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The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, November 12, 1905, Image 4

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Persistent link: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1905-11-12/ed-1/seq-4/

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« jf EMORY is a tricky thing. .
/\ /J .- There was a time, when
I V I there was no comic supple
>• I ment in garish >color on the
.'\u25a0 A. Sunday morning doorstep.
There was a- time when there was no
Yellow Kid, no Happy Hooligan. • no
Buster Brown, no Lulu and Leander,
no Mamma Katsenjammer arid terrible
Katzenjammer Kids, no Alphonse l nor
Gaston.- no Foxy I Grandpa, no. tricky
little .bears' and awfully sophisticated
little .'tigers-— none ti the host of peo
ple whose faces are more familiar to
us ihan our next door neighbors',
whose names are oftener. on • our
tongues than those of the heroes In the
Hall of Fame, • , •\u25a0;
There was such a time and. we have
forgotten it already, although -it was
only ten years- ago. ..
Nowadays the lucky youpgster'of the
family sneaks down the front stairs
on his tippy-toes, in his little nightie,
at the first crack of day, on a Sunday
morning — while the oldsters are taking
their weekly "late sleep"— opens ' the
front "door as softly, as the most ac
complished burglar, grabs the fat wad
of morning papers and sneaks up the
stairs and into bed again. There his
mamma ' finds \u25a0 him when she comes in
to wake him lip in time for the epe*
clal Sunday morning, breakfast, sitting
up among his pillows with all the
"funny papers" carefully sorted ~. out
from' the ponderous » printed mass,
chuckling himself purple as lie follows
the adventures of his favorites from
their almost complete annihilation of
the Sunday morning before.
Lucky youngster! This is an age
of opulence and Indulgence, and he
doesn't know, as he discovers what
new deviltry the Katzenjammers have
gotten into, what new mischief Buster
Brown has Invented, what a childhood
of privations his papa and mamma
suffered, what a barren youth was
\u25a0theirs without the Sunday morning
"funny papers." He doesn't know that
they had to grow up without the aid of
the comic supplement.
Perhaps if he did he would harbor
less resentment against those oldsters
who hang on to the "funny paper"
from breakfast to bedtime, and make it
necessary for him to get up bo early
to find out what the "funny paper"
people are doing.
Perhaps if he did be wouldn't give
his surreptitious snort of scorn when
papa explains to the callers that % he
takes so many Sunday papers because
the youngsters want to see the comic
supplements.
However that may be. the comic
supplement is an American Institution,
recognized and established, like the
trolley car and the quick lunch counter.
It is only ten years old, yet it is
firm as though it had been established
forever. The public doesn't, subscribe
for the newspaper that doesn't have
one. and no postofflce is so remote that
the comic supplement doesn't reach it
and find youngsters eagerly waiting to
receive it on the day that it's due.
Yet the comic supplement did not spring
into being as , the responsive supply to
a demand.
On- the contrary, it is a creation that
has created its own demand."
Ten years ago there were no comic sup
plements nor comic supplement artists.
• Ten years ago, or, to be punctiliously
exact, eleven years ago, in the evolution
of the 'newspaper the color press was pro
.duced, that Is a press that would print
.in several colors and that would register;
that, means, that it would print those
colors where the artist in drawing his
picture had designated they should go.
Before that there were experimental color
presses that would print in colors, but
jthe colors would land in the most unex
pected places, placing the red. of Hooli
gan* nose and of .Buster Brown's ..tie
had thero been a Hooligan or a Buster
In those days— quite without the outlines
defining either nose or tie.
. When at last the color press was per
fected so that It- would print the red of
Hooligan's nose where Hooligan wore his
nose, there was . a conclave of editors
in the editorial sanctum of the newspaper
that had secured -the first color press.
They had gathered to decide the mo
mentous Question:
"What shall we do with the color press,
now that w» have it?"
