A BOOMERANG VENGEANCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10599, 7 March 1895, Page 2

A BOOMERANG VENGEANCE.

[nr LUKE SHAKO.] Sovenge, eaya aa eastern proverbs ia a two-edged blade which cuts the hand that grasps it. London is a city so vast that many curious things happen therein, and not a day passes but vengeance io had by some one inhabitant upon auoMior. Revoogo In London is different in form from revenge sn Corsica, bub it ia generally quite ss effective, oven though it keeps within the law.

This is the story of two men, each of whom revenged himself upon the other; tho first stealthily while pretending to bs his friond’e friend, tho second openly aa an avowed enemy of tho first, returning revenge for revenge. Yet in both cases tho revenge had an effect exactly contrary to what the aggressor intended. Every man living, is what wo call a genius if he but knew it. As tho mathematics! chances are against the right man ever meeting the right woman snd marrying her, so, in a lesser degree, the chances are against a man finding exactly tho occupation that is fitted for him. Tho round pegs are eternally getting into the equate holes. When o. square peg gets into a square bole and fits, we say in our blindness that tho peg is a genius. Human perversity helps tho mathematical chances to prevent tho pegs getting into the right places. The successful, tragedian invariably thinks that his forts ia low comedy, and tbo renowned comedian imagines that if he but had the chance he could play Hamlet, Frederick Trigg wanted to bo a successful novelist, a vocation for which ho was utterly unKuited. Writing was his forte, but not the writing of novels. Ho had tho critical faculty strongly developed, and had a stylo of hia own which ultimately led him, as everyone knows, inro the very front rank of English critics. But fche_circumetauccß, seemingly adverse, at the time, and the res alt of “the meanest treachery, which guided tho square Trigg’a footsteps toward the squared hole, are not so well known. Alfred Dentos, on the other baud, was a born novelist, yet all hia hopes were centred iuto becoming a great editor—a position for which ha was conspicuously unfitted.

When young Trigg met young Denton by chance at a 'semi-literary club to which bot h belonged, Trigg congratulated himself. Denton at that time was tho inefficient sub-editor of a well-known magazine, and Trigg, whose MSS. ware invariably rejected, was convinced that the magazine eaitors of London formed a sort of close corporation, whose chief object in life was to keep tho outsider eternally outside. Trigg felt certain that if ona of hie stories but got a chance, it would he sure to succeed, and he felt that his ripening friendship with Benton would, when tho proper timo came, give him his chance. There is no doubt but Denton intuitively disliked Trigg from tho beginning. This of couraa he had a perfect right to do, but it is questionable if he was justified in protending a friendship ho did not feel, and in leading tho other on to confide hig woss and hia MSS. to him. Perhaps tbo dislike arose from tho unfortunate habit Trigg bad of reading selections from his stories to anyone who would listen, and there is no doubt that in those days Denton got more than his share. Any man has a right to resent this sort of thing, but he should resent it openly and boldly, and not revenge himself in aeneaky manner. Dsntcn praised the MSS. highly, took them to the magazine office readily, and kept them for & long time. Then they were returned to the unfortunate Trigg with a note saying that, the editor, in spite of the warmest commendations on the part of Denton, had rejected them. This was very disappointing as far aa Trigg was concerned, ami be conceived a violent hatred of the unknown editor who barred bis way to publicity. No man can live ou rejected MSS. alone, and Trigg, embittered by lack of onccess, nee a red n subordinate position upon- the Acadaiiewn a great weekly critical journal. His own trying experience had added just the requisite touch of virulence to hio pen which the Acadanev.m delighted in, and Trigg speedily rose ia tho estimation of his superiors on tho paper. Trigg naturally hated successful men. Oue night at a large literary dinner he found himself next an old man who was introduced to him ac tbo editor of tho magazine of which his friend Deaton was the sub. Trigg had by this time become known as a rising man in what may ba termed the cruel school of criticism, and the aged editor was very gracious to him.

“T whh,” ho eaid' at last, “that you coo’d fladtiraa to write us an article on any subject that pleased you.” Trigg turned upon the benevolent old man.

“ And I wish,” be replied, “ as did the Scriptural character, that you would write a book.”

