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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9329261 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53834 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53834) diff --git a/old/53834-0.txt b/old/53834-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 70bd684..0000000 --- a/old/53834-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5870 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the Wilds, by -Hobart Donald Swiggett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the Wilds - -Author: Hobart Donald Swiggett - -Illustrator: J. C. Weber - -Release Date: December 30, 2016 [EBook #53834] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank, readbueno and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - “_I never put off until tomorrow what - I find hard to-day, for tomorrow rarely - brings the needed skill._” - - “_What little success I have achieved - has been pounded out with naked fists - through many years of hard work._” - - _James Oliver Curwood_ - - - - - _THE WORKS OF - JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD_ - - - THE COURAGE OF CAPTAIN PLUM 1908 - - THE WOLF HUNTERS 1908 - - THE GOLD HUNTERS 1909 - - THE GREAT LAKES (_Non-Fiction_) 1909 - - THE DANGER TRAIL 1910 - - GOD’S COUNTRY—TRAIL TO HAPPINESS (_Non-Fiction_) 1911 - - STEELE OF THE ROYAL MOUNTED 1911 - - THE HONOR OF THE BIG SNOWS 1911 - - FLOWER OF THE NORTH 1912 - - ISOBEL 1913 - - KAZAN 1914 - - GOD’S COUNTRY AND THE WOMAN 1915 - - THE HUNTED WOMAN 1916 - - BAREE, SON OF KAZAN 1917 - - FAULKNER OF THE INLAND SEAS (_Short Stories_) 1917 - - THE GRIZZLY KING 1917 - - THE COURAGE OF MARGE O’DOONE 1918 - - NOMADS OF THE NORTH 1919 - - THE RIVER’S END 1919 - - THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN 1920 - - BACK TO GOD’S COUNTRY (_Short Stories_) 1920 - - THE FLAMING FOREST 1921 - - THE GOLDEN SNARE 1921 - - THE ALASKAN 1923 - - THE COUNTRY BEYOND 1923 - - A GENTLEMAN OF COURAGE 1924 - - THE ANCIENT HIGHWAY 1925 - - SWIFT LIGHTNING 1925 - - THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM 1926 - - THE BLACK HUNTER 1926 - - GREEN TIMBER _Completed by Dorthea A. Bryant_ 1930 - - SON OF THE FORESTS (_Autobiography_) 1930 - - THE CRIPPLED LADY OF PERIBONKA _Completed by Dorthea A. - Bryant_ 1930 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: _James Oliver Curwood_] - - - - - JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD - DISCIPLE OF THE WILDS - - _A Biography by_ - H. D. SWIGGETT - - _Illustrations by_ - J. C. WEBER - - - THE PAEBAR COMPANY - - _Publishers_ _New York_ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FIRST EDITION - - COPYRIGHT, 1943 - - by - - THE PAEBAR COMPANY - - _No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without - permission in writing from the publishers, except by a reviewer who - may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine - or newspaper. Manufactured in the United States of America._ - - - - - Dedication - - - * * * * * - - - TO MY PARENTS - - - _Mr. & Mrs. William Hobart Swiggett_ - - - It is to these two grand people that their son - graciously dedicates this volume. - - Had it not been for their understanding and - guiding ways, I could never have attained and - aspired to my goal in this life. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - FOREWORD - - - This is the first biography written on the life of - the famous novelist, adventurer and conservationist, - James Oliver Curwood. - - Although Mr. Curwood’s books are still widely read, the - younger generation knows comparatively little about the - life of one of the greatest conservationists of all time - and the man who knew the beautiful Canadian Northwest - better than any other. - - It is hoped, therefore, that this volume will refresh the - memory of the past generation and at the same time bring - something new to the minds of our present young people. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER ONE - - _The Child Prodigy_ _Page_ 15 - - - CHAPTER TWO - - _A Change Comes About_ _Page_ 29 - - - CHAPTER THREE - - _The Discoverer_ _Page_ 44 - - - CHAPTER FOUR - - _Owosso Schooldays_ _Page_ 65 - - - CHAPTER FIVE - - _College Days_ _Page_ 105 - - - CHAPTER SIX - - _Newspaper Work and Early Writings_ _Page_ 114 - - - CHAPTER SEVEN - - _With the Detroit News-Tribune_ _Page_ 122 - - - CHAPTER EIGHT - - _God’s Country_ _Page_ 132 - - - CHAPTER NINE - - _His Brotherhood_ _Page_ 165 - - - CHAPTER TEN - - _Trail’s End_ _Page_ 172 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD Frontispiece - - _The following illustrations are contained in - a special section facing page_ 110 - - JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD AT THE AGE OF SEVEN Page I - - STREET SCENE Page II - - THE SHIAWASSEE RIVER Page III - - THE JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD CASTLE Page IV - - THE BOAT LANDING, CURWOOD CASTLE Page V - - JUST JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD Page VI - - MR. AND MRS. JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD Page VII - - CURWOOD, CAMPING IN THE YUKON Page VIII - - CURWOOD, THE WRITER, IN A CORNER OF HIS GUN - ROOM Page IX - - CURWOOD BEFORE THE CABIN WHICH HE BUILT IN THE - BRITISH COLUMBIA MOUNTAINS Page X - - CURWOOD, THE WOODSMAN Page XI - - AN UNUSUAL, STRIKING PICTURE OF CURWOOD Page XII - - THE CURWOOD OUTFIT GOING DOWN THE FRASER RIVER Page XIII - - THE CABIN ON THE AU SABLE Page XIV - - THE CONSERVATION CLUBHOUSE Page XIV - - THE HOME OF JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD Page XV - - CURWOOD GRAVE IN OAKHILL CEMETERY Page XVI - - _Pen and Ink Sketches by_ J. C. WEBER - _Pages_ 71, 99, 135, 139, 145 - - - - - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -My greatest obligation in the preparation of _JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD: -DISCIPLE OF THE WILDS_ is to Mrs. Ethel Greenwood Curwood, Mr. A. J. -Donovan and Mrs. Fred B. Woodard, of Owosso, Mich., who aided me -immensely in gathering Mr. Curwood’s volumes, documents, correspondence, -photographs, manuscripts and other material without which it would have -been impossible to produce this biography. - -Thanks and appreciation go out also to the following for help and -encouragement: - -J. E. Campbell, editor of the _Argus-Press_, Owosso, Mich.; John S. -Deere; Miss Anne Crum; Dr. Harold D. Webb; The Conservation Department -of the State of Michigan; the Alumni Catalog Office of the University of -Michigan; Doubleday, Doran and Company, of New York City (through whose -courtesy many quotations have been made available for publication in -this book[1]); C. A. Paquin; Harold Titus; Miss Olive Hormel, of Owosso; -R. K. Bresnahan, Postmaster and close friend of Curwood’s, at Roscommon, -Mich.; Private George Terashita, Camp Atterbury, Ind.; James B. Hendry, -of Sutton’s Bay, Mich.; James Hilton, of Hollywood, Calif.; John Bowen, -Staff Writer, _Indianapolis Times_; Roscommon Civic Club; John Sellers, -of Franklin, Ind.; _The Franklin Evening Star_; Robert Todd; James B. -Young, Miss Barbara Swiggett, and to countless others. - -Footnote 1: - - From “Son of the Forest,” by James Oliver Curwood, copyright, 1930, by - Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc. - -I also wish to thank the public and state libraries of Indiana for -allowing me the use of material. And it is a pleasure to express -appreciation to the kind people of Owosso, Mich., to the students of -yesteryear at the University of Michigan, and to the Cree and -Chippawayan Indian tribes in Canada, all of whom knew Mr. Curwood -intimately. - -Harvey Jacobs, a newspaperman, is also remembered for his encouragement -and good wishes, and last, but far from least, Walter Winchell, whose -seemingly endless supply of energy and driving force helped to push me -onward in the task of completing this book. - - H. D. SWIGGETT - -_Au Sable Study_ - -_Franklin, Ind._ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JAMES OLIVER - CURWOOD - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER ONE - - THE CHILD PRODIGY - - -Little did the stern though kind-hearted citizens of Owosso, Michigan -realize that on the eventful morning of June 12, 1878, the newly-born -second son of James Moran and Abigail Griffen Curwood would in time -plummet across the literary horizon as the brightest star to have -appeared in years. His name was James Oliver Curwood. - -From the outset the parents had trouble with their new son, finding it -very difficult to please his childish desires. Perhaps ancestry had a -bearing here, and if it did, it may all be traced back to the thrilling -career of the famous Captain Frederick A. Marrayat, great seaman and -popular novelist of yesteryear. He was the lad’s great-uncle. - -Jimmie Curwood’s birth took place in the days when Owosso was a small -town of some eight thousand population, and trees grew in the center of -the streets. It was that era of the nineteenth century when livestock -and fowl were free to roam about the city at will, and the horse and -buggy played an important part in the development of transportation. - -Likewise so it was in that district of Owosso known as West Town. It was -in this particular part of town that Jimmie Curwood played so much with -his friends (bad though they were), and came forth from bitter schoolboy -battles unscathed. Later in life he remarked about West Town in the -following manner: - -“Had I continued to live in West Town at Owosso, I might have become a -genius, but Fate determined a change was advisable when I was six years -old.” - -The city of Owosso today is far removed from what it was in the -childhood days of James Oliver Curwood. Today luxurious homes line the -paved streets and tall buildings dot the skyline where once stood low -flat ones. Beautiful homes have filled up the empty spaces that were -once wide within the city limits, but that same feeling and general -atmosphere of drowsiness persists just as it did fifty years ago. - -Tall, stately trees line the smooth streets and many automobiles -traverse these thoroughfares where once the old horse and buggy moved -slowly along. - -Today Owosso is in the very heart of the Michigan vacationland. Running -practically through the very center of the city is the smooth flowing -Shiawassee river, better known as “Sparkling Waters.” - -Although Owosso has grown in population from eight to fifteen thousand -since Jim Curwood’s birth and boyhood days, her people remain very much -the same as they were then. - -West Town! A haven for growing children and a headache for grownups. It -was here in West Town that Jimmie Curwood grew up and also where he all -but drove his very patient parents insane with his juvenile rascality. - -With his chum, Charlie Miller, it seems that there was hardly anything -the pair of them would not attempt to do. Stealing fruit and playing -“hookey” from school were just a few among the many items that always -kept the good citizens of Owosso on the constant alert. - -They fished, hunted and trapped all along the banks of the Shiawassee, -which flows through the city in a great sweeping bend (when they really -should have been in school). The river is flanked on either side by some -of the most perfectly shaped trees that man has ever looked upon. - -Jimmie and Charlie often staged and executed raids upon the fruit stands -of old Mike Gazzera. Then as they would run away with their plunder -tucked safely beneath their dirty blouses they would glance back and see -the grey-headed old Italian shaking his fist at them and threatening -them with all types of punishment. Fortunately enough for both, old Mike -thought far too much of them and never actually carried out his plans of -chastisement. - -Probably the one outstanding characteristic of Jim Curwood as a young -boy was the fact that he was seldom if ever clean of face or clothing. -Try as she might to keep her bewildering offspring clean, his dear old -mother seldom succeeded for much more than an hour or two at a time. For -immediately after having been thoroughly cleaned up young Jimmie would -head for the nearest schoolboy fight or the dirtiest part of West Town -and proceed to get himself dirty again. Indeed he was a child prodigy -and therein lies the reason for the old saying, which is sad but true: -“why mothers get gray.” It is indeed no wonder that the townspeople -would oft-times shake their heads and sigh: - -“Them two’ll never amount to a hill of beans.” But Jimmie and Charlie -amazed and fooled them all. - -At the rather seedy, uneventful and undecided age of five years, when a -youngster wants to be everything from a minister of the gospel to -heavyweight boxing champion of the world, both Jimmie’s and Charlie’s -parents decided that their sons should embark upon some sort of careers. -Before Jimmie was born, his parents had decided what their second son -would do for his life’s work. They had chosen music and the classics for -him; Charlie’s parents had chosen literature and the arts for him. - -So for a short while Jimmie practiced his music lessons but soon gave -them up as hopeless, as did his parents, for the lad hated music lessons -at that age with an undying hatred. As far as Charlie’s future in the -field of literature was concerned, he too abandoned his parents’ choice. - -Many things enter into the course of a child’s life even as they do with -a grown-up, and consequently the career of a musician for Jimmie did not -materialize. Instead the lad developed into one of the world’s foremost -authors and conservationists of his time. It was Charlie Miller who -became quite adept as an accomplished musician. - - * * * * * - -With the surrender of Lord Cornwallis came a man of adventurous spirit -and Dutch descent into the land of the Mohawks and the Oneidas. As he -journeyed through this country making friends with the Indian tribes, he -chanced upon and fell madly in love with a beautiful Mohawk princess -from a little village near the head waters of the Canada river. As to -her name, it has not been learned, but as to her beauty, all the men and -women of those days readily vouched. For she was as tall and as slender -as the most delicate reed. The tiny moccasins which covered her feet -were the smallest ever seen by her tribe. Indeed, she was the pride and -joy of that village of Mohawks and of all tribes who had seen her as she -roamed the forests. - -Jim Curwood’s mother very distinctly remembers seeing this wilderness -beauty. At that time Mrs. Curwood was but a child of ten and the lovely -Indian princess was well past her eightieth birthday. - -Her beauty was indeed bewitching and all white men, as well as the -redman who had set eyes upon her loveliness, fell in love with her. Her -hair was long, black and radiantly glossy. The shoes she wore upon her -feet were so small that Jim’s mother, then but ten years of age, could -not have put her feet into them. - -It was the adventurous Dutchman wandering through the Mohawk region -shortly after the Cornwallis surrender who married the Indian princess. -This man was Jim Curwood’s phlegmatic great grandfather, an adventurer -of the old school who ended up by marrying an Indian chief’s daughter. -It is little wonder that young Jimmie became such a carefree, vagabond -lover of the deep forests. Indian blood flowed deep within his veins and -throughout his entire life the forests, the streams and the lakes were -his home despite the fact that he owned a mansion in the very heart of -civilization. - -Shortly after the blond Dutchman had wooed and won his princess, there -was born in England a man who later became a great naval officer in the -Queen’s navy and a world famous writer of sea tales. A man who delved -deeply into his memories and imagination to spin yarns of thrilling -adventure on the land as well as on the swelling sea. His name was -Captain Frederick Marrayat. That famous personage turned out to be a -great-uncle of Jim Curwood’s. - -Several years later it was these same stories of adventure, gallant -battles and of brave men, which caused a lad named James to run away to -sea and come to America in search of adventure and thrills. When he left -England, he never returned. - -Upon landing in America young James fought in the Civil War, where -fighting blood ran fast and free. Here was what he had been searching -for and at last he had found it. Years later that man became the father -of Jim Curwood. - -The little house in which Jimmie Curwood first saw the light of day no -longer stands. Some time ago the two-story frame building was razed and -so far no other construction has been erected in its place. However, a -marker has been placed there, showing that it was on this particular lot -that James Oliver Curwood had been born many years ago. - -As time went on the two youngsters, Jimmie and Charlie, still persisted -in getting into more and more mischief. People were beginning to shake -their heads in disapproval and consequently Mr. and Mrs. Curwood began -wondering what they should do to curb their son’s mischievous habits. -For hardly without fail when anyone saw Jimmie, son of a shoe repair -man, and Charlie, son of a saloon keeper, he was almost always sure to -see something happen. - -Both boys always ran about barefooted (something which you seldom see -today), with dirty faces, hands and clothing, with no crowns in their -hats whatsoever. It is little wonder that Jimmie’s hair became bleached -by the sun and his face gathered a harvest of freckles. - -As youngsters most children have peculiar ambitions, but those of Jimmie -Curwood’s as a lad of seven were outstanding among childhood desires. It -seems that his ambitions were just one or two paces behind his vivid -imagination. For some day he hoped that he might be wealthy enough to -buy an entire stock of bananas at one time. Then and only then would he -be fully able to get his complete fill of the fruit he loved so well. -His second ambition was to ride astride the large bustle worn by Kate -Russell to Sunday church. Miss Russell was a cook at the combination -saloon-hotel which was operated and owned by Charlie Miller’s father. - -Despite all the obstacles that confronted them, Mr. and Mrs. Curwood -were perhaps two of the happiest people in all of Owosso. They had a -fine family and Mr. Curwood was making a fairly comfortable living with -his shoe-cobbling shop. They had no luxuries, for they could not afford -them, but they did have all the necessities that made for a comfortable -happy life. - -Regardless of how honored and respected Mr. and Mrs. Curwood were in -their home town, the townspeople still continued to frown upon the -antics of the Curwood and Miller children. Was there ever to be an end -to all of this childhood devilment? This was the thought that plagued -the minds of the citizens of Owosso when the great change came about. - -Business began to grow bad for Mr. Curwood at his cobbling shop and -after long deliberation he decided to sell out and purchase a farm -somewhere. He received many offers for his shop “as it stood,” and so -after a great deal of bickering he at last managed to get a fairly -decent price and it was announced to Owosso that it would soon be rid of -one of her two “Tom Sawyers.” - -Although he had kept it from his family all along, Mr. Curwood at last -told them one night in the dead of winter. He had made the down payment -on a farm down in Ohio, located near the villages of Vermillion, Joppa -and Florence in Erie County. - -It was to be a new life for them and since