Maxwell's letter until his order was ready
to mail. For the following ten years I was equally prompt in doing
all work I undertook, whether pictures or manuscript, without a
thought of consideration for self; and I disappointed the confident
expectations of my nearest and dearest by remaining sane, normal, and
almost without exception the healthiest woman they knew."
This story and its pictures were much praised, and in the following
year the author was asked for several stories, and even used bird
pictures and natural history sketches, quite an innovation for a
magazine at that time. With this encouragement she wrote and
illustrated a short story of about ten thousand words, and sent it
to the Century. Richard Watson Gilder advised Mrs. Porter to
enlarge it to book size, which she did. This book is "The
Cardinal." Following Mr. Gilder's advice, she recast the tale and,
stating with the mangled body of a cardinal some marksman had left
in the road she was travelling, in a fervour of love for the birds
and indignation at the hunter, she told the Cardinal's life
history in these pages.
The story was promptly accepted and the book was published with
very beautiful half-tones, and cardinal buckram cover.
Incidentally, neither the author's husband nor daughter had the
slightest idea she was attempting to write a book until work had
progressed to that stage where she could not make a legal contract
without her husband's signature. During the ten years of its life
this book has gone through eight different editions, varying in
form and make-up from the birds in exquisite colour, as colour work
advanced and became feasible, to a binding of beautiful red
morocco, a number of editions of differing design intervening.
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