The old man beamed upon him with surprise. “The Scriptural character,” he said, “hoped that his enemy would write a book. I am certainly not aa enemy cf yours,” “Not now, perhaps,” said Tciggs brutally. “ You are like'all the rest. You give a. man encouragement when ho doesn’t need it. Now that I am getting along you ask ms to write for your magazine, ignoring the fact that you have rejected more MSS. of mine than any other man in London, which is saying a good deal.” The editor looked at hita now with genuine surprise in his eyes. “ My dear sir,” he said, “ you are labouring under some strange mistake. I never in my life saw a MS. of yours.” "1 am sorry to contradict you,” replied Trigg, “but 1 have too many letters in my possession which tend to prove tho contrary. I have, I believe, some iu your own handwriting, nob intended for my eyes, of course, in which you speak with great frankness, of what you were pleased to term the ‘utter drivel’ I have written.” “ I would like very much,” said tho surprised editor, “to seo one of those letters. To tell the truth I am getting on in years, and my position on the magazine is largely nominoL I occasionally contribute something, but tho MS. sent in are entirely dealt with by cur reader, and finally by Mr Douton. He is the real editor of the magazine, as I thought everybody knew, snd has been for tho past ten years.” “ You surprise me,” said Trigg. "Of course until quite recently I have known nothing of the inner life of Literary London, and since joining the staff of the Acada.nev.rn I have been too busy to pay attention to it, Have you, then, no power on the magazine with which your name is connected f ”

“Oh, I have the power if I choose to exercise it; but I have very little taste for tha drudgery of editing, and I leave it entirely in the- bauds of my subordinates.”

“ What you say,” said Trigg, ,f interests ms more than you can be a ware of. I Tfoald like, if you do not mind, to show you some day a number of letters I have had from, tbo office cf your msgazinc.” “I. should bs pleased to see them,” answered tho other, and they made aa appointment to meet at the club of the editor.

Tha old man was very much astonished when ho saw tha letters.

“ These allowed extracts from notes of mine are not in my writing. They wore never written by me. If Denton wished to reject your MSS., he should at least have had the honesty to take the responsibility upon himself.’'’ The next week Trigg received a note from the editor of the magazine in question. It was to the following effect: “ If you think it worth an item in yonr visual column of literary notes, you have my authority for ranking the announcement that Alfred Denton, for many years sub-editor cf the magazine, ia now no longer connected with that periodical.” 'Trigg chuckled ss ho read this letter. “Denton,” ha said to himself, “tho treacherous scoundrel, will find oat now that it ia easier to lose a situation like that than to gat another.” And he added a cutting line to the item he wrote about his former friend, which, without being libelous, indicated that Denton’s leaving of the

magazine was practically a dismissal in disgrace. Denton soon realized that rumours wore abroad about him, and his endeavours to get a fresh footing in the line _ that led to ultimate editorship, were discouraging failures. It was under these circumstances that he wrote hie first book and had it published under a no»i de plume. It galled Trigg for many a day after 1 to know that whst ha wrote about this book was upon tho whom favourable, iadeod exceedingly favourable for Trigg, who at once recognised the merit of tho work without in tho least guessing who its author was. By this time Trigg had reached a commanding position upon hia paper, and what he wrote for its columns was printed as he wrote it, with no blue pencil supervision.

.Denton, pleased with theTsuccess of his firet book, allowed it to be announced that ho was the anonymous author, Trigg gnashed his teeth when ho realized that he had helped his enemy, but ho held his peace and waited. A throe-volume novel was announced. ■When those three volumes came to the Acadaneum office, Trigg felt that hio time for vßngefi.uco had come. Ho devoted a page to it. Nothing so bitter and bo crushing ever before or siucc appeared in the cynical columns of that paper. It was merciless, and everyone recognized that Douton had received bis death-blow aa a novelist. None realized this more than Deaton himself, who was driven to the verge of despair. His publisher was appalled, and ho and the author had a consultation, but both admitted that nothing could bo done. By all lavra of logic tho saio of the book should have stopped at that moment, but the very contrary was the case. The fierceness and the magnitude of tho attack at once gave Denton & place iu the world of literature that it might in the ordinary course of events have taken years to attain. There instantly arose a discussion about the book in various papers throughout the country. Tho demand for it increased. People” wanted to read a work that had been so raoiciiaEnly slated. The libraries treat in order aftor order, and a second edition was announced. Still tbo demand kept up, and as the bock had genuine merit, and as the attack was in reality villainously unfair, although demoniacally clever, public sympathy began to veer towards the author.

The first edition of the novel iu cheap form was sold the clay cf publication, and was speedily followed by n second and a third and a fourth.

It is quite possible for a critic to overestimate hio own power, and it was some time before Trigg realised that his revenge was a hocmerang. His article had been the making of hia enemy, and Denton’s position iu the literary world wao now assured. No one could destroy it but himself,- and, as everyone knows, he was too clever a man to do that. His succeeding book 3 have more ■ than borne out the promise of his first and second.

Thus it happened that each man’s vengeance upon the other succeeded iu placing in both cases the square peg in the square hole, and although those two men were the making of each other, although each, ia reality, was the other’s best friend with the worst intentions, yet such is the contrariness of human nature, that no two people ia London hate each other bo bitterly as Frederick Trigg snd Alfred Denton.