business had slacked off to -such a point that he could barely make a decent living, both Mr. and -Mrs. Curwood felt that he had made a good investment. - -The next day Mrs. Curwood, Jimmie, his sister Cora and brother Edward -began preparing to leave their old home. With what money he had received -from the sale of his shop, Mr. Curwood paid all of his debts and at last -had all of his business interests straightened out. Even though he was -left with very little to begin his new life, he paid every bill which -the family owed in Owosso. - -A few days later the family began its pilgrimage to the new land of -Ohio. - -The little backwood’s town of Owosso thought a great deal of James Moran -and Abigail Griffen Curwood and sorely hated to see them depart, despite -the fact that they were taking with them one of the town’s biggest -trouble makers. Still, regardless of what their outward appearances were -toward Jimmie, deep within their hearts the neighbors and all who knew -him, loved him. - -The move from Michigan into Ohio was later to prove the most important -change in all of young Jim Curwood’s life. Many things were to happen, -many events to take place within the next five years that none of the -Curwood family ever dreamed would happen. - -When the family of five arrived at their little farm located not far -from the cross-roads village of Joppa, it was in deep winter and their -forty acres were covered with snow. The head of the family was highly -elated over the prospects of his “sight-unseen” purchase and at once -began making plans for it. - -It was not until the arrival of spring, when the snows had cleared away, -that Jimmie’s father found that he had purchased something which more -closely resembled a stone quarry than a farm. As far as one could see -there were nothing but stones and boulders all over the forty acres of -his land. - -One can easily imagine the thoughts that came into the elderly Mr. -Curwood’s mind as he gazed out upon what he thought was to be his -salvation. Instead of rich, fertile farmland, he had purchased a -practically worthless land of stones. - -One night at the supper table Mr. Curwood called upon his children to -help him more than he had expected them to. The stones must be picked up -and stacked in piles and the work of doing so must be left to the two -young sons, monotonous, laborious and endless as it must have seemed to -them. - -Jimmie hated his daily task of picking up rocks from sunup to sundown, -but he had enough foresight to realize that he had a job to do that must -be done. So together, day in and day out, Jimmie and Ed picked up -stones. Picked them up so their father could plough the fields and till -the soil. - -Life now was drab for Jimmie. Gone were the glorious, carefree days -along the banks of the Shiawassee. In their place had come the ceaseless -task of picking up stones and rolling huge boulders out of the way. No -longer had he the ambition to ride astride Kate Russell’s huge bustle, -nor to own a whole stock of bananas. Just as any young boy of seven -years would feel, Jimmie hated and dreaded work, and especially this -type. It seemed that the more stones he and his brother Ed would pick -up, the more there were. For with every furrow that their father’s -plough would turn over, there would always appear a fresh supply of -rocks, both large and small. - -The two boys piled stones into great stacks higher than their heads; -they constructed stone fences and they piled rocks until there were -stacks actually higher than the farmhouse itself. There were great heaps -of stones all over the forty acres of land. As a matter of fact there -was hardly enough room left to break up the ground anew and plant crops. -It was rapidly and most assuredly developing into a serious situation. -Then, suddenly, relief came from an unexpected source. - -The highway department of Erie county came to their rescue and took -3,000 loads of the stones at ten cents a load. For at that time the -county needed stones for road repair and for numerous other repair jobs. - -With the arrival of summer came long hard months of hot, back-breaking -toil. Jimmie and Ed wore thick, hard callouses upon their hands, their -backs seemed as if they were about to break, and the sun bronzed them -until they began to look like Indians. Many times during the long three -summer months Jimmie became overheated by the sun and fell in his tracks -in that summer of ’85. But work had to be done if success in their new -venture of farming was to be accomplished. There was little grumbling -from anyone now with the realization that they must work and save if -they were to live during the coming winter. - -Directly across the road from the Curwood farm stood the home of Hiram -Fisher, a kindly old farmer, who had developed a beautiful homesite and -whose yard was filled with maple and pine trees. - -The Fisher family was not as large as the Curwood’s, for there was but -one child, a very lovely daughter named Jeanne who was young Jimmie’s -superior by five years. Perhaps her outstanding characteristic was the -beautiful brown hair which fell in glossy waves down to her trim and -fragile shoulders. It was the most lovely head of hair that Jimmie or -his family had ever set eyes upon. It is indeed odd that a boy as young -as he was should take much notice of a girl’s hair, but its bewitching -beauty made him secretly admire it. - -She would always part it in the middle and let it flow down to her -shoulders in long flowing tresses. She was gloriously beautiful for her -age. - -As time went on and Jeanne and Jimmie became better acquainted, he -adopted a nickname for her that was to remain with her all the days of -her life. He affectionately called her “Whistling Jeanne,” because of -the beautiful tunes she whistled almost constantly. - -She alone was the inspiration which helped Jimmie to hold his head high -when he felt blue or useless. For Jeanne offered him companionship, -untiring encouragement and wonderful guidance. She inspired him to -greater things in life. Jimmie often was heard to make that remark both -as a child and later as a grown man. - -It was about the time that Jeanne was nearing her twelfth birthday and -Jimmie his seventh, that this thought came to him: - -“No matter how hard the work is, and no matter what it might be, I shall -always do my task thoroughly.” - -The stones that he had picked up all spring and summer finally set -Jimmie to serious thinking. Every now and then after he had worked an -hour or two, he would walk over to a shade tree nearby and sit down to -mop the grime and perspiration from his brow. Then he would look out -over the long, fertile fields that were once not so fertile and resolve -that he could do anything that he should set out to do, if only he would -adjust and drive himself toward it. The look in his young eyes denoted -that of an adventurer. The eyes for thrills and dangers of the unknown. -Even at the age of seven years, young James Oliver Curwood had begun to -wonder what lay just over the brink of the next ridge. - -Then, as if no such thoughts had even come to him, he would return to -his task of piling stones; but as he worked he would experience a -thrill, a feeling such as he had never known before as he stooped down -to pick up the fragments of boulders. True, it was monotonous there in -the hot broiling sun, but to Jimmie, there now was something creative in -that piling up of rocks—something of which he was justly proud. - -“I experienced a greater thrill when I had done three piles than I did -when I had but accomplished two.” - -With the arrival of fall and early winter, James Curwood saw that the -work his sons and he had done had been a success. His crops had all -turned out good and his farm was now a thing of beauty instead of a -stone quarry. It was quite obvious that the hard labor and toil his sons -and he had administered had not been in vain. Mr. Curwood being an -honest and God-fearing man, thanked his Maker for his family’s -salvation. - -Each afternoon that winter after a hard day’s work, “the three men of -the family” would trudge up to the small, white house to be greeted by -the good mother and a meal of wholesome, plain, but substantial food. - -The Curwood home was small, warm and comfortable, even though humble. -The important item was that the little family was happy in its new home. -In those days there were no electric lights, telephones, radios or -motion pictures or even automobiles. So it was only natural that the -fine Curwoods always were close to the “home fires.” Though meager and -humble their home, no other family could have been happier. - -They used the old type of Lion Brand coffee at two pounds for a quarter, -and the usual stick of candy once a month or so. They had plenty of eggs -and bread, for Mrs. Curwood raised hens and young chickens. Above all -else, the neighbors nearby thought the world of the Curwoods and -considered them “real, down-to-earth country people.” - -As the winter of 1886 at last settled over them, Jimmie’s father and his -family settled down to a long, cold winter, snug and secure in their own -home, which by now was nearly paid for. The migration to Ohio had proved -itself successful in every respect. No longer did Jimmie persist in his -childish devilment, for there was neither the place nor the time for it. - - - - - CHAPTER TWO - - A CHANGE COMES ABOUT - - -At the beginning of the winter of 1886 Jimmie found a new friend in -Clarence “Skinny” Hill, a new boy who had moved into the neighborhood. -Despite this newly formed friendship, “Whistling Jeanne” remained -Jimmie’s great comfort. For no matter how tired he might be at the end -of the day he could always turn to her for encouragement and fun. - -Usually their nightly visits would begin just as darkness would settle -over the Ohio countryside. In the winter they would sit before the great -open fireplace and talk and plan. By summer they would be sitting on the -Fisher’s front porch steps and watch the sun sink beneath the western -horizon and twilight creep upon the world. - -For it was there on the Fisher front steps that Jimmie and his Jeanne -would dream and plan for the future. Many are the nights that these two -were to be found there, with Jeanne telling him what would be the wisest -thing to do and how to set about doing it. He always listened -attentively and throughout his life he never forgot what she told him. -To him her words were words of wisdom and law, and he knew she was -right. She never told him anything that wasn’t true. Of this he was -sure. - -It was just about this time in Jimmie Curwood’s life that everything -which was to prove itself worthwhile later in his life’s work began to -unfold. - -Through constant reading, thinking and planning he had developed a mania -for wanting to see stories of his own in print by setting the words down -himself. Many were the times that his parents would have to speak to him -a dozen or more times a night in order to get him to turn out the lights -and go to bed. Seldom did Jimmie mind them on this account if he could -get around it, for by now he was deeply engrossed in his childish -writing career. - -As for his ravenous reading, the boy could not put a book down until he -had read completely through it and thoroughly understood it. He craved -to express himself on paper and tried desperately to develop characters -such as those of famous writers whose stories he had read. - -His appreciative sense of good writing at that age was truly unusual. - -Like every other youngster Jimmie had to have his play as well as his -work. Thus his playtime had to cut in on his writing somewhat. So he -alternated his time between Jeanne, Skinny, his writing and his working -hours. Through this routine he managed to keep himself quite busy -throughout the day. At times he felt as if he had too much to do, but -still he enjoyed it all for life had taken on a new meaning. - -As each succeeding day passed by the little farm began to mean more to -him than just a place in the country where hard labor was prevalent; it -became, instead, a place where one’s creative and imaginative powers -could function more properly. At that age little Jimmie Curwood, the -former “Tom Sawyer” of Owosso, was hoping for solitude so that he could -think more clearly and thus be able to turn his characters into more -lifelike people. - -The remainder of that year passed rather uneventfully until the day of -his eighth birthday. On that day his father presented him with his first -gun, a brand new rifle. - - * * * * * - -The most amusing and yet the most serious incident that occurred in all -of Jimmie’s young life while on the farm in Ohio, was the night that he -“got religion.” He was nine years old. - -It seems that a certain “Parson Brown” was holding revival meetings at -the little town of Joppa, which was just a mile distant from the Curwood -farm. Jimmie decided to see what it was all about. He had heard his -parents speak of “the meetings” that were being held in Joppa, quite -often. That night he trudged across the open fields, half afraid and -hardly knowing what to expect. - -That night at Joppa, in the little country church as the excitement grew -to a fever’s pitch, Jimmie sat back and listened intently until he could -no longer suppress himself. He jumped up from his seat and ran to the -front of the church proclaiming that he had been saved and that the Holy -Ghost had entered his body and soul. - -Young Jimmie was truly inspired and this incident played an important -part in his later life. - -Until that moment his ideas concerning God and Heaven above had been -practically the same as those of any other normal boy or girl. That -heaven was just a place where all good people go, and that God was their -protector. Tonight all this was changed and at the age of nine years -Jimmie Curwood had already found God. It was a wonderful thing for this -lad to be able to do, and it must have remained as an inspiration with -him all the days of his life. Little did he realize, however, the -predicament it would get him into in the days to come. - -At that meeting when he rushed to the front of the church to Parson -Brown proclaiming his faith and his belief, all eyes, of which there -were many, were focused upon the figure of the small boy. Pleasing -smiles came to every face when they discovered that a small boy was -claiming his Maker. It was a wonderful sight as the Parson led the -congregation in prayer and in song for the young boy as he knelt there -before the improvised altar. This was the important thing in his young -life that led Jim Curwood to the heights of success he later attained. -For he admitted to the public many years later this same admission of -faith. - -“It was only through God Almighty that I have reached the pinnacle of -fame and success that I have.” - -Shortly after the meeting had been adjourned, with the usual -benediction, Jimmie cut across the fields and through the dark woods -that he had heretofore been afraid to cross at night. He felt no fear, -for the spirit of the Holy Ghost was strong within him. He was reported -to have said a few days later: - -“An angel went with me.” - -From all indications one is led to believe that the angel that guided -and went with him was none other than the lovely Jeanne Fisher. - -The following morning Jimmie awakened still feeling strong with the -religious spirit. - -He felt strong with the spirit which had entered his body the night -before and he wanted the whole world to know all about it. Little did he -realize the blow that his inflated and loving disposition was to receive -in a short time. His parents thought it fine for this thing to have -happened to their son, but at the same time felt that other people might -object to it. Unfortunately enough, Jimmie could not control himself and -so to his schoolmates he told of his wonderful experience. As he spoke -of the new faith that had become his, his schoolmates promptly laughed -in his face. - -“Ha! Ha! You’re crazy, Jimmie Curwood. You’re crazy!” - -Then everyone took up the chant. On that day Jimmie found himself -involved in a total of five different fights, for he could not stand to -have anyone say that he was crazy because he believed in something which -was wonderful and something which had taken possession of his mind, body -and soul. However, like all youngsters eventually come to find, Jimmie -found that the flesh is weaker than the soul. From that day forth Jimmie -was still given drubbings from time to time. - -During those hectic days one person other than his family stood beside -him to comfort and advise him. That person was his “Whistling Jeanne.” - -Days lengthened into weeks and weeks into months and still Jimmie -continued to pick up stones on his father’s farmlands; stones that were -to later prove themselves to be “worth their weight in gold.” - -The longer he remained at his daily task the more his air castles grew. -His vivid imagination gave rise to dreams and hopes of greater things. -All his visions and plans were strictly private and no one was allowed -to interfere with the young creative artist’s dreams. Not even little -Jeanne nor his pal Skinny was allowed to pierce their sacred portals. -What he felt, what he dreamed of, and what he planned to do were all -sacred thoughts and now vitally important to this nine-and-one-half year -old lad. - -Long after the usual supper hour had been completed Jimmie would go to -his room to think and to plan and to write. Many were the times that his -mother had to beg her puzzling offspring to put his books aside and go -to bed in order to get the proper amount of rest. Jimmie’s mind was -thoroughly made up and he was really intent upon what he was working for -and seeking so desperately. - -For six months or so Jimmie Curwood continued with his writing of his -childish though well-meant blood and thunder stories, stories which he -believed were truly fine. - -It really did not matter to him upon what kind of paper he set his -stories down, just so long as they were written. He would pick up -wrapping paper and cut it into squares, or else if nothing else was -available he would write his stories on tissue paper which came in shoe -boxes. - -As fast as he would complete one of his “swift moving, red-blooded -yarns,” he would carefully file it away as best as any young schoolboy -could possibly do. Writing was in his blood and it was taking complete -possession of his every thought and action. - -It was only after he had completed some twenty “thrillers” that he -brought the entire stack down from his room and asked his parents if he -might read his stories to them. There naturally was no hesitation on -their part, for they were anxious to see their youngest child pursue a -career such as he was now doing. So for several hours Jimmie’s parents -were silent as their “pride and joy” went on with his avid reading. That -night the boy read through the entire stack of manuscripts, taking some -three hours and a half to complete the job. When he had finished his -father walked over to him at the far end of the long kitchen table. - -“You’re going to get there, Jimmie boy, you’re going to get there. Just -you keep at it!” - -The boy smiled, for those few words of encouragement meant a great deal -to one who wanted to be a great writer. - -He silently picked up his stories, went to his room and filed them away -again. Hardly five minutes had elapsed before he was back at his -improvised desk to start work on a new story. - -At twelve-thirty that