One was for this thing, one was for
that, and almost the fate befell it of
being used for printing a '..'woman's'sup
plement" of fashions. The day was saved
for the comic supplement by a young man
whose observant eyes had noted the fact
that most of the men coming down town
on the cars in the morning had their
morning papers folded over to make the
"funny column" easy reading,. and most
of them when going home at night turned
to 'the funny columns of their evening
papers after reading the sports or finan
cial news, • according to their particular
tastes and interests. \u25a0 '
- "What's the matter with American
humor-7-and. humorists? What's the mat
ter with making a color- supplement of
humor?" he asked. " ' . - \u25a0
His fellow-editors fell upon his neck In
Joy for. his solution— as rapidly as they
could resign their, own pet : schemes; and
thus the comic eupplement scheme came
into being. . " .' .. ' •
THE EVOLUTION OF THE COMIC PICTURE
AND THE
COMIC
ARTIST
.Then came the question -of comic sup- •
plement artists.. \u25a0 ?'«\u25a0* '. . ' i;
Apparently, there '.Vas none born and
carefully laid away In ; cotton wool 4
awaiting . the emergency. So. \u25a0 with, the c
usual newspaper enterprise, they* were
made.' . ' .' \u25a0 : \u25a0'\u25a0•'• •
• The 'very first <if these whose history
will serve for a sample was Richard F.
Outcault; | known • as "Dick" -. Outcault
everywhere . except «n the' payroll. s , ,
Dick Outcault wasthe first of the comic
supplement artists who . made ! ' ; a hit,
whose "pfencil creation became a national, -
yea,' even an ' International character. . .
He was a young New Yorker, living the
cemi-Bohemlan, semi-domestic "life of .the .
young man with ambition who must coin
his brain for rent, car fare, clothes, etcet^'
. era. - • ' ' \u25a0 \u25a0 ' . ,S \u25a0 ''. ' \u25a0 \u25a0•-- , v ".
He had studied art in Paris rather cas
ually; and when- he"; came to "New
York and had a wife,' a .baby, and 4. Har-.
" lem" flat ,to ; provide ,for. he^ utilized 'his j
\u25a0 knowledge of : art. as an Illustrator.'' He;,
worked as a draftsman, making- mechan- .
leal drawings .for the .Electrical World
and the Street Railway Journal, land he
. worked out page drawings T that he tied
up in mactila paper and carried down ,.to ,
the- newspaper'offices"underfhi8 arm': to "
submit to the.heads;Of newspaper art' de-;. ;
partments.- Sometimes he. got $15 for on© "
'•of v them, and .sometimes he' 1 . didn't; ;-l>ut*
. more often \ than not-, he made the. ex
change, for he jwas both a good fellow
and a good workman. '•\u25a0!', v
By way of relaxation from the mechan
ical drawing, and , the page ' '\u25a0 pictures -of"
serious " subjects-, he" * scratched'/ .*' little S
"comics" on left-over \bits of Sbristol ,
: board, and the editor of." Truth rsfeeing
**ihera, he sold 'them to that frivolous "and .:
forward " weekly and got* encouragement.
Because of his little '."comics" In Truth
the editor of the first comic supplement
' seized upon him as the likeliest material
to manufacture Into a., comic supplement
artist. -It was"' wonderful editorial pre-
BCiehce. . * . . " $:_
For • the first comic " supplement -Dick '
Outcault . borrowed , a . suggestion from
stage* comedy, .from' the song "Maggie •
Murphy's Home" , In an Ed^Harrlgan
play. One line In this'SOng", "Down ih-\
Hogan's alley," gave Outcault: his' coe.-.
He created- a .number of characters \ for
Hogan's alley, and with them* reproduced'
every, current event fram~ttie_.Hogan's
alley point of view.-' The idea caught on
just enough to be accepted as "good.".
