ly been appointed editor
of The Evening Sun, and had already met with a rather spectacular
success. On hearing the object of Richard's visit to New York, he
promptly offered him a position on his staff and Richard as promptly
accepted. I remember that the joyous telegram he sent to my mother,
telling of his success, and demanding that the fatted calf be killed
for dinner that night was not received with unalloyed happiness. To my
mother and father it meant that their first-born was leaving home to
seek his fortune, and that without Richard's love and sympathy the home
could never be quite the same. But the fatted calf was killed, every
one pretended to be just as elated as Richard was over his good
fortune, and in two days he left us for his first adventure.

The following note to his mother Richard scribbled off in pencil at the
railway-station on his way to New York:

I am not surprised that you were sad if you thought I was going away
for good. I could not think of it myself. I am only going to make a
little reputation and to learn enough of the business to enable me to
live at home in the centre of the universe with you. That is truth.
God bless you.

DICK.

CHAPTER IV

NEW YORK

Of the many completely happy periods of Richard's life there were few
more joyous than the first years he spent as a reporter in New York.
For the first time he was completely his own master and paying his own
way--a condition which afforded him infinite satisfaction. He was
greatly attached to Brisbane and as devoted to the interests of The
Evening Sun as if he had been the editor and publisher. In return
Brisbane gave him a free rein and allowed him to write very much what
and as he chose. The two men were constantly together, in and out of
office hours, and planned many of the leading features of the paper
which on account of the brilliancy of its news stories and special
articles was at that time attracting an extraordinary amount of
attention. Richard divided his working hours between reporting
important news events, writing specials (principally about theatrical
people), and the Van Bibber stories, nearly all of which were published
for the first time in The Evening Sun. These short tales of New York
life soon made a distinct hit, and, while they appeared anonymously, it
was generally known that Richard was their author. In addition to his
newspaper work my brother was also working on short stories for the