night the boy at last put away his pencils and his -papers and went to bed. Rather late for a young, growing boy to retire, -but his heart and soul were really in his newly-found work. With the -coming day he was to have one of his greatest childhood surprises. - -In the next day’s mail came the wonderful news that Jimmie’s sister Amy, -who had remained behind in her own home in Owosso when the family had -gone to Ohio, was coming to visit them. Since he had not seen Amy for a -long time he was indeed overjoyed at the prospects of her home-coming. -Three days passed until she at last arrived. Only a few short seconds -after she had entered the house, Jimmie remarked: - -“Gosh, Amy, you’ve changed!” - -Almost from the very beginning of her visit Jimmie began telling her of -his stories and shyly asked her to help him. He wanted her to read them -and to tell him just what she really thought. Sister Amy’s interest in -her younger brother’s career as a forthcoming author was not casual, but -really of great concern. - -She did everything in her power as a woman and as a sister to encourage -her kid brother and to help him in every way possible. She even went so -far as to check his make shift manuscripts for the errors in -punctuation, sentence structure and spelling. - -Perhaps the greatest step she took in the furthering of her brother’s -career was to arouse the interest of Fred Janette, great newspaperman -and contributor to _Golden Days_ magazine. - -To Jimmie this “introduction” was nothing short of a miracle. To get the -great Fred Janette interested in his writings was indeed a mighty step -toward his future as an author. - -Now with the noted journalist interested in him, together with his -sister’s constant coaxing, Jimmie was at last persuaded to send one of -his seemingly impossible creations to the editor of _Happy Hours_ -magazine. Amy knew her brother’s work was not of literary quality but -merely wanted to see the editor’s reaction and just how the manuscript -would be treated. So the hand-written story was posted and within a few -days, as was expected, the postman returned it with a neatly printed -rejection slip attached to it. - -The feature of it all was that the slip bore words of kind encouragement -to the aspiring author. For the editor of _Happy Hours_ realized that a -child had submitted the script and had judged it accordingly. - -The little pink slip assured the boy that if he would keep everlastingly -at it he would eventually succeed in having his stories published. From -that time on his rapidly maturing mind was on nothing else save that of -writing. School and work entered into his everyday routine, of course, -but even while he was attending to these duties he still was thinking of -writing. - -To add to his happiness he received in the mail one day a letter from -Fred Janette himself asking the boy to send him one of his stories. -Jimmie was jubilant. The very next day Amy mailed out one of her -brother’s very best manuscripts which she herself had transcribed for -legibility. - -Several days elapsed before the anxiously waiting Curwood family -received any word on the judgment of Jimmie’s story. Eventually it came -through. Mr. Janette was returning the manuscript but on the fly leaf -was the following inscription: - -“Keep at it, fellow, you cannot fail!” - -Those words meant a great deal to Jimmie, and the manuscript bearing -those words remains today, yellow with age, in Curwood Castle. - -Now satisfied that she had helped her brother as best she could, Amy -returned to Owosso. - -From that moment hence Jimmie Curwood could not be held down in the -reaching of his ultimate goal. Guided by that ever present desire to -become wealthy, famous and to create his own characters on his own pages -in his own stories, Jimmie Curwood probably never knew exactly when to -quit writing once he had commenced. He drove himself unmercifully toward -that which he desired so much. It seems almost unreasonable to think -that a lad of his age was capable of such determination, but facts -cannot be denied or doubted. Inspiration is one thing, while -encouragement and help is still another. That which he knew so well -could not be suppressed. It was there within him, germinating his mind, -tormenting his soul. - -It has often been said that a suppressed thought in the mind of a -creative writer is the worst possible thing for him to endure. He may -endure all the hardships of life that are thrown in his path, but a -suppressed idea or thought germinating in his mind, is fiendish torture. -Such must have undoubtedly been the case of Jimmie Curwood at that young -age. - -Although Amy had returned to Owosso she wrote her brother every week, -sending him hope and inspiration. Fred Janette from time to time wrote -to the boy urging him to keep at his work. Even between times in his -writing as Jimmie would be picking up stones again or else at some other -type of farm labor, he experienced thrills that he had not known before. -He knew he was accomplishing something, creating that which no one could -destroy. - -As he continued piling stone on stone and as they began to take form, -Jimmie imagined that they were great castles which held gallant princes -and lovely princesses. He envisioned heroes who possessed more courage -and more valor than any other earthly mortal. They fought long, hard, -bitter battles, always to be victorious in the end. The developing of -this vivid imagination at this early age in life was one of the direct -causes for Jimmie’s rise to fame. - -For the first time since his dreams and plans had begun to materialize, -Jimmie at last shared his ideas with his “Whistling Jeanne.” She knew -all of his fondest hopes and his aspirations, and she prayed for him and -fought for him in many of his schoolboy tussles. - -She alone stood up for him because he was so much smaller than the -majority of the other boys and she was old enough and capable enough to -manage most of them. She stood up for him when she knew he was wrong. -She even talked Mrs. Curwood out of a great deal of spankings that were -due the lad and which he surely would have received had it not have been -for her. Although five years his senior, Jimmie looked upon her as being -of his own age and even younger, perhaps. - -It might be said that Jimmie Curwood had loved Jeanne in his own silent, -youthful, schoolboy way. He adored, in silent worship, her great blue -eyes, her thick braids of radiant brown hair and her flawless -complexion. As a matter of fact everyone loved little Jeanne Fisher, but -as Jim Curwood once said later in life: - -“Everyone loved her, but none so devoutly as I.” - -In the winter of 1884 when James Curwood and his family moved into the -little farm in Ohio, Jeanne Fisher took it upon herself to see that the -Curwoods became her friends. The lovely Jeanne was lonely and needed -friendships besides those of schoolmates. - -For, from the time school was dismissed in the afternoon until the -following morning, she was entirely alone with her parents. No -playmates, no neighbors lived within a mile of her home. - -So when the Curwoods came, Jeanne quickly presented herself. It was a -strange new land to Jimmie as well as to his parents and consequently -they all welcomed her friendly approach. She tried and she succeeded in -making the young boy feel at home in his new neighborhood. From that -time on, nothing save death could separate the pair. - -By the nickname of “Whistling Jeanne,” one would be led to believe that -the girl was a “tom-boy,” and so she was, to a certain extent. Her -kindness for Jimmie, however, would surely tempt one to believe to the -contrary. For when Jimmie nicknamed her “Whistling Jeanne,” he did so -because he loved to hear her incessant whistling. She would whistle -regardless of how much trouble she might be in, or no matter how low her -spirits might be. At times she was very much a young lady of the first -rank; but she could become a regular “tom-boy” if the occasion called -for it. She was a swift runner, a good tree climber, an excellent shot -with a rifle and she could put up as good a fight as most boys of her -own age are capable of. Still she was every inch a young lady. Quiet and -refined as the occasion demanded. She did not believe in being inactive, -believing that one should keep one’s body as well as one’s mind -occupied. - -Only a few short months after Jimmie had launched himself on a literary -career Jeanne’s guiding influence was tossed to the four winds by the -reckless, though well-meaning, lad. For at that time he came under the -influence and thumb of the school bully. Everything that could have -happened to a schoolboy who was being led astray happened to Jimmie -Curwood. He was now almost eleven years of age while Jeanne was nearly -sixteen. - -One morning during the first semester of school Jimmie made a terrible -mistake in one of his lessons as well as having been guilty of a boyish -misdemeanor. - -“Jimmie Curwood, if you don’t correct yourself and apologize for your -intended error, I shall box your ears,” the elderly lady teacher -informed him. Sitting directly behind him was the school bully. - -On more than one occasion he had caused trouble and he was once again up -to his old pranks. He whispered to Jimmie and told him just what to do. -It is at this age that young boys get to feel pretty important if they -can hold the limelight for a while. - -At first Jimmie hesitated, but when the bully called him a coward, he -blurted out: - -“You don’t dare to do it!” - -The entire classroom instantly became ghastly silent, for the students -realized only too well that this meant trouble. They also knew that the -bully was directing Jimmie and he too was afraid of what the -consequences might be. - -The lady teacher demanded that Jimmie come immediately to the front of -the room. The boy was timid and afraid, but at the same time he admired -the bully for his brawn and straight-forward actions. Urged on, Jimmie -got up from his seat and moved slowly toward his teacher. As he stood -there in front of her “the bombshell exploded.” - -The good teacher informed him of his punishment and then, following the -instructions and directions of the over-grown boy, Jimmie proceeded to -give his teacher a very sound drubbing, much to the bully’s delight. Not -only was the teacher chagrined, but she was touched and hurt deeply. - -After the hectic battle, which Jimmie nearly lost because of his -teacher’s extra poundage, only the bully congratulated him. The others -said nothing. Then, like most boys after committing a wrong, Jimmie came -to his senses, apologized and received his punishment like a man. In due -course, the elder Curwood learned of his son’s escapade, and he, too, -acted accordingly. Eventually Jimmie returned to school and apologized -for the second time to his teacher. Needless to say she realized that -Jimmie felt it had all been his fault. She accepted his apology and -reinstated him in school. - -Unfortunately, however, this did not end the boy’s associations with the -prodigious bully. Once again, after much coaxing, the bully took him in -hand. In order to increase his prestige in the younger boy’s eyes, the -older and larger lad proceeded to thoroughly trounce a big, strapping -German boy. All of this occurred just a few days after the first -escapade. Once more the light of adoration began to shine in Jimmie’s -eyes. This reoccurrence of the friendship fortunately led to one of the -greatest turning points in Jim Curwood’s entire life. - -Many adventures take place in the life of a young boy, but seldom do -they come as thick and fast as they did to Jimmie. For soon after all -the excitement died down at school, young Jimmie discovered a revolver -of small caliber that belonged to his mother, and so he brought it to -school with him one day. This added to his prestige, but in a minor sort -of way. - -His exhibition of the weapon was met with sighs and glances of amazement -by the students but none dared inform the teacher of what they had seen. -They all realized the consequences if they were caught as informers. - -It was during the afternoon of that early spring day that Jimmie secured -permission to leave the schoolroom for a few minutes. Upon arriving -outside he noticed two girls leaving an outhouse building. Ideas began -popping in his imaginative young mind and so he promptly began firing -the pistol above their heads. The effect could not have been worse had -he struck them, for the girls were thrown into nervous hysteria. - -If Jimmie thought that he had received dire punishment for his earlier -prank, he was indeed badly mistaken. He had not realized the dangerous -folly he had let himself in for. He was punished more thoroughly than -ever before by school officials. But the worst was yet to come from his -parents, as the boy fully realized. - -As he escaped from the small crowd that had gathered on the school -grounds and with head hanging low, Jimmie slunk across the fields toward -home, sorely afraid and indeed bewildered at the trouble he had caused. -His mind began to run wild as it had in his adventure stories. It kept -telling him over and over that this was the end. There was no possible -means of escape. - - - - - CHAPTER THREE - - THE DISCOVERER - - -Many devilish thoughts plagued the eleven year old Jimmie’s mind as he -hurriedly made his way across the fields to his home. What was going to -happen to him? What would his parents do to him? Jimmie was afraid and -he had just cause to be so. - -The very thing which he had done led the boy to believe that they hanged -people or else shot them for such actions. He did not stop to think that -he had not killed anyone, yet his child’s mind told him differently. He -had brought disgrace down upon the good name of his family, and forever -upon himself. And above all else, he did not want to be hanged. It -really seemed to the boy that the end of the world was near for him and -that there was nothing that could save him. - -He was hardly a hundred yards from home when he almost burst out crying, -but he refrained from doing so for he felt that he was too much of a -man. - -Then Jimmie thought of escape. - -Only his sister Cora was in the house. And she did not see Jimmie until -he had packed all that he felt he needed for his trip “away from the -good old home.” - -Among the possessions which he had gathered up were his hunting knife, a -butcher knife, fishing tackle and a very small parcel of food. The -quantity of food which young Jimmie had packed up was hardly enough for -more than two meals at the most. Also it did not occur to him to take -more than the clothing upon his back. In his mind he kept telling -himself that he never would return. But at this time there was but one -thought that stuck in his mind. That thought was to put as much distance -as possible between the schoolhouse and himself. Just as he started for -the back door, he was confronted by his sister. - -“Where are you going, Jimmie?” - -“I’m going out for a little hiking trip. Be back before long,” he -replied with his head hanging low. “Goodbye.” - -Had Cora thought about it at the time, she would have realized that her -little brother was home early from school. - -Taking one more fond glance at the old home, Jimmie turned and strode -out of the door and made for the nearby woods half a mile away. It was -with hurried steps too that he fled from his home, for deep in his young -and perhaps rather foolish heart Jimmie feared that a posse might be -organized to overtake him. Then if he were caught dire consequences -might result. - -When at last he entered the woods he had little thought of what to do or -where to go. He just walked along glancing back occasionally when at -last he made up his mind to head for Lake Erie and there board a tramp -steamer bound for a foreign port. - -Finally he reached the “Old Woman’s Creek” which flowed through the -woods. - -This proved to be the place for his first stopover; darkness was falling -and he was afraid to go further alone into the night. This spot, too, -was a favorite of Skinny’s and his. Here he knew a hundred different -places to hide away without fear of detection. - -Darkness fell quickly and quietly upon the wooded lands and the fear in -the youngster’s heart swelled. Out on the surface of the river the -splashings of leaping fish were to be heard. Near the banks came the -ever-present calling of the frogs, that eerie cry that comes to the -solitary traveler usually at this hour of the night. - -Jimmie hurried on along the river’s banks to a vacant red barn. He -hurried inside the rickety old frame structure and searched in the dark -for a suitable place to sleep. - -After several minutes of silent and cautious searching, Jimmie stumbled -onto a manger half filled with hay. But sleep for the young boy was -entirely out of the question at the present. For just outside the barn -flowed “Old Woman’s Creek.” Jimmie shuddered at the very thought of the -name. