Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 184: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

526 ““Four-Forty at the Fort Penn” beats them all. I call it his masterpiece. I was thinking a few days ago while reading THe Arcosy how long it had been since I first began to read it. My mind went back a good many years, when I was a sailor on the Atlantic coast. I think it was in the summer of 1883 that I first saw and read the little weekly called the Golden Argosy, and I think it was in November, 1896, that I read THE ArGosy as a monthly. I was in Portland, Maine, at the time, and some sailor brought it aboard my ship along with other reading matter. Sailors as a rule, are very fond of reading. I read it then, and I have continued to read it ever since, and it grows better all the time. I like your complete novels very well, but my preference is for a long seria] story; the longer it is, the better it suits me. I enjoy reading the Log-Book. The different opinions given by the various readers are very interesting. I read the letters of the Log-Book first of all; then the continued stories, next the complete novel, winding up with the short stories. For the small sum of ten cents you are certainly giving your army of readers a great treat in publishing a magazine up to the standard of high-priced publications. I read all kinds of magazines, also fiction from the public library; but I get More satisfaction out of a copy of THE ARGosy than from any of them. | C. E. RicuH. WANTS NO SERIALS AT ALL Now for the man who dislikes serials, but in this case he has nullified his objection by sub- scribing, so that there is no danger of his miss- ing a number. He makes THE Arcosy a bit older than it is by harking back to the seventies. The first number was dated December 9g, 1882. The volumes were at that time yearly ones. With the increased number of pages they were shifted to half-yearly, and when still more pages were added to each monthly issue, to three a year, as at present, in order to obviate books too bulky for easy handling. Etna, Wyoming. Please find enclosed two dollars, for which please renew my subscription for one year to Tue Arcosy, and also please send the Railroad Man’s Magazine. I hike both of these magazines. The only objection I can find to THE ArcGosy is too many serials. I would be better pleased if there were no serials at all, for if you miss a copy, especially if it is in the completion of a story, it is very annoying; and out in this wild country, seventy miles or more from a railroad, you can’t step over to a news-stand and -uy your missing copy. How any one can like serials better than complete novels, I can’t imagine, as I can’t remember what a serial is about from one month to the next. But in my estimation, Tue Arcosy is the best fiction magazine pub- lished. I have taken it now about ten years, I believe, and I have read stray copies of it since it was the Golden Argosy back in the seventies in old Missouri. I have never subscribed to the THE ARGOSY. Railroad Man’s Magazine, but have read a good many stray copies of it. EDWarRD LEVER. NEWS IN A NUTSHELL Many thanks to my Georgia friend for telling so much in so few words. You will note that he mentions what he considered the best novels, his favorite short stories, and the authors that have appealed to nim the most strongly. These are expressions.of opinion very helpful to an editor, and matter which I am sure you all. enjoy reading in the way of comparing with your own ideas. Bellton, Georgia. Would you allow a fellow’s letter to be printed in the Log-Book? I have no kicks on THE Arcosy at all. I like all your stories. I think “In the Blue Limousine,” ‘Southwest of the Law,” “The Green Lamp,” “ The Trap Line Runners,” “The Border of Biades,” and “The Great White Wastes,” in the April issue, best. But, in fact, I like them all. My favorite short Stories that have appeared in THE Arcosy lately are “And She Took Me In” and “A Ranch Secret.” My _ favorite authors are Lenivers Carew, Seward W. Hopkins, Norcross Forbes, Rex Parson, Katharine Eggleston, George M. A. Cain, and Bedford-Jones. I am not much on the serials. I will not miss a copy of THE Arcosy as long as it is as good as it is now. Always on the good side of THE Arcosy, I remain, JAMES W. QUILLIAN. THE MATTER OF SHORT STORIES Tell me, readers, how many of you hail with joy the sight of the contents page when it pro- claims that there are ten short stories in the number in place, say, of five or six? That means, of course, that either the complete novel is shorter or that there are not such long in- stalments of the serials. The more short stories, of course the more variety; but how many of you stop to think about this, I wonder? To comply with Mr. Torrey’s suggestion would limit the shorts very decidedly. Housatonic, Massachusetts. Enclosed please find check for a year’s sub- scription to THe Arcosy, which kindly mail to my address, beginning with the April number. Heretofore I have bought it from the news- stands, but. it comes at irregular dates, and I thought I would try a year’s subscription and see if it did not come on the date expected. I have not missed a copy in fifteen or eighteen years, and find no other magazine that anywhere near interests me as does the good old Arcosy. I hope to read it for many more years. I must say, however, that I am greatly disappointed to have you go back to the serials. Before you cut them out I did not realize what an im- provement it could be; but after having every number complete I enjoyed the reading so much more that now I am holding everything back cCloOolkkK