California -- Fiction; San Francisco (Calif.) -- Fiction; Upper class -- Fiction; Western stories
"Of course! And with fresh and fascinating material begging for its
turn. I arrived in the nick of time. When you have transcribed those
stories into correct and distinguished English, you will have taken your
place among the immortals. But style alone will give you a place in
letters worth having. Always remember that. The theme determines popular
success, the manner rank. Don't misunderstand me; there is no greater
fraud or bore than the writer who has acquired the art of saying nothing
brilliantly. You must have both. And you are too ambitious, too
intellectual, as distinguished from clever, too serious and logical, to
be contented with anything short of perfection. I shall be your severest
critic; but you yourself will work for years before you produce a line
with which you are wholly satisfied. Is not this true?"
"Yes; I should always be my severest critic."
He drew a long breath of relief. He had no desire for a literary wife;
nor to be known as the husband of one. Magdalena should be as happy as
he could make her, but the sooner she realised that genius was not her
portion, the better.
IX
"Never I think I come to Monterey again," said Don Roberto, as the 'bus
which contained his party only drove from the little toy station to the
big toy hotel. "Once I hate all the Spanish towns, because so
extravagant I am before that I feel 'fraid, si I return, I am all the
same like then; but now I am old and the habits fixit; and now I know my
moneys go to be safe with Trennahan, I feel more easy in the mind and
can enjoy. But I no go to the town, for all is change, I suppose: all
the womens grown old and poor, and all the mens dead--by the drink,
generalmente. Very fortunate I am I no stay there; meeting Eeram in
time. Ay, yi! What kind de house is this? Look like paper, and the
grounds so artifeecial. No like much."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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