In 1905 the returns slid backward a little. During this year, and the year preceding, some stories which had failed with Mr. White were received with favor by Mr. Kerr, of The Chicago Ledger—at the Ledger price, ranging from $30 upward to $75.
The Woman's Home Companion, to which Edwards had vainly tried to sell serial rights on "Danny W.," accepted a two-part story entitled, "The Redskin and the Paper-Talk," and paid $200 for it. This is the story of which a chapter was lost in the composing room, and Edwards received an honorarium of $5 for having a carbon duplicate of the few missing pages.
In 1905, also, The American Press Association did business with Edwards to the amount of $30. Another market for the Edwards' product—worth mentioning even though the amount of business done was not large.
The returns for the two years were as follows:
| 1904: | |
| "The Highwayman's Waterloo," | $ 125.00 |
| "Danny W.," | 200.00 |
| "Danny W.," serial rights | 50.00 |
| "The Skirts of Chance," | 300.00 |
| "The Duke's Understudy," | 140.00 |
| "At Large in Terra Incognita," | 175.00 |
| "The Man from the Stone Age," short story | 25.00 |
| "The Honorable Jim," | 250.00 |
| "Fate's Gamblers," serial rights | 15.00 |
| "A Deal with Destiny," | 150.00 |
| "The Enchanted Ranch," | 75.00 |
| "The Camp Coyote," | 40.00 |
| "Under the Ban," | 75.00 |
| "A Master of Graft," | 225.00 |
| 26 Five-Cent Libraries @ $40 each | 1040.00 |
| 4 Sea and Shore Libraries @ 50 each | 200.00 |
| ———— | |
| Total | $3085.00 |
| 1905: | |
| "Cornering Boreas," short story | $ 30.00 |
| "The Redskin and the Paper-talk," | 200.00 |
| "The Redskin and the Paper-talk," additional pay't | 5.00 |
| "Mountebank's Dilemma," short story | 25.00 |
| "Helping Columbus," | 350.00 |
| "The Edge of the Sword," | 200.00 |
| "Yellow Clique," | 100.00 |
| "A Mississippi Snarl," | 200.00 |
| "The Black Box," | 200.00 |
| "A Wireless Wooing," short story | 15.00 |
| "The Freelance," | 50.00 |
| "The Luck of Bill Lattimer," | 30.00 |
| "Machine-made Road-agent," short story | 15.00 |
| "The Man from Mars," | 275.00 |
| 10 Sea and Shore stories @ $50 each | 500.00 |
| ———— | |
| Total | $2195.00 |
Good, philosophical Ras Wilson once said to a new reporter, "Young man, write as you feel, but try to feel right. Be good humored toward every one and everything. Believe that other folks are just as good as you are, for they are. Give 'em your best and bear in mind that God has sent them, in his wisdom, all the trouble they need, and it is for you to scatter gladness and decent, helpful things as you go. Don't be particular about how the stuff will look in print, but let'er go. Some one will understand. That is better than to write so dash bing high, or so tarnashun deep, that no one understands. Let'er go."
There was once a poor man hounded to death by creditors. Ruin and suicide vied for his surrender. But he was a man of the twentieth century, and flippantly but with unbounded faith he collected a few odd pennies and hied him to a newspaper office. Stopping scarcely to frame his sentence he inserted a "want" advertisement, stating his circumstances and declaring he would commit suicide unless aid was proffered. Within twenty-four hours he had $250; before another sun his employer advanced as much more. Carefully advising the newspaper to discontinue the advertisement, he paid off his creditors—and lived happily ever afterward! No, this is not a fairy tale. The time was a few weeks ago, the city Chicago and the newspaper, The Tribune. The moral is, that originality in writing, coupled with a fresh idea, brings a check.