It had almost run its course, and was;
getting ready to give way to sc .nething -
else when Outcault's first hit "was. made. .;
In his. workroom. -in his : Harlem flat he
was .biting his ipencJl: quite.: vHlnly nor. j
some new twist to" give to' Hogan's- alley \
for that, week. -When in'the. midst of hia/5
publicity his small . son walked | in in .; his 7
little nightie grinning -happily and 1 idls- »
playing ~ his n^w, teeth, j Outcault popped
him into the Hogan's Alley Company— :,
nightie, two teeth, grin and all. A happy
inspiration led the color man to print the .;•'
new kiddy's nighife"yell6w,"ahdlo! 'upon
the next Sunday morning the Yellow Kid |
was born— the most famous kid, in litera
ture," if we. may stretch'the term so far
as to include the comic supplement • in"'
literature. . . . . . - - '$\u25a0->'.
The Yellow Kid. was born and' "Dick" .
Outcault's fortune was 'made.
By accident)' \u25a0' ' , . ' , " ' .
Well, perhaps it was by , accident— but .
it was an accident that depended upon .
Dick Outcault's. peculiar gift for seeing \
things Just so. ."•\u25a0,... ;
Think how many kiddles, .with two ,
teeth, a nightie and a grin have been
seen by their papas.lwithout^ ever before
producing a Yellow Kid. \u25a0' \ . '. !
The Yellow Kid meant everything to ';.' ',
the man who made him. " ' . ; :
* Before. the: day of the comic" supple-. '
ment Outcault was glad enough to get •
$15 for a page drawing 1 .. The. comic j
supplement- tacked a cipher to,- theV (
value of. his page drawings and - made ,
it worth $150 to him to'be funny' where ' A
it had been onlyl worth 5 1 5 t o be ser lr ,
ous, but the Yellow Kid "brought opu.- y
lence.. ,-.-.. yWii / : ,* :' ' • 'S. : ': • ] \u25a0
He became a furore ,, with the public.
Rival papers each 'other for
Outcault and wrangled over *hlm. Infl
tators stole . his j creation, and brought
lawsuits upon their, heads.: The Yellow
Kid was dramatized-' and placarded
upon billboards ; and. 'breakfast foods,
on. dry*. goods t and # wet. .There were
Yellow Kid neckties 'and games, ,' Ye
llow .'Kid commodities of '\ every : kind
that hoped, to, float Into notice with. his
popularity, and the.. Yellow, Kid, -being
copyrighted, Dick Outcault had a rake
down, on. his every appearance -In the
way of » ... - .
But the Yellow Kid,. ln'the very na
ture :of ; things," , : wore . himself out »ahd
ilr. Outcault was left:- In , the lurch .for
a successor -while successful \u25a0', comic
supplement artists , were ; tickling I his
public and getting the laughs and the
dollars. • '• . ;
Again there was a lucky accident.
Again Mr. Outcault realized - the ad
vantage \u25a0of being a family man. " ;
The original of the Yellow Kid, like
the pictured imp of popularity, had dis
appeared.' A . little - disconsolately he
admitted it to, himself.?. But— what was
this in his place? What funny,* sturdy
little chap was this, everlastingly in
venting iniquities to drive - his father
and mother mad?
A successor to the Yellow Kid! And
right here in his own ; ; household
grown for the. purpose, as ; it < were!.';
• So— Buster Brown happened! • ;
So Buster Brown— the most • perva
sive youngster of them • all— came into
being; ' \u25a0 , , \u0084 : .
