassisashighasastirrupandthetreesveryplentifulaftertheplainsofTexas。ThemenatFortRenowerethebestIhavemet，indeedIamjustalittletiredoftryingtotalkofthingsofinteresttotheSecondLieutenant'sintellect。ButIhadtoleavetherebecauseIhadmissedthebeefissueandhadtoseeitandasitwasduehereIpushedon。Thispostisverybeautifulbutthemenareveryyoungandcivilappointmentsmainly，whichmeansthattheyhavenotbeentoWestPointbuthadfathersandhavefriendswithinfluenceandtheyarefresh。ButthesceneryaroundthepostisdelightfullywildandbigandthereisanIndiancampatthefootofthehillonwhichthefortisstuck。Mother，insteadofgoingtoEurope，shouldcomehereandseeherIndians。Onlyifshedidshewouldbringadozenormoreofthechildrenbackwithher。
TheyarethebrightestspotinmytripandIspendthemorningsandafternoonstryingtogetthemtoplaywithme。
Theyareveryshyandprettyandbeautifullybarbaricandwearthemostgorgeoustrappings。Thewomen，theolderones，aretheugliestwomenIeversaw。Butthemenarefine。Ineversawsuchcolorastheygivetothelandscapeandonealwaysthinkstheyhavedressedupjusttopleaseyou。IhavespentmostofmytimeandmoneyinbuyingthingsfromthembuttheyareverydearbecausetheIndianstakelongtomakethemanddonotliketopartwiththem。IhavehadroughtimeslatelybutIthinkIwouldbecontenttoremaininthewestsixmonthsifIcould。ItisthenecessityofleavingplacesI
likeandpushingontoplacesIdon't，Idislike。Renowasfinewithabandandlotsoffinefellows。Thispostisnotsoqueerbuttheyaresoyoung——Itmakesagreatbitofcolorthoughwiththeyellowcapesofthecavalryandthesoldierswig——wagingredandwhiteflagsatothersoldierseightmilesawayonothermountainsandtheIndiansinyellowbuckskinandblanketsandtheirfacespaintedtoo。Iwenttothebeefissueto-day——itwasnotaprettysightandmostbarbarousandcruel。IalsowenttoacouncilatwhichthechiefswereprotestingagainstthecuttingdownoftheirrationswhichisCommissionerMorgan'sdoingandwhichitisexpectedwillleadtowar——WewentinoutofcuriosityandwithoutknowingitwasaCouncilandwereverymuchashamedwhenoneoftheChiefsroseandsaidhewasgladtoseetheofficerspresentastheywerethebestfriendstheIndianshadandtheonlymentheycouldrespectintimesofpeaceasafriend，orintimesofwarasanenemy。Atwhichwetookoffourhatsandsatitthrough。Mother'sbloodwouldriseifshecouldhearthestoriestheytell，andtheyaresodignifiedandpolite。TheyhaveanIndiantroophere，liketheonedescribedinTheWeekly，whichyoushouldreadandtheCaptaintoldthemIwasagreatChieffromtheEast，whereatallthesoldierswhowereofnoblelineageclaimedtheirprivilegeofshakinghandswithme，whichhadademoralizingeffectupontheformationandthewhiteprivateswereeitherconvulsedwithmirthorredwithindignation。Butyoucannottreatthemlikewhitemenwhodonotknowtheirancestors——Dad'sletterwasthebestIhaveevergotfromhimandhehadalwaysbetterwritewhenheistired。Iwillalwayskeepit。
DICK。
DENVER——March7，1892。
DEARFAMILY:
IarrivedinDenverFridaynightandrealizedthatIwasinacityagainwherethemoreyouorderpeopleaboutthemoretheydoforyou，beingcivilizedandsounderstandingthatyoumeantotipthem。Ifoundmyfirstletteronthenewsstandandwasverymuchpleasedwithit，andwiththewaytheyputitout。TheproofwasperfectandiftherehadbeenmorepicturesIwouldhavebeenentirelysatisfied，asitwasIwasverymuchpleased。Mybaggagehadnotcome，socoveredwithmudanddustandstrawfromthestagesandgenerallydisreputableIwenttoseeaburlesque，andsaid"Frontrow，endseat，"justasnaturallyasthoughI
wasineveningdressandhighhat——andthenIsankintoabeautifuldeepvelvetchairandsawAmazonmarchesandladiesintightsandheardtheoldoldjokesandtheoldoldsongsweknowsowellandsingsobadly。ThenextmorningIwentformymailandtheentirepostofficecameouttoseemegetit。
Ittookmeuntilsevenintheeveningtofinishit，andIdonotknowthatitwilleverbeanswered。Thebestofitwasthatyouwereallpleasedwithmyletters。Thatputmymindatrest。ThentherewasnewsofdeathsandmarriagesandengagementsandthesamepeopledoingthesamethingstheydidwhenIwentaway。IdidnotintendtopresentanylettersasIwasgoingawaythatnighttoCreede，butIfoundIcouldnotgetanymoneyunlesssomeoneidentifiedmesoIpresentedonetoaMr。Jeromewhoallthebankerssaidtheywouldbeonlytoohappytooblige。Afteronehasbeenvariouslytakenforadrummer，photographerandhasbeenofferedsomuchalineto"writeup"boomingtowns，itisarelieftogetbacktoaplacewherepeopleknowyou——ItoldMr。JeromeIhadaletterofintroductionandthatIwasMr。Davisandheshookhandsandthenlookedattheletterandsaid"GoodHeavensareyouthatMr。Davis"andthenrushedoffandbroughtbacktheentireestablishmentbrokers，bankersandmineownersandtheyallsataroundandtoldmefunnystoriesandplannedmorethingsformetodoandeatthanIcoulddisposeofinamonth。
