MUTT AND JEFF
YOURE
FIRED!
WE QUIT!
WELL, SLONE
BEATRICE OL GIRL! IT WAS FUN TAKING *CARE OF You!
COME ON? VEMANE NO. TIME FOR SENTIMENT HOW!
THE GYP HE NEVER PAID US!
AND WERE PLAY BROME-77
THAT MEANS WHIVE
·GOT PLENTYOR
·RITCH-HIKING
TO DO!
1-11
THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 18, 1939
By BUD MISHER
WORR
E
EWO MALTONIC
FOR NURSING MOTHERS
“Maltonic” is highly recommended by the medical profession. By reason of its high malt and phosphate content, "Maltonic" is invaluable for Nursing Mothers, Obtainable from all compradores, dispensaries or from
JARDINE, MATHESON & CO., LTD. TEL, 30311,
PRESIDENT LINER
Sailings
SAN FRANCISCO AND LOS ANGELES
Via
SHANGHAI, KOBE, YOKOHAMA AND HONOLULU
S.S. "PRESIDENT CLEVELAND" 8:8. "PRESIDENT PIERCE". 9.8.'"PRESIDENT COOLIDGE" *8.8. "PRESIDENT TAFT"
* OMITS SHANGHAI.
SAILS AUG. 26th at SERT. 9th at SEPT. 23rd at 'OCT. 7th at "21st at OCT. “NÖV.* 4th at
8.00 A.M. 4.00 P,M. 9.00 A.M. 8.00 A.M. 8.00 A.M. 8.00 A.M.
*8.8. "PRESIDENT CLEVELAND" *S.S. "PRESIDENT PIERCE"
AND FORTNIGHTLY THEREAFTER ~NEW YORK AND BOSTON VIA SUEZ
8.8. "PRESIDENT VAN, BUREN' $.8. "PRESIDENT HARRISON"
SAILS AUG. 17th at 5.00 A.M. SEPT. 1st at 12.00 Noon 11 AND FORTNIGHTLY THEREAFTER
5.8. "PRESIDENT CLEVELAND" 9.8. "PRESIDENT HARRISON" 8.8. "PRESIDENT PIERCE" B.S. "PRESIDENT COOLIDGE”.
MANILA
SAILS AUG. 20th at 2.00 A.M. SEPT. 1st at 12.00 Noon- SEPT. 3rd at 2.00 A.M. SEPT. 16th.. at 1.00 A.M.
AMERICAN ✰✰
PRESIDENT LINES
"-ROUND-WORLD SERVICE.”
12, PEDDER ST.
TELEPHONE 28171-
The China Dail."
DEALS
CONCISELY AND ACCURATELY
WITH THE NEWS
“EARLIEST WITH THE LATEST"!
THE DAILY SHORT STORY
REJECTION SLIP
for the Hal almost
"It's a grand idea," Marta said. "We check for $225 in payment ought to make some money on it. I story Hal had written. don't think one's ever thought of collapsed from shock. establishing an agency for greeting "But we haven't got our rejection card verses."
slip," Marta wailed.
Hal was even more excited. Ever. To heck with the rejection slip. since the day he had gone hunting Look! Two hundred and twenty-five through the stores for an appropriate smackers! Wow! I'm going to be a Mother's Day card and found them all writer."
:
21
sickeningly sentimental and had, in Two days later a letter came from
In it was desperation, made up one of his own, the second magazine. the idea had been brewing in his check for $100., Hal almost. had mind.
stroke. He would have resigned then "We'll clean up!" he cried. "Besides and there from his position as clerk.. doing a good turn to humanity. Look, in the store if Marta hadn't prevailed we'll be the only agency in the field. upon him with tears in her eyes. We'll contact all the greeting card - So Hal set out to prove to Marta publishers, telegraph companies and that he could make a good living writ- other communication agencies. Then ing stories. He started another. He we'll advertise in writers' magazines worked over it a week, then tore it for verses. The good ones we'll sub- up. Nothing went right. Now that mit to the publishers, charging their he was serlous about the thing, he authors the usual ten per cent fee.. didn't seem able to make anything Honey, I tell you we've got [ some sound as it should. He started four one with thing!".
stories before he finished "We ought," Marta said, "to com- which he was satisfied. He sent it off pose a rejection slip to enclose with and it came back within three days, the verses we can't use and have to accompanied by a polite but curt let- return to the authors.
ter from the editor. There was no- "Sure," Hal said. "We'll make up thing of interest about the story, the a smart one." He grabbed paper and letter said. pencil.. "Let's do it now."
During the next month- Hal wrote "How should we word it? 'Sorry the process. He lay awake nights
By Richard Hill Wilkinson
He suffered in we can't use this No, that doesn't three more stories:
He became sound polite enough. We can't afford thinking about them. to antagonise the authors.":
haggard and worn looking.
"Nope. And it's got to sound pro- fessional, too. Something like: "We
and
Now we can have
He sent all three stories off have read your verse, but found they bounced back at him so fast he it Nope, that's too cold."" Hal marvelled at the speed of the mails. chewed the end. of his pencil. His Each of the three contained neatly brow was furrowed. He was a cloth- printed rejection slips.- ing store clerk; and composing rejec- "At last!" Marta cried. "We have tion slips, was a little out of his line.
a rejection slip. "I'll tell you what! We'll write to one
our own printed." ask of the popular magazines and them to send us a sample."
So they did. Within the next month to. use "They'd think we were crazy-ask- they had plenty of chances
verses ing for a rejection slip without sub- them. The two dozen odd mitting something."
that came in were terrible. Only one "Then we'll submit something; A seemed 'worth while. They sent it to short story. I'll write one. I always a publisher and it was returned with did want to try. Of course I know it a rejection slip.. Now they had plen- won't be any good, but it will get us ty of rejection slips and 'not a legitimate rejection slip."
So that evening Hal sat down and dashed off a short story. He sent It
else.
much
After another month Marta suggest-
off in the morning mail. In the days ed, and Hal endorsed the idea, of writ- that followed they formulated. their ing to the writers" magazines and' an- nouncing that the Ruggles 'Agency had plans for the greeting card
They did and agency. Each time they talked about gone by the board.
•
verse
"Well, anyway," Hal said, “I'm glad
"Never mind," Marta said. "It was fun. Maybe we'll think of another idea sometime."
it their enthusiasm grew. Hal estim- every one seemed glad. ated their income conservatively at $300 a week. Of course he would leave his present job and devote all I didn't give up my job in the store." his time to the agency. They would go south in winter, north in summer.
Hal wrote to all the publishers whose names he could get hold of and told them, about the agency. Then he wrote to several writers' magazines and asked them to announce that the Ruggles Agency was now paying top prices for greeting card verses.
A week passed. No word was heard from the magazine to which Hal** had submitted his story. And they
needed the rejection slip so they could get some of their own printed.:: Of-. ferings, they felt, would start pouring In any minute now.
"Maybe we will,' said Hal, who, by now, was agreeable to anything.
[Released by The Associated Newspapers]
Get Rid of White Ants-Consult
Thomas Cowan & Co. The White Ant Exterminating Experts
They waited another week and, re- celving no word from the magazine, vis Hal wrote another story and sent it). special delivery to a second magazine. Impatiently they waited for a third weak to go by. Then a letter came' from the fret magazine. In it was a
Tel: 30722
ОК
JARDINE, MATHESON & Co., Ltd.
Telephone, 20211