The Bread Line A Story of a Paper   By: Albert Bigelow Paine (1861-1937)

[Illustration]

The Bread Line

A Story of a Paper

By Albert Bigelow Paine

[Illustration]

New York The Century Co. 1900

Copyright, 1899, By THE J. B. LIPPINCOTT CO.

Copyright, 1900, By THE CENTURY CO.

To Those Who have Started Papers, to Those Who have Thought of Starting Papers, and to Those Who are Thinking of Starting Papers.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I THE FIRST DINNER 1

II FRISBY'S SCHEME 15

III A LETTER FROM THE "DEAREST GIRL IN THE WORLD," OTHERWISE MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND, TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK 29

IV SOME PREMIUMS 36

V A LETTER FROM MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK TO MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND 52

VI CASH FOR NAMES 61

VII A LETTER FROM MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK 84

VIII THE COURSE OF EVENTS 92

IX IN THE SANCTUM 108

X A LETTER FROM MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK TO MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND 116

XI THE GENTLE ART OF ADVERTISING 125

XII A LETTER FROM MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK 144

XIII THE HOUR OF DARK FOREBODING 149

XIV A LETTER FROM MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK TO MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND 158

XV FINAL STRAWS 165

XVI AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW 176

XVII A TELEGRAM FROM MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND TO MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK 187

XVIII GRABBING AT STRAWS 188

XIX A LETTER FROM MR. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE OF NEW YORK TO MISS DOROTHY CASTLE OF CLEVELAND 196

XX THE BARK OF THE WOLF 204

XXI THE LETTER LIVINGSTONE READ 209

XXII THE BREAD LINE 214

XXIII THE LAST LETTER TO MR. AND MRS. TRUMAN LIVINGSTONE, OLD POINT COMFORT, VIRGINIA 227

The Bread Line

I

THE FIRST DINNER

This is the story of a year, beginning on New Year's eve.

In the main it is the story of four two artists and two writers and of a paper which these four started. Three of them the artists and one of the writers toiled and dwelt together in rooms near Union Square, and earned a good deal of money sometimes, when matters went well. The fourth the other writer did something in an editorial way, and thus had a fixed income; that is, he fixed it every Saturday in such manner that it sometimes lasted until Wednesday of the following week. Now and then he sold a story or a poem "outside" and was briefly affluent, but these instances were unplentiful. Most of his spare time he spent in dreaming vague and hopeless dreams. His dreams he believed in, and, being possessed of a mesmeric personality, Barrifield sometimes persuaded others to believe also.