IamnowenroutetoCreede。CreedewhenyoufirstseeitinprintlookslikecreedebutafteryouhavebeeninDenverorColoradoevenforonedayitreadslikeCREEDE。Allthemenonthiscarthinktheyaregoingtomaketheirfortunes，andtowardthatendtheyhaveonnewbootsandflannelshirts，andsomeofthemseeingmybeautifulclothingandcarefularraycameoverandconfidedtomethattheywerereallynotsotoughastheylookedandhadneverwornaflannelshirtbefore。ThiscaristypicalofwhattheytoldmeIwouldfindatCreede。Therearerichmineownerswhoarepointedoutbytheconductorasthefifthpartownerofthe"PotLuck"mine，anddudesinastrakanfurcoatsovertopbootsandnewflannelshirts，andhardenedoldtimerswiththeirbeddingandtinpans，whohaveprospectedalloverthestateandwomenwhoaresmokinganddrinking。
IfeelawfullyselfishwheneverIlookoutofthecarwindow。
SwitzerlandwhichIhaveneverseenisaspotonthemapcomparedtothis。Themountainsgoupwithsnowononesideandblackrowsoftreesandrocksontheother，andthecloudsseempackeddownbetweenthem。ThesunonthesnowandthepeakspeeringabovethecloudsisallnewtomeandsoverybeautifulthatIwouldliketobuyamountainandcallitaftermybestgirl。IwillfinishthiswhenIgettoCreede。
Iexpecttomakemyfortunethere。
DICK。
CREEDE，March7。
AyoungmaninasweaterandtopbootsmetmeatthedepotandsaidthatIwasMr。DavisandthathewasayoungmanwhoselifeIhadwrittenin"Therewas90and9。"HewasfromBuffaloandwaseditingapaperinCreede。HesaidIwastostopwithhim——Creedeisbuiltofnewpineboardsandliesbetweentwoimmensemountainscoveredwithpinesandsnow。
ThetownisbuiltinthegulleyandwhenthespringfreshetscomewillbeasecondJohnstown。Faber，theyoungman，tookmetotheGrubStateCabinwhereIfoundtwomostamusingdudesandthoroughbredsportsfromBoston，Harvardmenlivinginacabintenbyeightwithfourbunksandastove，twobanjosandHOPE。Theyownnumeroussilvermines，lots，andshares，butIdonotbelievetheyhavefivedollarsincashamongstthem。TheyhavealargepictureofmyselfforoneoftheORNAMENTSandaregreatgoodfellows。WesatupinourbunksuntiltwothismorningtalkingandareplanningtogotoAfricaandMexicoandAsiaMinortogether——Lotsoflove。
DICK。
Veryhappyindeedtobebackinhisbelovedtown，RichardreturnedtoNewYorklateinMarch，1892，andresumedhiseditorialduties。Butonthisoccasionhisstaywasofparticularlyshortduration，andinMay，hestartedforhislong-wished-forvisittoLondon。Theseasontherewasnotyetinfullswing，andafterspendingafewdaysintown，journeyedtoOxford，wherehesettleddowntoamusehimselfandcollectmaterialforhisfirstarticlesonEnglishlifeashefoundit。InwritingofthisvisittoOxford，H。J。
Whigham，oneofRichard'soldestfriends，andwhoafterwardservedwithhiminseveralcampaigns，said:
"WhenwefirstmetRichardHardingDavishewasliving，toallpracticalpurposes，thelifeofanundergraduateatBalliolCollege，Oxford。Anyoneatallconversantwiththecustomsofuniversities，especiallywiththeidiosyncrasiesofOxford，knowsthatforapersonwhoisnotanundergraduatetosharethelifeofundergraduatesonequalterms，totakepartintheiradventures，tobeadmittedtotheirconfidenceismoredifficultthanitisforthecameltopassthroughtheeyeofaneedleorfortherichmantoenterheaven。ItwascharacteristicofDavisthatalthoughhewasafewyearsolderthantheaverageuniversity"man"andcamefromastrangecountryand，moreover，hadnoofficialreasonforbeingatOxfordatall，hewasacceptedasoneofthemselvesbytheBalliolundergraduates，infact，livedinBalliolforatleastacollegeterm，andhappeningtofallinwithasomewhatenterprisinggenerationofBalliolmenhetooktheleadinseveralescapadeswhichhavebeenwrittenintoOxfordhistory。
Thereisinthemakeupofthebesttypeofcollegeundergraduateawonderfulspiritofadventure，anunprejudicedviewoflife，analmostQuixoticfeelingforromance，adisdainofsordidormaterialisticmotives，whichtogethermaketheyearsspentatagreatuniversitythemostgoldenoftheaverageman'scareer。ThesecharacteristicsDaviswasfortunateenoughtoretainthroughalltheyearsofhislife。
ThesamespiritthattookhimoutwithabandofOxfordyouthstobreakdownanironbarriersetbyaninsolentlandowneracrossthenavigablewatersofShakespeare'sAvoncarriedhim，inafteryears，tothebattlefieldswhereGreecefoughtagainsttheyokeofTurkey，totheinsurrectocampsofCuba，tothedarkhorrorsoftheCongo，toManchuria，wheregallantJapanbeatbacktheoverwhelmingpowerofRussia，toBelgium，wherehesawthelegionsofGermanytramplingovertheprostratebodiesofasmallpeople。RomancewasneverdeadwhileDaviswasalive。"