• Buster Brown broke out in the comic
supplements.; Buster - Brown • ' Invaded
'the nurseries, spread .over : his : - own
country, • invaded Europe. And now. we
not- only, have .whole pages of ; Buster
Brown in colors- on > Sunday morning,
tv« ' have • Buster 'Browns on": every
block, In "almost every :: family; iwe
' have Buster Brown stockings and hats
and ties'and suits" and- belts; 'Buster
Brown on the: stage and in the -'show
windows, at. "fancy dress: parties and In
amateur; theatricals .'arid- -living plc
tures." .* ; \u25a0:."[• " '";" ' r :\u25a0',?.'%\u25a0 * ' : :.- / "
V'The Interest in- Busier. / Brown , ex
tends . ; to * his , creator or % inventor^' or
portrayer, ; or • whatever you ' please' to
: call Mr. Outcault. J Theiyourigsters'who
gobble the comic \ supplements ' • and,"
1 their \u25a0 grown-ups, lof course, " who >• like
'to glx'e the chirdren- everything ; their
little , hearts Jwant/'do"; not' only/ demand
Buster '\u25a0 Brown • In" all his \variety,*j but
they; demand - the ..-maker ' of \u25a0/\u25a0• Buster
'Bro wn.\ too.' He ; has* to •be .trotted . out
and exhibited to Hherii. " / ' v "
'Andthe result is; that Dick Outcault,
the first of the -comic, supplement ar
tists, Vwho; has aH ! ;he \ can > do j making
pictures] of 'Buster,; Brown • and- raking
:in the dollars Buster : Br6wri brings him
—it is estimated that, there s are about
75,000 of i them per- year -has had -to
£ go on a lecture tour to 'satisfy the de
mand. He has ;toigo\ from clty^ to city
and town :to \u25a0 townVand ; get I out on , the.
stage arid , tell /stories and* draw Buster
Brown- pictures^ ; ° : '„ . •
"I . didn't \u25a0 wfint , tb; do : it." Mr.; Outcault
said when some one asked'him-how, he
happened. to begin lecturing.';; ."It wasa
case *of simply; answering; a'" demand
. that ,l couldn't lgnore^any^ longer. -I
; -don'tikhow " why any one; should -want
.to see me,-. but', in : some' way ;K people
.have'learned, that-lCcJould' tell stories
.as wellj. as : draw: pictures.".-; : ; Som e. one
who.'has heard me of ".an", evening ;at
home must havergiveri.the'news away.'
.This, coupled 'wlthf an' expressed .desire
on the part of .the /ctfildreri; every where
r ,to. see ,the. man^ Jwho .> made \u25a0 Bustei;
Brown, made, me' filially"; consent \u25a0to give
a ; cartoon .'• lectnre ; or; v two^' and ."• herei I
ariV j 'laurich~ed: on ;a; career; that*. I 'don't
know how 1 1 am :to > get* out: of.'
'\u25a0 '. "The 'trouble "< began . years % {a.go when
.Buster Brown was* in his. infaricy." I com
menced* to : get'letters"like";this: v^ >.\u25a0".• j
.".'Dear ?*Mr.S' Outcault: t.vl v like "I Buster
Brown/; arid; I f would ' like \u25a0 to ; see; the . man
who v draws ; iiim.V*, Can' tj you j come \ to | rifiy
house' some \u25a0 time '\u25a0\u25a0 and y make : a ; oleture ; of
Buste't.'for J iny; very, own? I would give
anything tb'h'aveVit.' '- ' . v \u25a0_ ' ',-'" '; • •
•/. \u25a0'. ','Th'isVis -- Just' at sample of what . I got| •
and 'sbriie "were' more Insistent. "Further
'\u25a0 more, ' children^ began \u25a0 to ,, l > find ?out ' where
I lived,, arid vriiany- an : afternoon .when:
I've got\homel I've found proud but mis-.
.parents ': at • my ' house I with their.
yo urigsters, who ; demanded h that \ I chat '
•- with \ them.t tell A them ' all I about ' '• Buster,
and ' also , say ' whether ,or > riot % they 1 were
: : not - the , original t- Buster •; Browns \ from
• whom. I; got myj inspiration. ./."/; '
'"I like "chlldreri— every "l one. who knows
me ' knows i that— but v this ~i got ,- to X- b« 3a '
nuisance. ; Finally, 1 - about I three Vmonths
ago,' I got' a letter; from I an: orphan asy-J
. lum's s mariager : in? Brooklyn,^ telling i me •
-that he was going to bring his entire coX
lection of ; youngsters v overj to Flushing ; to >
sea me, ; arid ;" that ' I - had* better;; be \ at .'