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the bull-frogs continued their -strange and weird calling in the night, adding still more fears to his -whirling brain. It seemed to the young boy that they were saying over -and over again: - -“You’re a goner! You’re a goner! You’re a goner!” - -Try as he might, Jimmie just could not go to sleep. His childish -imagination led him to believe that a posse of men were just outside the -door waiting for him to come out so that they could pounce upon him. For -with a screech owl high on the sagging roof hooting dreadfully and then -the dead silence that followed along with the beat of bats’ wings, it is -little wonder that the boy ever went to sleep. - -With the first streak of dawn Jimmie slipped out of the manger with all -the cautiousness of an Indian scout and looked carefully about. - -Feeling that perhaps someone had lain in wait for him during the night -he took no unnecessary chances. Seeing that no one was in sight he -hurried down to the spot along the river where his pal Skinny and he had -their log raft cached. He soon found it and without a moment’s -hesitation he climbed aboard and with the aid of a long pole pushed -himself out into the river’s current. All the terror which had possessed -him the night before seemed to have vanished and he once again began to -feel very much like a grown man. - -The wind was now beginning to churn the river’s waters into a lather, -and was actually carrying the small, frail raft out into Lake Erie. -Jimmie was yards away from shore and was still going out. He frantically -attempted to pole himself back to the bank, but it was useless. Minutes -grew into hours and still Jimmie Curwood was seeking some way in which -to get back to the fading, distant shore. He was being tossed about upon -the little raft just like a piece of cork upon the ocean. Half afraid, -he eagerly scanned the fastly fading shoreline in all directions until -his eyes fell upon the dim outline of a sailing ship. - -“No words in any language could have properly expressed my relief when a -sloop with snowy sails appeared on the horizon.” - -Instantly the youngster began to yell, scream and wave his arms long -before anyone could have possibly heard him. Eventually the ship spotted -the drifting raft and picked the boy up. When taken aboard he drew one -long sigh of relief, started crying and then collapsed upon the deck. - -It was the good ship _Sandusky_ whose white sails Jimmie had seen. Upon -being revived the Captain of the sloop began questioning the lad, asking -who he was, from where he had come and just what he was doing out on the -lake. - -It was some time after he had been taken aboard that the Captain could -get any information from him. When at last he succeeded they were -several miles from shore and could not possibly return to the spot from -which Jimmie had embarked. Later on when he had unfolded his story and -had answered all the Captain’s questions, the Captain and his men all -enjoyed a hearty laugh. He, too, was forced to laugh in a timid manner -for it seemed amusing to him now that he had seriously stopped to think -about it. - -For the next two hours Jimmie leaned over the railing of the ship taking -in of the broad expanse of water and the white caps which topped each -wave. This was his first experience at sea and the youngster was -enjoying every minute of it now that he was safely aboard a ship. This -to him was truly thrilling adventure. - -Far ahead over the rolling waves Jimmie could see the mainland lined by -tall buildings and rows of stately trees. The storm was now beginning to -subside and the violent rocking of the ship soon came to an end. He -thanked his stars above for this, for he was nearly seasick. - -Later in the day when they neared the port of Sandusky, the Captain -called Jimmie aside and explained to him in a fatherly manner that the -good people of Joppa and Vermillion would neither hang him nor imprison -him and that he had nothing whatsoever to fear upon his return as long -as he behaved himself. As for his parents, they were surely worried over -his absence, and they would without a doubt welcome him back with open -arms and warm hearts. After Jimmie had listened to all this talk from -the aged Captain the old world began to look bright and rosy once again -and he expressed the desire to return as soon as possible. - -The ship sailed on past Huron and into the port of Sandusky where the -Captain and a handful of “gobs” took Jimmie to show him the town while -he waited to embark for home. - -As the young boy in his tattered clothing was becoming interested in the -sights of Sandusky, the Captain detoured somewhere along the line and -sent a telegram to Jimmie’s father telling him where the lad was and to -come and get him immediately. - -A short while later the Captain rejoined his crew who were showing -Jimmie the time of his life, and they all went to a nearby lunchroom -where they partook of a hearty meal. This was the first good meal which -the boy had had since he had left home the day before. - -After having his dinner Jimmie then was taken for a walk through the -little lakeside city of Sandusky where he saw his first tall buildings. -He simply stood there with his mouth wide open as he gazed in silent -adoration and amazement at the towering structures. For Sandusky at that -time was a city of some eighteen thousand people and her streets were -wide and tapering as they wound their way through the parks and down -past beautiful homes. - -Most awe-inspiring of all were the beautiful school buildings. Great -stone edifices that were as much as three stories tall and usually an -entire city block in length. Here the sailors stopped to let him watch -the students come out of school. They were all dressed well and seemed -to be so much older than those he had known in the schools he had -attended. But he realized that he was nearly as old as most of them and -that back at the one-room school near his home the people did not dress -nearly so well just to go to school. This was entirely different from -anything he had ever known. - -After all the students had passed from his sight, Jimmie was taken still -closer so that he might be able to see the magnificent structure at -first hand. The huge building had great, wide halls covered with -carpets, and mammoth rooms with many desks. This was truly enchantment -of the first class for Jimmie Curwood. He felt certain that all this -must be a dream. - -As he stood there looking upon the symbols of higher education, he found -that he no longer wanted to become a great Indian fighter, a buffalo -hunter, or worse yet, a bold pirate. Instead, he now wanted to become a -part of schools such as he was now standing before. He wanted to be one -of the kings among the beautiful queens. He actually believed that he -wanted to study. Until this moment his world had been the forty acre -farm back there at Joppa, with all of its stones. Now a great, new world -had opened up and Jimmie Curwood was determined to grasp it. - -Later that same day his father arrived to take his son back home and -away from the beautiful school buildings of Sandusky. En route homeward -the boy tried his best to express to his father that which he felt in -his heart. He told him of all he had encountered since he had run away -from home. He told of the great lake he had sailed upon the first night -away, and the magnificent schools he had seen and visited. His father -understood. - -The night of his return home found Jimmie sitting on the Fisher’s front -steps with “Whistling Jeanne.” There was a full moon overhead casting -down its beautiful light upon the green, fertile fields and hills. There -almost seemed to be a song in the air—a song of happiness. A soft breeze -was blowing through the cottonwoods and all about the house the crickets -and the katydids gave forth with their serenades. - -And once again Jeanne Fisher was comforting Jimmie as she had always -done. Between their telling of their dreams of the future, Jimmie told -Jeanne of all the wonderful things he had seen while he had been away, -and of how he had visited the wonderful school building in Sandusky. He -told her how he wanted to attend school there. Jeanne explained in her -best manner that Sandusky was very far away and that it would cost a -great deal of money for him to go to school in such a place regardless -of how beautiful it might be. - -But Jimmie vowed that some day, somehow, he would go to that great -school to study. “Whistling Jeanne” Fisher realized then that his mind -was firmly set and that he would go to any means to gain his objective, -as he had proven in the past. - -Seriously thinking the matter over Jeanne at last came to the conclusion -that there were other schools equally as fine as the ones in Sandusky, -and that if he would work hard and save his money and speak to his -parents earnestly, he might some day get the opportunity he was looking -for. - -With the following morning, Jimmie did begin work, at whatever odd jobs -he could find during his spare time. Regardless of what the task might -be Jimmie was on the job. - -With winter’s arrival he hunted and trapped rabbits and continued with -this until the arrival of spring. When the snows had passed and winter -was no more he managed to get himself a job on an adjoining farm picking -up brush, trash and waste at the extremely low rate of twenty-five cents -per acre. The boy took this job and did his work without grumbling -because it meant a few more dollars toward his potential education. His -mind was fired with the ambition to go to school where he could study to -be a great writer, and go to school he would. - -Spring and summer soon passed, and during this time Jimmie Curwood had -beaten carpets, picked up brush and accomplished many other jobs as well -as saving his rabbit pelts from the winter before. He now had enough -money to buy himself a brand new suit of clothes. But with the arrival -of fall Jimmie began to worry about achieving his ambition. Many days of -anxious coaxing on his part began to pay off in dividends. For Mr. and -Mrs. Curwood decided that if their son was so intent upon attending -school and college, they would see to it that he would do so, even if it -meant selling the farm. - -That was it! That was the solution to their problem. They would sell the -farm and move into town where Jimmie’s father could once again set up in -the shoe-repair business. Days passed during which time the problem was -given much serious thought. It was only after a month of such deep -thought that Mr. Curwood at last decided not to sell the farm, but -instead to leave Edward behind to take care of it. So, at last, came the -day when the family prepared to move into the little town of Wakeman. -This happened to be Mrs. Curwood’s girlhood home town. - -A great many things were loaded upon the old spring wagon and as the -first load began to pull out of the barnyard, Jimmie noticed tears in -his mother’s eyes. She hated to leave the farm but it was a great day -for her because of the educational desires of her youngest son. - -Jimmie did not ride along with the first load of household goods but -remained behind to go with the last load. Although of late Jimmie had -not spent much of his time with Skinny, his pal remained with him for -the duration of his time on the farm. Naturally, lovely Jeanne was with -him, too, for it was partially through her pleading that Jimmie was -getting the opportunity that he so desired. - -The fateful day for departure inevitably came. It was all that Jimmie -could do to keep back the tears, but he manfully refrained. He told -Skinny that he would see him again soon and then he kissed Jeanne -goodbye and climbed aboard the wagon. But hardly had he gotten aboard -than he jumped off and proceeded to walk with Skinny as far as Bingham’s -old orchard. Several minutes later the two young men saw the end of -their last walk together, for ahead lay the end of the long orchard. - -It was an orchard that the two boys had played in often and which was -surrounded by a tall, six foot fence. Without a moment’s hesitation, -merely because he realized that he should, Jimmie Curwood climbed aboard -the spring wagon as they reached the end of the orchard with his mother -and father, and was on his way to his new home in the city. He was going -to a home wherein would come bright new horizons for the future. - -Looking back a few minutes later Jimmie saw his boyhood chum standing in -the middle of the dusty road waving frantically at him. Skinny was -standing just where Jimmie had left him when he had climbed aboard the -wagon. Further back on the road in front of the old house stood the -Fisher family. There they were, Jeanne and her parents all waving their -last goodbyes. A great lump came into Jimmie’s throat as the wagon -rounded a bend in the road and his friends faded from sight. - -When the Curwood family moved into Wakeman its population consisted of -somewhere around one thousand other inhabitants. It was a trading center -for a huge farming belt, and it was also a freight center. The Lake -Shore and Michigan Southern railroad lines passed through the little -community. Wakeman had but one main street and this was a beehive of -activity on Saturdays. - -There were two large general stores where one could buy anything from -soup to nuts and from ploughs to jackasses. Wakeman also housed three -nice grocery stores, one blacksmith shop, one poolroom and one small -hotel. Therefore it was a very prosperous city for its size. - -Wakeman also boasted of a cooperage in which thousands of apple barrels -were manufactured daily for consumption by most of the midwest and -northwestern states. Despite the number of years that have passed, this -cooperage still stands today with the usual output. - -Typical of all mid-western cities and villages, Wakeman was always -converted into a thriving metropolis on Saturdays. On this day all the -farmers from miles around would manage to come into town. They would -gather about and talk about their crops, weather conditions, national -affairs and always those jokes which simply must be told. They would -purchase what they were going to need during the coming week and load -their buggies and wagons with their supplies and then head back for the -farms around nine-thirty or ten o’clock. - -Wakeman had its rows upon rows of hitching rails and posts to which the -farmers tied their horses and teams. Today most of those historic relics -have vanished. - -The first few days in Wakeman proved to be quite different from what -Jimmie had expected. He knew the farm people and their ways, but he did -not know the townsfolk and their standards and traditions. In fact it -was in Wakeman that he attended his first party where the boys and girls -were really dressed up in their finest. The boys were of an entirely -different type from what he had been used to associating with. Somehow -Jimmie managed to become accustomed to them and their mannerisms. It -seems that Jimmie possessed that certain quality that enabled him to -adapt himself to almost any type of environment. - -It was at this first party that he learned many new and startling facts. -He heard of how his new friends had been as far away as New York and -Cleveland. Jimmie stood with mouth wide open in amazement as they spoke -about their travels and adventures. He hardly dared believe them even as -they were told, yet he knew they spoke the truth. - -As the party went on and the conversation continued Jimmie spoke of his -travels and of how he was lost on Lake Erie during a terrible storm. -This increased his prestige among the younger set. As the talk -continued, it finally drifted onto the subject of books and the best -reading on the market. This was more along Jimmie Curwood’s line and so -he listened attentively as some young lady led the discussion. At long -last he had the opportunity he had been seeking. So he told of his -career in writing thus far, and how he so wanted to develop his talent -into an advanced study. Many of the others wanted to write but hardly -knew how to get started. Jimmie explained in a modest manner his -eagerness to write great works some day, too. - -It was at this party that Jimmie acquired his new name. He was no longer -called Jimmie, but just “Jim.” It was here, also, that the young man -attempted to learn to dance with the aid of a very charming little lady. -He later admitted that although he felt clumsy and ill at ease, he -enjoyed it all immensely. Throughout his later life, however, Jim -Curwood had little time for dancing. - -Thus began Jim Curwood’s social life in Wakeman, and at first he took -full advantage of it, for it was indeed truly social as compared to that -which he had heretofore been accustomed. - -There were many new things that Jim was going to have to learn if his -social and everyday life in Wakeman were to be successful. Throughout -his life he had been under the constant guidance of his devoted mother. -She had cared for his personal appearance and insisted that he always -keep himself as clean as possible. But in this new environment he -learned that he must look after his personal appearance himself. He also -learned that one’s personal appearance and habits counted first and -foremost. He discovered that he must wear a tie. He found that he must -wear presentable clothing to school instead of the farm clothes. He had -to keep his hair trimmed and his teeth brushed. The things which had -before seemed utterly trivial now were of major importance to his new -life in the city of Wakeman. - -Perhaps the most exasperating discovery which young Jim Curwood made -shortly after he had moved into Wakeman with his family, was the fact -that he must take more than one bath per week. So instead of the usual -Saturday night affair, the young man found himself in the tub as often -as three times a week. He hated it all. - -As his new life opened before him Jim discovered that there were girls -in Wakeman. The startling fact was that he found they were very pretty -girls, too. Coincident with this discovery came the necessity for a -little spending money from time to time if one were to get along. So, -from the first time that he met one of Wakeman’s better type girls, he -was constantly in need of nickels or dimes. Soon his financial problems -developed to the stage where Jim was asking for quarters instead of -nickels and dimes, as is only natural when a young boy begins to get -“ideas.” - -As Valentine Day approached, Jim met a very pretty girl whom he decided -he would like to present with a Valentine. Although the tiny card cost -but three cents, Jim was somewhat bashful and backward in giving it to -her when the time came. So he mailed it out the day before and signed -only his scrawled initials upon the back of it. Somehow the memory of -his Jeanne back on the farm seemed to have slipped from his mind, for -this new young lady filled his every waking hour. - -As he and his new girl friend became better acquainted Jim thought he -should take more than three baths a week and in a short time he was to -be found in the tub almost every night. Another thing which was called -to his attention was that he should always keep his fingernails clean, -that a tie should always be worn, and above all that he should keep his -shoes blacked every day without fail. Mother Curwood as well as her -husband had noticed the tremendous change that had come over their young -offspring and were pleased by it. Their coming to Wakeman seemed to be -proving itself worthwhile. - -In a few short weeks arrived that which young Jim Curwood had been -looking forward to with great anticipation—the beginning of the fall -term in the school to which he had traveled so far and on which so many -of his hopes were based. Here Jim became interested in something which -was to remain with him all the days of his life—Astronomy. - -Through the teachings of this new subject Jim developed an entirely -different conception of God. He came to know and to realize then that -God had created this earth as a center of things, and that we were most -fortunate to have been chosen to live upon it. He believed then that God -had created all this for mankind alone, that man was everything. That -the birds, the beasts of the wilds, and the fish of the streams did not -matter. He believed then, as so many millions do today, that those -creatures were put here just for man to slaughter if he so desired.... - -Winter came and passed all too soon for Jim and it was not until spring -arrived that he learned of his family’s plans to leave Wakeman and -return to the farm. He also made the startling discovery at this time -that he had not learned much more here than he had back at the little -red brick schoolhouse. True, he had learned city life and all of its -startling realities, but it was the little red school house back there -in the country that he yearned for. - -When but one more week was left for the Curwood family to remain in -Wakeman, brother Ed came into town with the team and wagon, while Mr. -Curwood made all final preparations. Talk of the farm, the fields and -the streams had turned Jim’s thoughts entirely to the open spaces once -again. - -With Ed and his father riding along on the wagon, Mrs. Curwood followed -along behind in the buggy. Jim had still other ideas since Ed had -brought his dog Jack along. So for most of the eight long, dusty miles, -Jim and his faithful hound Jack played and walked behind the caravan. - -It has always been said that early impressions in life bear greatly upon -one’s future. So it was then in Jim Curwood’s case. His life on the farm -as a child taught him more and more the love of the open roads and the -forests. For on that day when the family returned to their farm, eight -miles distant from Wakeman, Jim exclaimed: - -“Gosh Mom, it’s great to be back home again! The woods are so full of -wild flowers, and the old pond is crowded with big, old frogs, too.” - -Skinny Hill, having heard from Ed that the family was once more going to -return to the neighborhood, had been on the watch for his pal Jim since -shortly after daybreak. And hardly had the creaky old wagon and buggy -rounded the bend in the road than Skinny was running for all he was -worth to meet his chum. In his left hand was an old, black felt hat -which he was waving wildly above his head, as he shouted and whistled. - -“Hello, Slip! Hello there, Slip!” - -The two youngsters did not even shake hands or clasp each other in their -arms. Instead they both just stood there in the middle of the dusty road -with wide grins. - -“My gosh, you’re home, ain’t you?” Skinny spoke breathlessly. - -“Yep!” - -With those few words Jim and Skinny started walking up the road behind -the buggy and wagon. - -During the following three days Skinny and Jim were running all over the -surrounding territory looking over together what they had claimed to be -their own several months before. Through the wooded strips and across -the fields they went, taking in all the glory of “secret country.” - -Through all of the busy and crowded months in Wakeman Jim had almost -forgotten the one person who was more important to him in his young life -than any other. But hardly had he set foot in the front yard of the old -farm than he saw her. Immediately his pulse quickened. It was lovely -Jeanne, his “Whistling Jeanne.” - -The very first thing which he noticed was how tall she had grown during -his absence, and her stunning beauty spun his senses about wildly. He -could hardly believe what his eyes revealed. - -“Something queer happened to my heart when she caught me up in her arms -and kissed me. My Jeanne was changed.” - -In a few minutes Jeanne had once again won her old place back in his -heart. That feeling of security and comfort was his, as it had been -before, now that he had his Jeanne back to console him during those -times when things went wrong. - -Hardly had the family a chance to really settle down again than Jim was -once more beginning to write. - -In the town of Wakeman he had become acquainted with a motherly old lady -who had thought a great deal of him. So much so, in fact, that when he -asked her for some of her old magazines, she not only complied with that -request, but also went to the nearest drugstore and purchased a “dozen -brand new ones” for him. - -There on the little farm when his daily chores were over, Jim would sit -out under the trees with Jeanne and Skinny, and pore over the contents -and the wonderful stories by famous authors. The smouldering flame that -was embedded within his heart for adventure stories and the yearning to -write them was overpowering. - -It is seldom that a boy of young Jim Curwood’s age should take so great -an interest in such a mature profession. But he seemed to be able to -look into the future and almost say what was going to take place, so -confident was he. It seems almost uncanny that a young lad could have -such a vivid imagination and at the same time learn to put it into words -and story form. But a great deal of Jim’s success can rightfully be -credited to Jeanne Fisher. Obviously this is true, for throughout his -entire literary career, the character and the beauty of “Whistling -Jeanne” was always there. - -She used to tell him that he must write harder than ever and then some -day he could put her into his stories. - -If only she could know how many times, hundreds of times in fact, she -really was written into his stories. Who knows? Perhaps she does. - -So, as the sun began to set over the two little farms in the peaceful -Ohio valley on that first evening of Jim’s return, it once again found -Jeanne and Jim together. And as the evening wore itself into the -darkness of night time, Jeanne refrained from talking of his future -authorship, but upon subjects instead which were more vital to her. She -had not stopped to realize that during his stay in Wakeman her Jim had -become more and more entrenched in the path of becoming a famous writer -of tales. As the night began to grow long Jim at last began pouring out -his heart to her, and then Jeanne Fisher realized only too well that to -talk of anything else save writing was a hopeless task. - -Jim explained to her how he had lingered over the many new magazines -that he had seen in Wakeman; how he idolized the printed names of the -famous authors whose articles and stories he had read. He told of how -his heart beat just a little faster as he completed reading each new -story. How he had read and reread every story in every magazine that he -could put his hands on. Little did he realize it at the time, but he was -developing a style all his own through all this extensive reading that -was later to lead him to fame. He even became breathless as he explained -how his heart had missed a beat every now and then as he read those -adventure stories. Tales of Indian scouts, strong, brave cowboys, and -fearless Indian chieftains. Stories of dauntless seamen who sailed the -seven seas unafraid in search of gold and silver. - -“Whistling Jeanne” Fisher realized to the utmost that night that -“literature was the guiding star of his destiny.” She came to realize -also that nothing save death would stop the young, yet determined, Jim -Curwood. He had it in him to write, he had something to say and to tell -about, and she knew that some day he would get his chance to tell it. -Either he would get his chance or he would _make_ that chance. - -Like most men of literature, a writer must have something to say, -something to tell. From the age of eight, Jim Curwood had a story to -tell and he always did his best to tell it in an unsurpassed manner. His -courage in the face of great odds is indeed commendable. - -The character of “Whistling Jeanne” has played the major roles in most -of Jim Curwood’s short stories, serials and novels. Her character and -her beauty were, above all else, inspirational and courageous. - -The character of Melisse in “The Honor of the Big Snows,” Josephine -Conniston in “The River’s End,” and Jeanne in “The Flower of the North,” -are just a few of the heroines for whom her lovable character has been -responsible. These novels have been filmed and flashed on the movie -screens throughout the world, and his novels have been translated and -written into over fourteen different languages. “Whistling Jeanne” -Fisher’s character was truly an important part in Jim Curwood’s -childhood days. - -With all of the words of hope, courage, inspiration and wisdom which -came from those “rareripe lips,” how could Jim go wrong? How could he -help but to succeed? For even in his childhood days he was constantly -filled with inspiration, hope and above all else, confidence. For with -those words of encouragement the boy firmly planted his feet and vowed -earnestly that nothing save death could ever keep him from becoming a -great author. An author whose works would give to the people of the -world hope and courage to push onward. Today, nearly fifty-seven years -later, those works which he spoke about at the age of thirteen have -given hope and courage to many millions of people throughout the entire -world. - -There is little doubt but that those early childhood days on the farm -down in Ohio were the days which proved invaluable in the shaping of Jim -Curwood’s destiny. - - - - - CHAPTER FOUR - - OWOSSO SCHOOLDAYS - - -Day after day while on long hikes through the forests and along the -river’s banks, Jim Curwood would try valiantly to explain to his chum, -Skinny, the urge and desire that was burning constantly in his heart. -Unfortunately enough, Skinny Hill could not see things in quite the same -light as Jim did and consequently he raised argument after argument. At -times when he would grow tired of hearing Jim talk about a writing -career he would very nearly lose his temper. - -Fortunately, Jim Curwood had the ambition and the determination to be a -writer and no one on the face of God’s green earth could stop him. The -youngster actually prayed for the opportunity to go to great schools. He -prayed for the one chance, the lone chance, of really becoming a -“somebody.” - -“I knew with God beside me that my goal could not be too far off. Hard -work, and hard work alone, with confidence in the Great Arbiter, are the -keys to success.” - -From that time on Jim Curwood did all in his power in order that he -might pave his own way to success. - -Valiantly he fought the odds that were stacked against him, determined -to make the grade and come through with flying colors. However, at times -he would lose all hope. Then for a moment, he would stop and think about -defeat and what it would mean. The next moment would find him back at -work, his determination multiplied a hundred times over. It seems -miraculous that such a young lad of Jim Curwood’s age could not be kept -down in his battle for success at the one thing in life he wanted. - -As days developed into weeks and weeks into months, it dawned more and -more on the boy that unless he went away somewhere to study, it would be -a hopeless task to try to be a “somebody.” It is quite plain that his -mind was much more developed than his age revealed. - -Like manna from heaven, his sister Amy, from Michigan, came down to -visit the family a few days later. Jim thanked his lucky stars, for he -realized only too well that his sister not only could help him, but -would be most glad to. His young and adventurous mind began working -rapidly from the very first day that Amy arrived on the farm. He felt -that with Amy’s influence it might be possible for him to go away to -school. For several days and nights he thought the situation over before -he put the question to his sister. He lay awake at nights thinking up -various situations by which he could induce Amy to take him away with -her. This was his one big chance and he knew that he must not miss it. - -A few days after her arrival he called her to one side and spoke to her -about his plans and his dreams. From the very beginning, Amy used a -great deal of tact in handling the situation. - -“Amy ... Amy, will you do me a favor?” he asked. - -“What is it you want me to do, Jimmy?” - -“Amy, I want to go away to school and study. I want to be a great author -and the only way I can be one is to go to school!” - -“Do you really want to go away to school and study, Jimmy?” - -“You know I do, sis, oh, you know I do. I must! I just have to, Amy. Try -and fix it with Mom and Dad. Please!” - -“Then I shall talk to Mother and Dad and see if they won’t consent to -letting you go back to Owosso with me.” - -Amy lost no time in beginning her work of persuasion on Mr. and Mrs. -Curwood. They objected very much when the proposition was first -mentioned and Amy worked feverishly to wear them down. Apparently they -wanted to keep their youngest child with them and had no intentions of -letting him go all the way back to the old home town of Owosso unless -they, too, went along. - -Amy spent many long hours pleading with her parents to let her brother -go back with her, until the last thread of resistance had been worn away -and she had won her first battle for her brother. If she had only known -at the time the battles she was to have to wage for him in the future! - -When Amy told Jim the good news he fairly raised the roof of the -farmhouse with his jubilant howls of happiness. He vowed to his parents -in his own childlike manner that some day they would be very proud of -him. - -As the days passed by and the time neared when Jim Curwood would once -again leave the little farm, he would notice tears in his mother’s eyes -occasionally, despite the fact that she tried not to show them. His -father became much more thoughtful, and Jack, Jim’s faithful dog who -always went with Skinny and himself on their hikes through the country -side, followed the boy around in an extremely strange manner. He seemed -to sense in his keen, canine way that his young master was going to -leave him. Little did Jim realize that the day he bade farewell to his -family and to his dog Jack it would be the last he would ever see either -the dog or the farm itself. - -It was exactly a month to the day after the boy had gone to Owosso that -the good animal died. - -Never before in all of his young life had Jim Curwood hated to leave his -loved ones, despite the fact that he was determined to leave. His mother -cried out as her little son climbed aboard the old buckboard with his -sister: - -“He isn’t my little boy anymore!” - -As if this wasn’t enough to bring tears to his eyes, his beloved Jeanne -began crying, too. Somehow father Curwood held up even though there were -tugs at his heart strings. As his youngest child climbed onto the -buckboard he calmly walked up to him and shook his hand as two men would -do and asked him to take good care of himself. - -After a great many fond farewells, embraces and goodbyes, Amy and Jim -started on their way toward Michigan, the land that seemed so far away. -In the middle of the road as Jimmy looked back after they were on their -way, he saw his mother, father, brother Ed, Skinny, Jeanne and the -Fishers all waving farewell. A great lump swelled up in his throat for -he saw his dear old mother sobbing her heart out and leaning upon her -husband’s shoulder. Jeanne, too, was crying, but his old pal Skinny was -too hurt to weep. He wanted to, but somehow tears would just not come. - -The last words Jim Curwood heard before the little buckboard was out of -hearing distance was from Skinny who was standing in the middle of the -hot, dusty road, shouting and waving. - -“Goodbye, Slip. Gee, I’ll never see you again.” - -It was a long, hard and exciting trip as Jimmy and Amy made their way in -the buckboard drawn by two fine horses to the then small town of Owosso. -The young lad was tingling with excitement at the prospects of seeing -his home town again. The town in which he was born and where he had had -some wonderful days playing along the river banks. But he still was -constantly thinking of his father and mother as only a young boy of his -age is capable of doing. - -Jim had been away from Owosso for nearly seven years now, and as they -drove past the city limits he hardly recognized it as the same place. It -seemed to have grown a great deal and many new buildings had been -erected. The bumpy old streets of old had been worked over and now were -comparatively smooth. - -Unable to wait until the following day to see his home town again, Jimmy -persuaded Amy to take him around the day of their arrival. - -One of the first things he noticed was that his old home had been -transformed into a hotel. And the room in which he had been born was now -a room for drummers and salesmen. There were no hickory trees growing in -the streets, there were no fowls roaming about at will as they once did, -and giant pines and willows which once had filled the great commons were -replaced by stores and buildings. - -Today the city of Owosso has 15,000 residents, and is more beautiful -than it was in the days of old. Looking out of the studio windows of a -wonderful writing castle which lies along the banks of the waters of the -Shiawassee river, there can be seen one place that shall never be shed -of the willows that wave so gently in the breeze. It is the little -island in the very center of the river which flows through Owosso in a -great sweeping bend. The willow trees on this small island bend their -graceful boughs almost down to the water’s edge and sway back and forth -continually in the cool morning and evening breezes. - -Days passed rather rapidly after Jimmy returned to Owosso and the -hottest days of summer were soon upon the little town. The natural thing -for him to do was to look up his childhood pals and head for the river -to fish and to swim. But try as he might, Jimmy could find nothing of -his former Owosso pal, Charley Miller. It seemed that since Charley’s -father had passed away no one had seen anything of the boy. - -Perhaps the one thing which Jim loved above all else in his home town -was the beautiful Shiawassee, glorious river of his childhood dreams, -that flowed in graceful curves throughout the length of Owosso -constantly beckoning him to its banks to swim and fish. - -Owosso itself had prospered, of that there was little doubt. And its -people had changed with the influx of prosperity. But to Jim Curwood it -was home and when he grew older he was overheard to say: - -“Many ties bind me to it and always I return there, no matter into what -little-known byways of the world I wander. In Owosso I shall end my -journey.” - -[Illustration: _J.C. WEBER._] - -It took young Jim just a couple of days to become readjusted to his old -home town and again “Sparkling Waters” lured the youthful outdoorsman to -its banks. This was the place where Charley and he had played before he -had moved away to Ohio. The place where they hunted, trapped, fished and -swam along its peaceful shores. There is little wonder why he always -referred to it not only as “Sparkling Waters,” but also as his “river of -dreams.” For it was along the banks of this river that many of his -childhood dreams developed into realities and where he learned his first -lesson about nature and the wilds he learned to love so well. It was -here that the many stories that ran rampant in his childish mind later -flowed from his pen. - -The third day of his return found him with a pole and line headed for -the river to fish. In those days he would lay his pole over his shoulder -with the line dangling down and stroll through town barefooted. A -typical “Tom Sawyer,” if the city of Owosso ever saw one. - -His bare feet would saunter along the pavement but would step lightly -when he came to cindered paths. He wore an old hat slouched down upon -his sun-bleached hair which had no crown in it whatsoever. His -pants-legs were torn and frayed and his shirt-tail was out in the back -as always. Those truly were the glorious days of childhood. - -During the first days of his return with his sister Amy, young Jimmy -spent many hours along the river banks and pulled out a great deal of -fish. Many people often remarked that if he did not let up on his -fishing there soon would be no fish in the river for other people. - -After a week had elapsed Amy told Jim that she was taking him to visit -the great newspaperman, Fred Janette. You may speak of surprises, but -Jim Curwood was just about the most surprised and thrilled young man in -all of Michigan when his sister broke the good news to him. Who had not -heard of the great Fred Janette? He himself had even read one of his -newspaper serials. Now, at long last he was going to meet a famous -writer! The young lad was thrilled beyond all explaining. In fact, he -hardly dared believe it. It did not seem at all possible. But sister Amy -had told him and so therefore it must be true. The young boy could -hardly wait for the important day to arrive. - -The day arrived for the visit and Amy took her young brother to the -wonderful home of Fred Janette, author and newspaperman. It seemed -wonderful to Jim, but in reality Mr. Janette’s home was a modest one. It -was an old fashioned cottage. To Jim Curwood it was the home and mansion -of a king. Soon would come the moment when he would step across the -threshold, he thought. He walked nervously up the winding concrete walk -with his sister. The doorbell was rung and soon they were greeted by a -tall, whiskered Frenchman whom Jim later came to love devoutly. Then -they were confronted by a white-headed, kindly old lady who was the -mother of the great author. From that day on Mrs. Janette always held a -warm spot in his heart. - -After they had been admitted to the house sister Amy chatted and laughed -with Mrs. Janette and it seemed strange to Jim that she was not in the -least bit awed by these famous personalities, even though he was. - -It was ages before a door swung open and the “great writer” himself -entered. Being the gentleman and scholar that he was, Janette -immediately shook hands with the boy as if he had known him all his -life. Knowing that he would have to be very careful in what he said, -lest he offend the youngster, he exclaimed: - -“So this is our young author!” - -From that moment on, Jim Curwood was sold on Fred Janette as Mr. Janette -was on young Mr. Curwood. - -As soon as the introductions were over, Janette promptly took Jim by the -hand and led him into his den. Then he locked the door behind them. As -the key turned in the lock, the youngster was so thrilled that he could -hardly speak. For the first time he was actually looking at a real -author’s study. True, it was just like any other author’s studio, but -this was the first that Jim had ever been in. The walls were lined with -books, there were two typewriters, reams and reams of paper upon which -to write wonderful stories, and numerous filing cabinets in which to -file material. He took in everything from the floor up to the ceiling. -He had never seen anything that thrilled him so in all his life. - -Behind the closed door. Fred Janette showed the aspiring young writer a -cheque for three hundred dollars that the editor of _Golden Days_ -Magazine had sent him for one of his latest creations. This, of course, -seemed like a million dollars to Jim and he gasped at the sight of it. -Then Janette proceeded to explain to him just what his regular daily -schedule was, how he went about doing his work and even showed him a -story he was working on for a certain magazine. - -Janette invited Jimmy to sit down at his desk and use the typewriter if -he so desired. This seemed to the boy to be a great honor; he walked -over to the large desk and sat down upon the chair. And as he sat there -looking over the mass of papers and manuscripts, Janette told him: - -“You cannot help but become successful if you put your whole heart into -your writing.” - -Perhaps the one thing which the youngster appreciated more than anything -else about Janette was the fact that the grown man was careful not to -treat him merely as a child. - -From this very first meeting there arose between the two a friendship -that was to last a lifetime. From that moment on, James Oliver Curwood -never ceased writing. Every second that was available was spent with a -pencil or pen in his hand, for writing had taken complete possession of -him and it all but drove him frantic as his mind was continually upon -the work that was destined to become his only life work. He had to eat -and sleep, but he must also WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! - -At last, though all too soon, summer had come to a close and school days -were once more at hand. He enrolled in Central School the very first -day, but he could not understand why he had come all the way from the -farm in Ohio to go to school here in Owosso, and still find it so very -uninteresting. The chances are, however, that the writing “bug” had -become his first and only love, thus making it quite difficult for him -to study. Perhaps one of the factors which seemed to make Jim Curwood’s -schooling both uninteresting and hard was the class he was placed in -when he entered school in Owosso. For he was put in the seventh grade -because of his ungentlemanlike feats at Wakeman and his vulgar tactics -under Mrs. Bacon. Obviously this was not the rating he deserved, but the -teachers at Central School seemed to think it best. They did not know -young Curwood was returning to school “to study.” - -This of course was a very bad beginning when one has made up one’s mind -that he really wants to be someone, and young Jim was indeed very much -“burned up over this treatment.” Despite this barrier, he “muddled -through somehow,” as he chose to put it, until he had finished the tenth -grade. - -Many times, according to authoritative sources, Jimmy Curwood was -referred to as “a hopeless horror” in Algebra, by a Miss Curliss. A Miss -Needles always maintained that Jim Curwood was hopelessly dumb and could -never be any other way. Then there was a small man by the name of -Chaffee who once remarked that the boy’s empty mind was the outstanding -feature of the Owosso schools. The Miss Curliss was perhaps Jimmie’s -greatest dread. Time and time again she embarrassed him before the -entire class. On one particular occasion she called him an -“unforgettable horror in her mind,” when Jim staunchly maintained that a -“skipper” was a bug in cheese rather than the master of a ship. - -There was but one bright spot in all of Jim’s schooling in Owosso, and -that was a very pretty and charming teacher named Miss Boyce. Despite -the many mistakes he would make in class she never lost patience with -him and was always encouraging and cheerful. Years later when the -“plague of Owosso” became a full grown man and an author in his own -right, he remarked: - -“To Miss Boyce and Miss Bartrem, who never lost interest in me, is due -what little I actually did accomplish there.” - -Then, too, there was the principal of the school, Professor Austin by -name. He was a kind and understanding man and he sympathized with Jim in -his goings and comings up and down the Shiawassee river, even though he -did not approve of it during school hours. The principal once told him -bluntly that if he ever heard of a prize for stupidity in the classroom, -he would see that it was awarded to him. It was such things as these, -trivial as they may seem to some of us, that made Jim Curwood’s early -schooldays in Owosso ones of endless terror and seemingly hopeless -failure. - -When at last the fall season was over and the cold winter months were at -hand when the snow would pile up as high as three and four feet deep, -Jimmy would be up at the crack of dawn and out along the banks of the -Shiawassee setting his traps for muskrat and mink. He would catch scores -of them between the two bridges at Washington and Oliver streets. The -two streets were a little over a quarter of a mile apart, and were in -the very heart of the residential section, as they are even today. - -By the time his second school year began the “Sparkling Waters” had -absolutely claimed him. In his possession he had countless traps, -several guns and an Indian dugout canoe. - -Actually being of Indian-strain himself, it is little wonder that Jim -Curwood haunted the lakes, streams and wilds. His maternal grandmother -had been a full-blooded Mohawk Indian princess. This was, perhaps, a -prime factor in his urge to isolate himself in the wilderness which had -left its imprint embedded deep in his heart. But he was also a direct -descendant of Captain Frederick A. Marrayat, world famous novelist and -seaman, and Jimmy’s paternal grandfather. - -So it is understandable how, of all the students at Owosso public -schools, perhaps the most difficult and indignant one was James Oliver -Curwood. When he was not present in school he was either writing tales -of the wilds, or living them along the banks of the rivers nearby. In -fact he had absented himself from classes on many occasions to devote -more time to his stories. Jim Curwood finally developed into a real -problem for his teachers in high school. - -One day as he quietly came tip-toeing to his seat while Professor Austin -was in the middle of an invocation, the teacher caught sight of him and -completed what he had to say with: “And dear Lord, we thank Thee for -returning Nimrod safely to us this morning.” From that day forward his -nickname at school was “Nimrod.” - -It was during the first winter of his return to Owosso that Jim received -an important letter from his father in Ohio. The elder Curwood wrote -that, unless he could find some way to get back to Owosso to make a -living, he, Jimmy, would have to come back to the farm. His mother -missed him terribly and yearned to have her baby son back in her home. - -Both sister Amy and Jim were overjoyed. But the young boy was torn -between love and duty. The little farm was tugging at his heartstrings -once more as were his “Sparkling Waters” here in Owosso. Still, he had -his duty to his parents to consider, and if they remained on the little -farm, he just could not make up his mind what he preferred to do. - -The letter from his father had brought back memories that heretofore he -had tried to conceal. Now he yearned for the old farm, his dog Jack, his -parents and last, but far from least, Jeanne and Skinny. But he loved -his Owosso and its surroundings, he loved his river and his wilderness -with a burning, flaming passion. What was he to do? Sister Amy simply -told him to wait until they saw how things were going to shape up. - -From that time on until the arrival of spring Amy and Jim received but -one letter from their parents. Then one warm, spring day in April, who -should arrive at Amy’s home than Mr. and Mrs. Curwood, with Jim’s other -sister, Cora. It was such a pleasant surprise. - -Once again father Curwood established himself in a little cobbling shop -with the front all painted a fiery red. He was taking up where he had -left off eight years before. - -Brother Ed had remained behind to run the farm, so that in the event -that things did not go so good for his father in Owosso, the family -would then have something to fall back upon. - -For many years father Curwood had mended other people’s shoes in his -old-fashioned way, with needles, thread and wooden pegs. One of his -outstanding characteristics was that he never shirked his work and never -did less than his best. Because he was the kindly old gentleman that he -was, he was always held in high esteem by the townsfolk. His politeness -and courteousness were appreciated by all who knew him. Many years -passed since the time he had made his return to Owosso and again set up -in his cobbling shop. His hair grew white from his hard work, but he -always kept his head high and stood as straight as any soldier. Jim -often said that no son could have had a finer father than he. - -Shortly after his fifteenth birthday young Jim secured employment in -Fred Crowe’s grocery store. Here he worked on Saturdays and earned fifty -cents for his day’s labor. At this time in his life this small sum -seemed like a small fortune. - -Work or play, as he chose, the young aspiring writer always found time -to hide away to do his daily stint of writing that was in years to come -to net him several hundreds of thousands of dollars. He loved to go -where it was peaceful and quiet. It seemed that his best work always -came when he was in a quiet corner of the world. - -Writing as he did at this age (and that was a great deal), Jim had not -as yet mustered up enough courage to send any of his stories out to the -publishing houses. - -The spring following the fall that Mr. Curwood and his family had moved -back to Owosso to rejoin their youngest son Jim, he bought a nice little -home on the one sweeping bend of the Shiawassee river in all of the -town. It was a two-storied affair and from Jim’s room upstairs he would -sit and look out over the river and commons that were filled with some -of the most beautiful trees in all of Michigan. - -Shortly after moving to the new house, Mr. and Mrs. Curwood outfitted -their writing son with a desk and a table for his own room, as well as a -second hand Caligraph typewriter. At last Jim had his own study, his own -private study. The young lad felt that he was now on an equal basis with -the great writer Fred Janette and proceeded to decorate his room in much -the same manner as Mr. Janette’s. - -Here he knew that he could work without interruption and fear of being -disturbed. Here he could lock the door and write as much and as long as -he wanted to. - -Just outside the window below him as he sat at his desk was his river, -flowing gracefully and silently along as it made its way in a final -sweeping bend before entering the surrounding wilds. The thought that -entered Jim’s mind when he first sat down to write was: “Surely I can -get an inspiration here!” - -Time quickly passed by, and as time flew, so did young Jim Curwood’s -stories. For just as fast as he would complete one story on the -second-hand typewriter, he would begin another one. - -One of the most enjoyable things to him at this age was after the supper -hour, when his family would gather around him and listen as he read his -newly-written stories of adventure. Actually his elders were almost -spellbound at their son’s accomplishments. Every story that the young -lad wrote was indeed good, his parents readily agreed, even though there -would be an exceptionally exciting one occasionally. Many are the times -that Mrs. Curwood would remark to her neighbors how her son, Jimmy, was -progressing in his chosen work. And even as quiet a person as his dear -old father was, he, too, broke down every now and then to praise what -his youngest child was doing. - -“Fine, Jimmy boy, that’s fine!” - -Throughout the preceding seven years Jim Curwood’s interest in writing -and literature had never abated. Now, at fifteen, the thrill and -enjoyment of his chosen life work was surging through his veins at a -much greater rate of speed. Now he had a typewriter on which to write -his stories instead of scrawling them on wrapping paper with a dull -pencil. Writing was a part of him. It would have been an impossibility -for him to have given it up, even if his very life had depended upon it. -For Jim Curwood was certain, even at that adolescent age, that Jim -Curwood would become a great writer. - -Despite the fact that he had not mustered up enough courage to submit -any of his stories to editors, he knew that he must continue pounding a -typewriter or “die the death of a lost soul.” - -Long before the Curwood family moved to the new home on John Street on -the bend of the river, young Jimmy used to collect all sorts of wrapping -paper and cut it into sheets of standard size in order to keep his work -in good shape. Then he would write his stories out in crude fashion and -once he had completed them would bind them together to make a compact -volume. As a matter of fact, Jim would often set his stories down on -anything that would make itself available. As a result of all those -prodigious hours of writing as a child there are literally thousands and -thousands of manuscripts filed away in neat stacks in the bottom of his -writing studio today. - -The first story of Jim Curwood’s to appear in print was entitled “The -Fall of Shako,” which appeared in the Owosso paper, _The Argus_. The -unusual feature of this first appearance in print was that “The Fall of -Shako” took young Jim much longer to write than any of his other -stories. - -The story was accepted by George Campbell, who at that time was the -editor and owner of _The Argus_, and he published it with Jim’s by-line -in bold type directly below the title. No payment was made for its -publication, but at that time Jim thought little, if at all, of -remuneration. - -Living in Owosso then was a man named Dave Joplin who, for some unknown -and mysterious reason, disliked Jim’s father. With the publication of -the story with the by-line, JAMES CURWOOD, in bold type, he believed he -saw the opportunity he had been anxiously waiting for. He did not -realize that Mr. Curwood had a son by the same name, and was mistakenly -under the impression that the author was none other than the subject of -his dislike. - -With calm deliberation Dave Joplin sat down with his pen flaming hot and -wrote harsh criticism of “The Fall of Shako.” This he sent directly to -the office of _The Argus_. - -He termed the story an insult to the intelligence of the people of the -community and one composed of childish drivel. - -Publisher George Campbell, sensing the possibilities of the joke, -published the “flaming letter of criticism” on the front page of _The -Argus_. Instantly it boomed back in the form of hundreds of letters and -postcards from angry and outraged citizens, who protested vehemently -against a man like Joplin attacking the young writer. Realizing his -mistake, Joplin promptly offered apologies, but the public was up in -arms over the silly, idiotic outburst of a full grown man. - -Shortly thereafter Fred Janette heard of the incident and immediately -took to Jim’s rescue through the press itself. He wrote that Joplin had -shown himself to be a superlative ass and that his own egotistical -self-centered nature would be his downfall. At the same time the -citizens of Owosso took up the battle in favor of young Jim. By the -hundreds, letters of opinion flooded into the office of _The Argus_. - -Because the editor of a small town newspaper had seen fit to publish a -short story by one of the town’s citizens, the miracle had occurred and -the young writer was beginning to receive publicity that he had not -expected in his wildest dreams to come to him so soon. His name and the -story concerning him was being printed on the front page of every large -newspaper throughout the country. It was more than state news now, for -it contained color and adventure that millions of people enjoy. - -As days went by Jim began receiving congratulatory mail from all parts -of the country. All this, because of the publication of one apparently -mediocre story. But it was doing him more good than he realized at the -time. He was getting his name before the public as a writer and that in -itself was worth its weight in gold. - -It was not long before the _Detroit Journal_ asked for a contribution. -Naturally it was quite a surprise for the growing boy and when this -happened he saw his chances for success suddenly rise to new heights. - -“The Fall of Shako” was written November 2, 1894. It was published in -_The Owosso Argus_ on November 21 of that year. - -The day before publication of that wonderful “first” of Jim Curwood’s, -he had been unknown and unsung. The next day everyone in Owosso, in -surrounding towns and in many states knew that James Oliver Curwood -lived on John Street and that he was a writer of no mean degree. -Although the _Detroit Journal_ was the first to ask for some of Jim’s -work, other papers in Detroit immediately followed suit as well as a few -papers elsewhere in the state. However, as the _Journal_ had been the -first to contact him, Jim submitted a group of his tales from which two -were quickly chosen. These were “Pontiac’s Last Blow” and “The Angel -from Heaven.” To his amazement he received no payment for these -contributions. Several days later he completed a new tale entitled, “The -Girl with the Rareripe Lips and the Raven Hair,” which he promptly -mailed to the _Journal_, and this was as promptly accepted. No payment -was made for that story either. So, with renewed energy and -determination, Jim took down his worn book of synonyms and dictionary -and began writing with more ambition than ever before. - -After a long trip to New York, Fred Janette returned to Owosso to see -how his young charge was faring. He was quite surprised at the progress -the young writer was making. He was not only pleased, but deeply -contented. Yet, within him, Fred Janette felt that something was wrong -somewhere along the line, and he decided to delve more deeply into the -career of young Jim. - -With careful deliberation he began reading the few published works of -the young author. Hardly had he finished reading the stack of -manuscripts than he immediately “yanked” the boy into his private study -once more. Here he explained fully just what Jim would have to do and -what he must not do. Fred Janette finally convinced Jim that he must -write hard and earnestly for a long time before he could hope to receive -payment for his work. It was during this session that he advised Jim to -try writing a juvenile serial for experience, if for nothing else. - -All during the long heavy snows of the winter of 1893 Jim sat at his -desk on John Street, hammering away on his two twenty-thousand-word -serials. They were entitled “The Rebel Quintette,” and “Firelock of the -Range.” Today, forty-nine years later, those two manuscripts still -remain in the dungeon of Curwood Castle, for they were never published. - -Of these two scripts, Curwood said in later life: “These pencil-scrawled -manuscripts, yellow with age, are among those I sometimes show to those -whom I sincerely desire to understand what is not good writing. Neither -was ever published.” - -The remainder of that winter Jim kept everlastingly at his work, -pounding away feverishly on the rebuilt typewriter, with the -ever-present desire of having his stories published burning deep within -him. His native love for writing, aided by the unceasing encouragement -of his parents and Fred Janette, drove him constantly forward. For even -when the young boy would grow tired Janette and Jim’s mother saw to it -that the boy’s imagination was never led astray or left to linger. They -saw to it that his rapidly developing brain was continually at work. - -It was during the last half of his sixteenth year that Jim Curwood, -young as he was, realized that he was on the right road to success. -However, he did not imagine just how long and how tiresome that road -would later prove itself to be. - -Shortly after Jim had passed his seventeenth birthday, he began sending -out his stories with fond hopes of acceptance and remuneration. These -hopes were short-lived, for just as fast as he would mail the -manuscripts out others would be returned with a neat pink, blue or white -rejection slip attached. - -Time and time again Jim had fits of despondency that all but drove both -him and his parents insane. He grew to hate the very sight of one of -those pink or white pieces of paper. Upon receiving a rejection slip he -vowed that he would never write another line. Always within twenty-four -hours he would be back at his typewriter, pounding away as usual. - -Throughout all those lean, hard years of climbing slowly but surely -uphill in his claim to success and fame, Jim Curwood prayed to his God -for guidance and a brain that was capable of turning out a saleable -story. He, like so many other authors, knew that prayer alone would -never turn the trick. Everlasting persistence and staunch, bulldog -tenacity must be present if success is to come. - -Jim did have the foresight, however, to realize that he must work -continually in order for him to achieve any minor degree of victory. And -work continually he did. Always from the crack of dawn to the wee, small -hours of the night he could have been found in his study, hard at work. - -Curwood’s prayers during his teen age experiences were not so much that -he become wealthy or famous. Nor were they for the clamoring for -recognition. They were simply that people could get to read his stories. -Then he would be able to write yarns that people would want to read. -Publication and a ready audience were all that the young man craved. - -During those times when fits of despondency would overcome him at the -sight of a rejection slip, there was but one thing Jim would do. He -would have his outburst of temper, take a long walk and then return to -his typewriter. Unlike most writers who receive, as a rule, not more -than two or three rejects in the day’s mail, Jim often got as many as -twelve to fifteen. Always they seemed to come in great avalanches. This -was all due to his prodigious output of words and stories. - -When he would receive several of his tales back from the different -publishers, Jim would merely send them on their way to different ones. -He was not one to give up easily and consequently could not be whipped -in his determination to succeed. The postage bill at the Curwood home as -a rule varied from as little as $1.00 to as high as $3.00 and $4.00 a -month. But his parents concerned themselves little at the expense for -somehow they knew that the cause was a worthy one. - -In due time the youthful author, who by this time had published over a -dozen different stories, came to believe just what the printed rejection -slip said—that rejection of a story did not necessarily mean that it was -not good, but that the story was unsuited to this or that particular -editor’s needs at the time. - -At one time during Jim’s youthful and turbulent career, he received a -printed rejection slip from Bob Davis of _Munsey’s Magazine_, which had -the following scribbled on the bottom: - -“Keep at it, kid, you’re bound to win!” - -These eight words were to prove themselves priceless to Jim Curwood -during the time when everything he wrote seemed to appear so black and -foreboding. For it is seldom that an editor will take the time to write -words of encouragement to aspiring authors. However, it seemed that -_Munsey’s_ liked Jim’s work even though it did not quite reach its -standards. The kindness handed him by Bob Davis was something which the -boy never forgot. - -Here and there among Jim’s many files of correspondence, private papers -and manuscripts are to be found many such words of encouragement from -various “big time” editors of that era. Brief notes from men who knew -that the young man was really a “coming big name.” It was these same -notes that kept the fire burning within Jim’s heart, and drove him on -when his ambition and energy lagged. - -Probably one of the most amusing incidents in all of Jim’s hectic career -was the first and last time he was ever guilty of plagiarism. - -It seems that in Jim’s still somewhat immature career, he wanted -publication so badly that he found a way of achieving it, though it was -not quite an honest or ethical one. He had come across a poem that he -enjoyed very much. A poem that was as old as the yellow paper upon which -it had been printed. It was entitled “A Fragment,” written by the -internationally famous Lord Byron. So, in his rather great haste to -reach the top rung of the ladder of literary success, Jim changed the -name of Byron’s poem to, “A Prayer,” and submitted it to a magazine as -his own work. - -Then one day, weeks later, he received a check for fifty cents from the -magazine which had accepted the poem for early publication. This brought -high elation to the young man even though the real thrill was lacking. - -Several days after publication of the poem in the “big magazine,” the -final blow to Jim’s elation came. For it seems that Fred Janette’s -mother recognized the bit of verse as that of Lord Byron’s famous “A -Fragment.” - -“Never will I ever forget the expression that came over Mrs. Janette’s -face when she saw that which I had sold to be my own.” Jim remarked in -later life. But somehow she seemed to think it best not to say anything -to him about it at the time. However, a few weeks later she admitted to -him that she had recognized the poem to be Lord Byron’s. She was even -good enough to explain to the editor of the magazine which had published -it begging him not to say anything to Jim. She believed that if the -magazine’s editor had accused Jim of plagiarism, a truly great career -might have been shattered, hardly before it had actually begun to get a -good start. - -Having derived no decidedly great thrill from what he had done, it -dawned on Jim that not only had he cheated himself, but had equally -cheated his parents and his friends. For Mr. and Mrs. Curwood firmly -believed that the published verse had actually been their son’s. - -For weeks to come Jim Curwood worried and fretted over his literary -crime. It grieved him to think that he had published something which had -not been his own and that he had been paid for it. However, he shortly -let the matter drop from his mind after vowing never to repeat the act, -no matter how badly he wanted publication. James Oliver Curwood never -committed plagiarism again. - -In those early struggling days for James Oliver Curwood, there were such -magazines on the market as _The Wayside Tales_, _The Four O’Clock_, _The -White Elephant_, _The Black Cat_. To these, and to many others, Jim -offered his writings. Unfortunately, they did not see fit to publish -young James O. Curwood. Regardless of the rejections he usually got, he -always kept _Munsey’s Magazine_ on his list, for it had offered more -encouragement and rays of hope than all the other magazines combined. - -Then success, in a minor sort of way, came to young Curwood. He received -a notice of acceptance from the _Gray Goose_ magazine and $5.00 in -payment. - -If the neighbors had not known that a young writer lived nearby, there -is little doubt but that they would have believed a raving lunatic had -invaded the little house on John Street. For at sight of the check, Jim -jumped and ran about the house, shouting at the top of his voice, as he -waved the green piece of paper wildly above his head. And he had good -reason for doing so. “Across the Range” was his first paid-for story. -Heretofore he had had several of his stories published, but had never -received any compensation for them. Now the “ice had been broken,” and -he was on the road to success. - -“If the check had been for five-thousand dollars the thrill would not -have been greater,” said Jim at the time. For here was the result of ten -years of mental anguish and strain; ten years of impatient, but hopeful -waiting. Here was what he had been striving for. It hardly seemed true, -yet there before his eyes and in his hands was the check. - -For many days after this wonderful happening Jim was held in the throes -of excitement, the likes of which he had never known before in all his -life. At last he could call himself a professional writer. The beacons -of happiness and earnestness shone bright in the teen-aged youth’s head, -for at last his dream was coming true. - -Feeling that he had at last struck the right chord Jim wrote hot, -scorching letters to all the editors who had previously rejected his -stories. Many of them replied in due time by saying, in effect, “we have -never heard of the _Gray Goose_ before.” - -It was not long before young Jim began to believe many things about -himself that as yet were not exactly true. He even felt himself to be on -an equal status with his idol, Fred Janette. He also believed that now -that fame and glory had taken a quick look at him, he should resume his -normal life and turn out still more yarns. Stories which would sell -many, many copies of the magazines in which they would appear. Stories -that would hold their readers spellbound from beginning to end. Stories -that would provide hope, inspiration and ambition to those who might -have grown weary of the struggle. He wanted to write so that in his -works there would be a message for all. - -For a long time Jim had wanted a bicycle of his own. He had borrowed his -friends’ bikes many times, but neither they nor he approved so very much -of this policy. He had been saving his money in the hope of accumulating -enough to purchase one for himself, but he began to realize that it -would take a long, long time for him to save up the fabulous sum that a -new bicycle would cost. - -One day early in June of 1896, young Jim Curwood, now past seventeen -years of age, had one of the most pleasant surprises of his life. Mr. -Curwood bought his growing young son a bicycle all his own on which Jim -was free to ride whenever and wherever he chose. - -It was a grand and glorious thrill for the boy. It gave him a feeling of -satisfaction and immense pride. No longer would he have to borrow a -bicycle. Now he had his own, and it was the newest and best bicycle in -all of Owosso. - -On the very day that Jim became the proud owner of the new bicycle he -began planning for a long trip. He decided, after some reflection, to -travel southward. - -Fortunately enough, Jim’s parents had no serious objections to his -plans, so, upon completing his itinerary, he made ready to start on his -travels early the following morning. His first stop would be at his -cousin’s, Bert Van Ostran, seventeen miles away. Father Curwood reached -down into his pocket and extracted fifty cents which he gave to his -youngest boy, and then Mrs. Curwood packed him a good lunch. - -After the discussion of the trip had come to an end the family prepared -for bed. Jim urged his parents not to see him off in the morning, for he -expected to be on his way at the first crack of dawn. The elder Curwoods -doubted very strongly, however, that he would even be out of bed by -dawn, let alone being well on his way peddling a bicycle. For to reach -cousin Bert’s home, Jim would have to peddle over seventeen miles of the -worst gravel roads. So they made no objections, slyly believing that the -whole trip would come to naught. - -But Mr. and Mrs. Curwood did not realize to what extent the adventure -blood was surging through their son’s veins. They did not realize the -yearning that Jim held in his youthful heart for the open skies where -the stars shone down in glittering millions. They did not know of the -love their son bore in his heart for the winding, steep trails, the -blazing campfires or the countless spots along the streams where one -could lie and dream upon the green turf while one’s fish pole would -dangle idly in the cool green depths. No, Mr. and Mrs. Curwood did not -stop to think of this. Perhaps it is better they had not known, for it -might have resulted in a great and most unwelcome change in Jim Curwood. -A change that might have eliminated him from the ranks of the world’s -greatest adventure writers. - -By the first gleams of breaking dawn as the sun awakened to start a new -day, Jim Curwood was well on his way to his cousin’s home seventeen -miles distant. One may only guess at the surprise that his parents must -have experienced when they discovered that the boy was gone. - -Jim pedaled his heart out and reached Bert’s home the same afternoon. - -Hardly had he arrived than he was explaining his scheme to cousin Bert. -Up until this time Jim had not spoken to anyone concerning the plan that -had been hatching in his brain. From all indications it was merely to -have been a short bike trip of seventeen miles and no further. Bert was -in complete agreement, and that night the boys sat in Bert’s room and -drew up their secret plans long after their elders had turned in for the -night—plans that would open up new roads of adventure for them. - -The following morning the boys were up early, and by the time the sun -rose they were on their way, their bike racks loaded and their luggage -tight. - -As any nature lover, any adventurer or any traveler knows, there is no -holding back, no barring of the path when one hears the call to nature -and wildlife. There is no one to bar your path and say that you cannot -go here and you cannot go there. You are free to go where you please and -when you please. The passport to adventure is the love of nature. - -Throughout the wanderings of the two comrades they managed to live off -the land, as wanderers do. Often, being extremely fortunate, they would -receive handouts consisting of fresh eggs, chicken, milk and vegetables -which they consumed to their hearts’ content. But they were not without -their periods of hard luck, too, for on occasions they had to run for -dear life before the rage of farmers who did not particularly relish -their trespassings. But all of this was to be expected, for they had -chosen to live the life of adventurers and live it they did to their -utter joy and sheer happiness. - -It was about the middle of July that Jim and Bert decided to swing -around and see as much territory as possible in the remaining time left -them. Immediately they made for Ohio, into eastern Indiana, then back -into Ohio and on down into Kentucky. - -This being the first real trip that Jim Curwood had made thus far in his -life, he felt an immense and almost inexpressible thrill when his cousin -and he crossed the wide and swift Ohio river enroute to the state of -Kentucky. He had never before been this far south and he enjoyed it so -much that they spent several days in the “Blue Grass” state. They never -remained in any other spot for more than half a day at a time. - -They pedaled up long, winding trails and hills where on both sides of -them were deep chasms and high cliffs, overlooking wide fertile valleys. -They travelled over many miles of Kentucky’s roads and by-ways, -thrilling to every mile, every stone, every stream. Unexpectedly, -through the kindness of an unknown sportswoman, they were given an -opportunity to ride on a large steamboat which had stopped at the docks -of the Ohio river. So, with their bicycles safely on board, Jim and Bert -stood along the rail with their hostess as the shrill whistles blew. For -several days and nights they had three square meals daily in truly -luxurious style and they slept like kings in soft and downy beds. The -dream, real as it was, ended when the boat docked at Louisville, and the -two boys disembarked to make their plans for pedalling back to their -respective homes. - -Schooldays soon arrived for Jim Curwood and into the long, wide halls of -Central School he strode once more. This time he was not the meek and -timid beginner as of old, but one who had the air of an adventurer about -him. He had also grown a great deal during the summer, his skin was -tanned. His natural coal-black, straight hair was almost bleached white -by the hot summer sun. - -Despite the fact that he was glad to be back in school, soon the urge -for the great outdoors and what they had to offer began to beckon to him -stronger than before. So, outside of school hours (and those days when -he would miss school altogether), his time was divided between his river -and his bedroom study. - -Night after night Jim constantly heard his river rushing past his -upstairs window on into the wilds. Soon he found that he could not -withstand the urge longer ... nature was beckoning. So he wrote a long, -heart-filled letter to his old pal Skinny, imploring him to come and -join him, and together they would go on one grand and glorious -adventure. Many anxious days he waited until those days had developed -into weeks, and still no reply came from Skinny down in Ohio. This -silence puzzled Jim greatly. Surely Skinny had received his letter or -else it would have been returned to him long before now. - -Jim waited three or four days more before giving up all hopes of hearing -from Skinny. - -One day, when the spring rains had stopped and the flowers had begun to -burst open in a glorious outbreaking of wonderful springtime, Jim -Curwood brought home all his books and announced that school was of such -minor importance to him, as compared to the material he must gather for -a story for the editor of _Golden Days Magazine_, that he must at once -dismiss all thoughts of study and head into the Big Marsh. As far as Jim -Curwood was concerned now school was so much water over the dam and -something which had done him little or no good whatsoever. - -The urge for adventure was much more stronger