'' home ; or ' they! would \ tear the : place \u25a0 down
in their 1 enthusiasm.^^.*,.-"r : " •
, VI L/wrote ; back Uo \u25a0 him" not jto bring '. his
asylum,"; I .would come there Instead. yr And
I d Id;"! and > gave ' my I talk i on * Buster * and
other "comic ' little chaps; ? Illustrating my
stories ; by -drawlns: pictures ion^ a* black;
board, i The *| seemed Sto
make a' hit/ and Hhe ; manager^of Ithe ' aiyi
lum told I Mn* John I.effler,' ; the ,-well-kn6wn
director/ of : lecturers and ' concert singers,'
about*it.;r ' . ." ""\u25a0••.:'. ?L ; .:V"Vj
"From -that time- on I got ; no
until " I agreed to \u25a0; make '\u25a0 a ] tour >of the
country, /; giving 1 , my * lecture. - And . that's
all there-is ita}W''^Z: : - r .:' : '- -; v "\u25a0.'^\u25a0i>;,'.:
Lecturing,"^ much 'aagains t Shits t wish ? and
to the terriporary /destruction' of j his -home
life; T - isn't r all ? that * Buster J; 1 Brown f;. has
got ; Mr.' Outcault | in- f or. -J He< has ji put \ a
pretty)] heavy.; responsibility % ori"^ hlm,'| f or ,
there j'arel parents' {'all ' over | this 1 country
and j in', parts jt of s'whoj thinks they,
can trace ?, tHelr e )i youngsters' ?" naughtiness
to 1 Buster. Brown; insplratlonr^Here
is one story ' that! Mr." Outcault \ tells \on
that 1 score: ', A ': : \ :':. -^5.'.V-: T---*l-s^i? c .r-1*
'\u25a0\u25a0I-. ' "Recently,".!: says 'Mr.), Outcault,::. Vwhlle
I was ! lunching, in fa' hotel i in " New} York,; •
THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL.
BOY GLOBE-TROTTER
0, NE of the most Interesting of th
globe- trotters to ; discover ; San
\u25a0 Francisco in, his travels. is young
'Fred^Ottdfy, who, has; just put
his girdle around the globe.
: Fred Ottofy., is the youngest , ; of the
round-the-world "oy travelers ; who
has made the trip by himself, for he has
hot only • been around v the r world 'once
at the age of 1 2, but. is on his "way
around the second time.- -:-. . \u25a0- .
:_ -HeJ is what scientific *f oik -would
catalogue as -'a\ rara^ avisamong, youth
ful /globe-trotters, 'for he isn't ;'a run
away boy, out seeing ; the" sights ; : t or
himself; •-. he isn't - tramping ; ; his ;.. way
around tho world 5 : . in -, of
wealth "arid -j advehture,* v{ and. he "Isn't
working' 1 " : way": Varoundx;-' be^
cause :.he. got .'tired .\u25a0 staying^ at
home and, going^to7school'iri; the -pro
sale[''.way^ parents .insist • upon boys : do-
Ing. ' 4 . He : isn' t v at all '\u25a0?. the :'* story-book
sortof boy traveler,' but"- just fa % keen^.
witted/ r wide-awakeV; American^ jboy,
wlth'steamship f and!railway ; tickets «: in
his; pocket,; 'a money, Xwallet : carefully
stowed away/'a'siiit 'case* in "his? hand,
and >j trunk ; In' the ' holdfor % the bag
gage'car.
„ But \u25a0 he I la; a lively 'demonstration .-of
the fact/ that: a, twelve'- year : old Ameri
can i boyj can : go any 'where » in '}. the ; world
without*: getting T lost,S kidnaped, J. way
laid or : robbed, i without •\u25a0 being .shipped
like an express package' with a handle
with-care ,tag";j on ,v him,"';, and & without
having his mamma^ lying awake nights
worryinglabout^him. :,.";';\u25a0.';>
yrredvOttofy/ has "? had \H% journey v. and
an experience that any- boy ( might envy
him." rr':::. '\u25a0'\u25a0v-'^'-C^r -:, r '--'^,:>i';\
f He made his: round-the- world f tKlp
because ' his father ?\u25a0 Dr. Ottofy ; Is "in
Manila,': one of the ; few. practicing . den
tists, there.-":;. -:•":" ;;"'-; : :' : \u25a0\u25a0'::. \u25a0\u25a0'-^. ".;-,'\u25a0? : Wj" '\u25a0'.'•;>::.
V: Fred -w as borii >in t Chicago ' and went
to i public : school 'there. J -^- {->*•£ '•:•" "- ; \u25a0
"yi Several ;yeafs ; ago"; his " f ather^went ito
the to j see Iwhati; chances;;! there
were ? there- for ' : "a'; good S dentist^ arid
when he ; established himself he sent for
Frtd/'who t was c nyirig^wlthV?; relatives
arid \u25a0 going} to school . in" Chicago. :^ They
packed s his! trUrik'. j and i his % sult;case,
g r avejhirii*his ! tickets:toiputjln^orie^vest
pocket, 1 ; his l wallet ! full (of I riioney^to|put
in 'i another,'! a* lot jof i good; advice i to ; re£.
member, and kissedihlm r goodTby;atthe
depot in" Chicago.*: "'" ;:* v /;,-\u25a0 ;;^ \u25a0 \u25a0 ;•
6g So,'; in] knickerbockers,^ ; he ? startedioff
by,^ himself . : i iHe i went "U to
todk^ship'Uhereifori'Tokohama^eot'^'a'
gllrijpse? of ? Honolulu ibys thai way,*| had
a(cpuple; of Isi'del trips ito|Shanghai;and
Caritonr-justJto^seeltheiworld'.lnlpass
ing, :> ; and ; : arrived^ at; Manila,?- safe '. \u25a0 and
sound; '.without *•\u25a0 even, taV. collar-button
missing.' ;. ; : , : ;','.: .. -'•.*.,..'". V.. •;^. .- <
..After a delightful - visit with : his
father ; he afeain started -on ':. his r*. way
around the .world, still , in, khickers.
-He was one of four passengers on a
S»imp steamer. ; going:;, from Manila to
New York by way of. Suez — a steamer
belonging \u25a0to : the j Standard Oil.. I Com
pany,:, carrying, all^sorts .of-- merchan-'
dlse. to. all' sorts of ports, and he says:> -'
'-.7 "I r had ;the ; time;of my, life on;her..-;I
learned morei about geography on that
trip^thaiiVrd^beenvable to learn: at
school iri all my ! life.
"Her j riaine ",was .the \u25a0 Kennebec, a.nd
she was a' big ship, ' carrying, it- seemed
to i me, • an " immense .-cargo. • There; were
only four passengers on her, sq-w4.ig.ot
pretty.viweHlj. acquainted. - The [officers
were? friendly I ;; and- we ; had the ' run "of
the '; ship.' -Oh, it -beat ; traveling -on ; , a
crowded i liner; >I - guess -there -wasn't
any 'part of \u25a0 that: ship that, l '. didn't,; see
beforerthe -voyage iwasover-^-nor' any
thihs{at any dt the ports we stopped^ at
that I missed seeing.', \* v ' . ,*-'•. •
• \u25a0 '-.We T went' from ; ; Manil a, to Singapore
and'!, stopped i there . a ~.week, r . unloading
our own' cargo and jtakirig oh ,tln. V We
tooktfont ever/so i mahy^rton's i '/)f K it \ in
bricks,; and'every' brick of ; it was worth
$35.fv Every; day.,.while ; we were ; there ] I
went si ashore ; ; . in \u25a0 i aisampan^-we were
anchored out <in \ the > bay--arid 'explored
the : town:- \ \u25a0.• , -. - \u25a0; r
\u0084,"Then lyre went 'on up to Pehahg,; an
other town on ' the ' Malay.-? Peninsula,
and v staid ,/ there - twelve i' hours. ll- ? was
taking^a> rickshaw k ride ~Z through t the
streets lof I Penangf : and ; ran \u25a0:. rlght^.lnto
a; boy ' I , had | known \u25a0at school ; in; Yokor
ha ma. ',' >; Maybe • you •; think I that ( wasn't
a; surprise?.^'-" ':•-''••\u25a0; :t;l -I s-'i ;.\u25a0'. • ,\u25a0"- ~.:"L •'':\u25a0' : . ,'\u25a0
- "We saw. a.waterspout while Iwe'w.ere
at;Penang;:andJanother on: the rlndian
Oceans on ,l;our,'.way "to „ Ceylon; *.\i We
passed vvefrjclose;to % Ceylon, jbut didn't
touch. ti.We went through the 1 Straits lot
Bab-el' Mahdebahd facross. the 'Red Sea;
we' stopped , at I Suez { for' six \ hours.^ and
took^on .searchlights; :vwe\staid;at Port
Said : ; twelve .hours 'and . I j saw, the* mllkf
meri|with" their: goat; herds, j milking ?a
gbat^ for^each \\ customer.? that^wanted
milk, f Wt had' teiv hours' "at Algiers Tand
I took i the chance - to -explore TAtr lea
and I^'aw^reverytniriglin] the .town; that
I' could \ find:
"We i crossed - v the 3 Mediterranearif \u25a0* of -
course.l and I i sawj Gibraltar^-that's the
b!gßest^thinfir^lysaw^on^the>trlp.^l<
guess *, the !: thlngr j, I'll T remember
lonKest.: ;i' k Then;weJcrosBedithefAtlantlc
andtihadi-aSfcStorjn>S,whUe?crossingr;i " I .
apentlflve* dayai in^ew^Tork ; sightsee^
ins.fandVirsawJeyerythlngr:! could; flnd<
out'about .therefrom Grant's .Tomb to^-.
tolall' theshows.l'haditlmVfor. I ?^:' \u25a0[,. 'is
'"Then ;I? : *bok ; the ?. to i'.CHi^ \u25a0-;
oago-^and*^ that :..' one V ring,,
around | the'-earth for fme^'iv/i.*.-, -W r £. . • •
:*;j,'l{aad no^adveritures^never fell over-,.
board.'S never^ mlssed| a -or a
• a gentleman approached ;my .-.table -and'
asked' lf. I vwereMr.;Outcau!t^ ircUdn't
•; deny the. allegation, and ' the "man handed
•.me, his r card. 'j, ' \u25a0\u0084: .. .. " ./' .. -j :-'.- *' ; . '
. r \u25a0 „ .j to see you /on a .matter of"
business; Mr. 7; Outcault,' said *he. Tm
the-fa'ther^of aiyoung. gentleman of .7,
: wlio in-many respects Is the living pro
vto type, of your- Buster; "BrownV/ ,No»,l'm,
-not-go'lng, to'; tell 7yo\i how 'cuteVhfrTls,
;* orftry to get you to immortalize some
of his 1 pranks .In! your drawings, jit's
just the other way. This small boy of
mine waits all week for Buster to ap
pear in "the Sunday papers so that he
.can get inspiration for some new prank.
Whatever^ Buster does in [ the pictures
my boy .tries to imitate; and" he does It
train, " never : had my pocket picked
or lost my ticket, put up at good hotels
wherever, . I - stopped over, and — Oh,
pshaw!- 1 only did what any American
boy my size can do! r T\\l' V <• ".'
I -'rather. 'live* after being
around the world?. Why, In America,
of course^— in New York or Chicago,
pretty successfully, too. I don't mind
telling you. But it's all right, for the
pranks, as a rule, are just plain, good,
boyish mischief.
."•Now, However, I've got a scheme,
and if you fall into it I'll make it worth
your vrnlie. My next door neighbor
, is a crank, and, what's worse, he seem,
to single me out as his special p»«/.
I'm a law-abiding citizen and don't
want to retaliate, but I've got a plan to
get even. If I could get the idea into
" my small boy's head to play a series of
tricks' on the* old chap his life might
get so miserable that he'd mov*. ' Now,
-here's, where you come in. I can't go -
to* my boy and put- these ideas into his
head— that wouldn't .be. fatherly. .But
if. you will have/Buster play some
tricks of the kind I*ll indicate my kid
will follow them to' the letter and' he's
sure to pick-out the man next door as
his victim. . \u0084 . v •>
.-." 'You go ahead on my ideas, make
the "pictures and -print 'em and if th«
plan works I'll give you j» ' thousand
dollars. "What say*-' ' ' . '.
—Much as I like money," said Mr. Out
cault. "I was obliged! to i turn the man's •
proposition down. For all 'l know, my
own boy would : Imitate the Buster
tricks and I might be picked as th«
victim.":. . ..-. , '. »\u25a0'
Still Mr. 'Outcault doesn't . hold., any
grudge against the original of Buster.
He seems to think' pretty well of him,
as this "credit" that- he gives to him
will show: . ...
"There is, nothing, that -you can la
vent about children half so. funny a»~
the things they,, really do," he says.
"Try* as jrou- may,! 1 yoix can't Imagine
stranger pranks than those they invent
for themselves. For ' instance, I ; hay»
sat at my table for- hours at a time try
ing to think of something for Buster
to do, only to . give • it _, up In despair,
when at the - last \u25a0- moment something
that my. youthful, son, Dicky, has don«
will reach mjr ears and' Til mako a page
drawing of the incident.' -
• recall one - time to particular. I
was digging away at my brain in vain,
when Mrs.*- -Outcault^ rushed- Into th»
room, exclaiming. 'Oh. Dickey has Just
done a dreadful thing .and I told him
you'd punish . him dreadfully ' for it.'
"What : is " it?" I *asked. X wondering
whether, he 'had .set' flre to- th» baxn or
painted the j horse ; green again.' ;
'•"He's dressed the cat and her four kit
tens up in Mary, Jane* dolls* clothe*, and
they're down in th© village sauara. scar
ing horses and" everything. Tha hired
man can't catch them."
"Qood!'" I shouted, to my wife*»'aston
ishment. ."Do'h't. interrupt me- again for
an , horn-."; • And .without further argument
or explanation I began to make a ; series ,
of I drawings- about the incident, giving
Buster credit for It. - It turned out to b«
one of the funniest I ever . made. ;
"As to punishing Dickey.' l bought him
a' Bicycle for having, furnished mo with
the- inspiration. . It was worth j it."
.Dick Outcault has a fin a home, and so
much money invested and sOU rolling in
that he needs a secretary and a lawyer,
as j well as his clever wife, to look after
it ' for him— while he' goes', on making
more. '.:!'.- r " '-"-^ \u25a0" I '..-
* He owes it all to the comic supplement.
If it hadn't. been for that lucky invention
and , perfection of the "color press, if it
hadn't,, been '": for. that , fax-seeing comic
supplement' editor, . if it hadn't been for
the great American" public that takes to
humor as! a' duclt' to water— and also if it
hadn't been for. Dick Outcault's knack of
seeing things, Yellow Kids and r ~ Buster
Browns, and such things, In ju,s« the way
ho does— perhaps Dick -Outcault would
have gone on to this very day drawing
page pictures and getting $15 • apJ«ce
for them.- "Who knows? . \u25a0 , *'\u25a0
where things are doing. I haven't seen
any place I like better than my own
country."
Fred Ottofy went, on the transport
Sherman the other day on his second
trip around the world, for he says, no
matter how loner he stays in Manila, ho
is coming "home" when he la a man.

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