than the urge to attend -school, despite the fact that he had returned to Owosso from Ohio -principally to go to school. But he had pondered over the situation -seriously for many weeks and his mind was made up. He was heading north -and nothing was going to stop him. He wanted that country so feverishly -and wanted to write about it so badly that he could not and would not -suppress himself further. - -Fortunately enough, school in those days was a small part of one’s life. -So Mother and Father Curwood did not raise much protest against their -son’s wishes, even though they had hoped and prayed that he would some -day go through college. Consequently Jim had very little trouble in -gaining the necessary permission, although the necessity of gathering -material for the editor of _Golden Days_ was a fabrication. The editor -of that magazine had never even heard of Jim Curwood.... - -Several days later Jim started out on his lone venture, still wondering -why Skinny had never answered his letter. He was starting out into the -Big Marsh Country and the “Land of the Bad” alone. Carrying his gun in -one hand and his dunnage in the other, his tramping was to be a solitary -one. In those days there were no automobiles and the country was low and -flat. There was nothing but timberland, swamps, lakes, creatures of the -wilds and the rushing white waters of the rivers. - -As Jim began hiking on the first day of his trip, the sun was just -beginning to peep through the trees. At the end of that day the sun was -sinking behind the western horizon in a glorious burst of color. He had -made something like thirty miles and he was to spend his first night out -in one of the cabins of one of his swamp Indian friends and feast upon -the usual meal of fried muskrat. - -By sunup the following morning Jim Curwood was in the little town of St. -Charles, and it was here that he rented a leaky boat. - -Jim was on his way down the Bad long before most people are ready to sit -down to their morning meal. - -A half mile or so down the river from St. Charles, Jim entered a region -supremely and gloriously wild. It was strangely and unusually quiet; and -along this particular point the Bad river was very deep and wide, and -all but currentless. Bordered on both sides by many types of trees: -spruce, willows, jackpine, maple and beech that seemed to be bending -their heads down to the water’s edge, and long entwining vines that -looked as if they were just waiting to fasten their deathlike grips -about Jim’s young neck. It was all mysterious and terrifying, but Jim -loved it all. He loved and almost worshipped every single thing -regardless of how wild and spooky it looked. - -[Illustration: _J.C. WEBER_] - -The farther he pushed along, the more he began to realize that he was -well within the swamp territory and uncut timberlands, a place so -primeval and mysterious that it fairly rang with the sound of adventure. -It was deathly still and quiet. - -As Jim dipped his oars silently and deeply into the black waters he -could not help but hear the occasional sounds of birds and wildlife -about him. Yet, he was not at the place he wanted to be, the region -where game was abundant. But it was part of what he was seeking. He -marveled at the sounds and the scenery and was thrilled as never before. - -Jim Curwood took in everything with all the awe and wonderment of youth. -But soon he knew that he must stop admiring the scenery and make for his -destination before nightfall caught up with him. His destination was a -place where the swiftly flowing waters of the flooded Shiawassee joined -those of the slow, currentless Bad. It was there that he planned to -spend the night. Jim dug his oars deeper into the cold, black, silent -waters of the mysterious Bad river. - -As young Jim rowed along many thoughts entered his mind. He had always -thought of the Bad river as an outlaw, stealing away to some dark, -secret, quiet place of seclusion. In some places the longest fish poles -cannot touch bottom, so deep and abysmal is it. As Jim feared it, so he -loved it. - -Around four o’clock in the afternoon, as the sun was beginning to set -and the shadows began to drop much deeper within the thick wilderness, -Jim reached the old logging cabin that he had been heading for. Upon his -arrival there, he was greatly perturbed to find that only about a half -an acre was above the flood waters. He landed his boat on the dry land -and went ashore. - -The next morning, long before the sun had made its appearance, he was -well on his way. Fortunately enough for him, he did not have to go as -far as he had expected, for he ran into his old friend, “Muskrat” Joe, -with whom he spent that day and night. - -That night Jim Curwood spent one of the merriest and most enjoyable -suppers of his life as he sat by the campfire with one of the true -wilderness wanderers. They laughed, and joked and told tall stories. The -two spent the next five glorious days together, after which the faithful -Joe invited Jim Curwood to come to his home and stay a while with him. - -For four unforgettable weeks James Oliver Curwood lived the life of a -swamp Indian, doing everything, and eating the same things that swamp -Indians do and eat. He paddled an old dug-out canoe that had been carved -from the trunk of a huge tree and ate what food the Indian offered him. -Many of the dishes that the mysterious and picturesque “Muskrat” Joe -cooked, most men would turn from in horror. This was not the case with -Jim, however, for he ate everything. He felt that what Joe ate was good -enough for him. - -Perhaps the amazing part of this wilderness living with Joe was that the -Indian’s home was wonderfully clean. The abode was located both on and -off the river. A long, winding path covered by marsh grass led back to -the actual home, if one chose to call it a home. Then, too, it could -hardly be termed a cabin or shack, for it was built of tree boughs and -limbs, plastered together with swamp mud and thatched over with tall, -tough marsh grass. This kept the hot air out in the summer and the cold -winds out in the winter. - -The place itself was surrounded by an air of mystery and seclusion. It -was in this wilderness outpost that Jim Curwood turned out “The Mystery -Man of Kim’s Bayou.” It was here, also, that he learned more of the real -heart and soul of nature, as well as the new doors opened for him in his -great worship and search for nature in all of her abundance and glory. - -Upon his unexpected though welcome return to Owosso, Jim told many -strange and weird tales about the wilds that he had surrounded himself -with during the past month or so. Upon being pressed about the material -he supposedly was gathering for the editor of _Golden Days Magazine_, -Jim merely said that he was working on it and that it would be ready in -a few days. - -One day shortly after his return to Owosso, Jim made the acquaintance of -another young man whose name was Bill, through whose association Jim -became involved in another of his boyish pranks. This time, however, the -prank developed into a scheme of downright dishonesty. - -Somehow or other, the two boys decided to concoct a liquid which they -called “The Infallible Blood Purifier.” Home-made and brewed without any -actual scientific preparation or knowledge, this “stuff” was not only -falsely-named but dangerous to drink, as they found out in due time. - -Equipped with many bottles of their “Purifier,” the boys entrained on a -barnstorming tour of the countryside, by horse-and-buggy, screaming -their wares in the market-places of almost every city and village they -came to. Most of their customers were farmers, and business was -extremely good until, one by one, the farmers became ill. Complaints -came thick and fast and the citizenry were up in arms against the boys. -It was not long before Jim and Bill were being hunted from town to town -by the sheriff, and it was only through sheer good fortune that they -managed to elude the law. - -It was while they were fleeing that Jim somehow recognized familiar -territory and he suddenly realized that they had managed to come to his -old farm in Ohio, where he had spent such glorious days with dear -friends. The farm was now vacant and dreary, but it held memories for -Jim that he would never forget. Inquiring as to his pal, Skinny, and his -“Whistling” Jeanne, he found, to his sadness, that his pal had died and -the girl had married and moved elsewhere. - -So it was with a heavy heart that Jim returned to Owosso to take up once -again where he had left off. He had had his fling, was much wiser in the -ways of the world and was now ready to plunge seriously and finally into -his life’s work. - - - - - CHAPTER FIVE - - COLLEGE DAYS - - -When Jim Curwood at last returned from his wanderings on the open roads -and along the trails of adventure, he decided that he must have more -schooling if he would attain the heights in literature that he so -desired. - -Jim was determined and he set to the task that he had outlined for -himself. The first to suggest that he should go to college and study was -Mrs. Janette. But similar advice came from his parents, Fred Janette and -most of his friends. Realizing that this would take a great sum of money -Jim began to seriously consider the possibilities. - -Where would he ever get the necessary funds for even a year at Ann -Arbor’s University of Michigan? Where, indeed, would he get the money -for the remaining three years which were required for a degree? - -For many weeks Jim thought about his problem. At last he reached the -decision that he would earn just enough to take care of himself for the -first year and let the other three years take care of themselves. He had -not as yet completed his high school course at Central School, and the -job of doing so was also of prime consideration, since a diploma was an -essential requirement to entering a university. - -Even as the century neared its end, Central School remained a combined -grade and high school where students from six and seven mingled with -boys and girls of seventeen and eighteen years of age. It was a -beautiful school surrounded by trees and sat in the center of a large -common wherein lay a wonderful playground. Despite the fact that it was -a combined school of all grades it had everything to offer the children -of that day. It remains very much the same today as it was almost fifty -years ago. - -Without choice Jim set to work doing anything in the line of odd-jobs. -He beat carpets, mowed lawns and yards and raked leaves in the fall -months. He also shoveled snow from neighbors’ walks and porches during -the long, cold wintry months. He even scraped mortar from bricks at an -old building that was being destroyed. Also, during the winter, he ran -innumerable traplines and from these he managed to save quite a few -dollars. He realized to the utmost that all of this was work, but since -it was for “the cause” he did not mind. For Jim thoroughly enjoyed his -trapping in the blustery winds of the cold, northern winters, and his -shoveling of snow from sidewalks and porches. He enjoyed the scraping of -mortar from bricks, the mowing of yards and the beating of carpets, for -through this work he was coming nearer and nearer to his goal. - -With the arrival of early fall, the time came when cord wood would have -to be put up, and here again Jim proved himself efficient. Cord after -cord of wood he cut up for neighbors and friends. For each cord he -received ample payment. Then, when he learned that there was a shortage -of firemen, Jim promptly signed up as a volunteer. All these jobs Jim -picked up over a period of one year. - -In early September of the fall of 1897 Jim went back to Central School, -and it was not long before the faculty as well as his fellow students -learned of his desire and determination to enter college, a desire which -they regarded as being absurd and futile. - -All this, however, only made Jim dig in all the harder and made him -fight more gallantly against the odds that were pitting themselves -against him. For the young man was absolutely determined to show them -all up now. He felt that by actually attaining that for which he was -striving, he would be showing them all just how small and insignificant -they really were. - -Adding injury to insult there came a blow to Jim’s dignity and pride -that hurt and touched him deeply. For Professor Austin of Central School -once asked him: - -“How are you going to get into college, James, without a diploma—break -in with a set of burglar’s tools?” - -Throughout all those hectic schooldays Jim was constantly being urged by -a great many people to give up his childish passion for writing, and -turn to something that would prove itself more profitable and worthwhile -in years to come. Since Jim was rapidly becoming quite an expert with a -rifle, he was told that there was an excellent field in rifle matches -which would bring him good money. Likewise the prospect of bagging big -game was proposed as a means of earning considerable money. Fortunately -for Jim none of these ideas appealed to him. - -There was but one teacher in all of Central School who firmly was -convinced of Jim Curwood’s future. Her name was Miss Boyce and her -loveliness always made Jim’s heart beat faster. At that time she was a -lovely young woman, not many years his senior and she possessed one of -the most lovable characters that Jim had ever known. She was constantly -urging him onward as only very few others in all of Owosso were doing. -She even went so far as to arrange a schedule whereby she could have Jim -alone and thereby instruct him privately. The private teaching took -place in her own home and Jim was sincerely moved by her earnest -interest in his career. - -Throughout James Oliver Curwood’s short though illustrious and glorious -life he often thought of the beautiful and kind Miss Boyce, and more -than once he wrote her into his stories. It was through her that Jim -learned that he might enter the university by taking special entrance -examinations instead of the usual ones that other students would be -required to take. From that moment on there was nothing on earth that -could stop James Oliver Curwood. There was not an obstacle which he -could not overcome in his climb to success. He was young and he realized -fully that only God could keep him from realizing his ambitions. - -“I was fully embarked on the project of becoming an author. Nothing but -death could stop me.” - -Summer arrived none too soon for Jim, and with its coming Central School -was to see the last of its most ridiculed student. At last he was free. -As soon as classes were out Jim sought out work and quickly found it. He -clerked in a grocery store for several weeks, with the remainder of his -summer being spent in the nearby forests that all but surround Owosso. -He planned, he saved and he studied for those glorious days ahead of -him. Actually he had been able to save the magnificent sum of One -Hundred and Twenty Dollars, which also included the $5.00 received from -the _Gray Goose Magazine_. He had never cashed the check. - -At last came the fall of 1898, and Jim Curwood was ready for his trip to -Ann Arbor and the University. There were no crowds at the station to bid -him good bye and good luck. There were just his family, Fred Janette and -his mother, Miss Boyce and a few others. Seemingly the friends of the -family and even his own chums had very little confidence in his ability -to succeed at the great institution of learning. In fact they all -believed that within a very short time Jim Curwood would be back at -home. But Jim’s family and his close friends had confidence in him and -were firmly convinced that he would successfully pass his special -entrance examinations. They were certain, however, that should he fail -he would not return to Owosso for they knew of the confidence James -Oliver Curwood had in himself at that youthful and momentous age of -twenty. To fail would mean disgrace not only to Jim, but to his parents -and friends, and they were sure that he would never come home until he -had made something of himself. - -With Jim when the train pulled out of Owosso were his lone suitcase -carrying only absolute necessities, and of course his ever present -typewriter. - -It was a long, rough ride to Ann Arbor and throughout it all Jim wished -that he were already there and had all of his connections made. Two -weeks were still to elapse before taking his entrance examinations, but -Jim had carefully planned his trip this way to enable him to have more -time for study and to brush up on the necessary subjects. - -It was at a Mrs. Gray’s that Jim decided to have his meals after he had -arrived in Ann Arbor and had made inquiries. The prices were very -reasonable and she served an excellent quality of food. In all there -were fifteen college men who ate at Mrs. Gray’s, and each one took his -turn at serving as cashier, waiter or dishwasher, thus receiving meals -at far less than the usual prices. - -Mrs. Gray treated Jim exceptionally well and almost instantly he felt as -if he were at home. The food she served was plain, everyday food, but he -paid little and still had all he wanted to eat. Jim Curwood soon learned -that Mrs. Gray was respected and highly recommended. - -It was here that Jim met Walter Parker, who later became the chief of -staff of the Owosso Memorial Hospital, and Jim Greene, who became an -Assistant Attorney General of the State of Michigan. Greene’s official -capacity at Mrs. Gray’s was that of cash master. - -After securing a place in which to eat his meals Jim went in search of a -room, after spending the first night at Mrs. Gray’s house. The twenty -year old did not have long to look for a place in which to lodge, for -just a few blocks down the street he came across a room for just one -dollar a week, which suited him well. - -The first night in his new location he labored long into the dawning -hours. He studied as he had never studied and crammed before. The -passing of the examinations now meant more than anything had meant to -him in all his life. It meant that in the event that he should pass he -would be well on his way toward a successful literary career. - -At last came the fateful morning on which he was to take his -examinations. Jim left his little room on State Street and headed for -the university. He wound his way through the heavily foliaged campus, -past the library and onto the Central Stand itself. Then up long, -winding stairs Jim made his way to the room where Professor Scott was -awaiting his prospective students. At least a dozen other young men and -women were taking the tests with Jim that morning and they were given -two hours to complete them. - -[Illustration: _James Oliver Curwood At the Age of Seven_] - -[Illustration: _Street Scene, Owosso, Mich., June, 1940_] - -[Illustration: _The Shiawassee River (“Sparkling Waters”)_] - -[Illustration: _The James Oliver Curwood Castle Taken from Off John -Street, Owosso_] - -[Illustration: _The Boat Landing, Curwood Castle. On The Shiawassee -River_] - -[Illustration: _Just James Oliver Curwood, more than a Million of -Whose Books are Owned by Enthusiastic Readers_] - -[Illustration: _Mr. and Mrs. James Oliver Curwood, in Their Garden -in Owosso, Mich._] - -[Illustration: _Curwood, Camping in the Yukon_] - -[Illustration: _Curwood, the Writer, in a Corner of His Gun Room_] - -[Illustration: _Curwood Before the Cabin which he Built in the British -Columbia Mountains, and in which He Wrote “God’s Country” and "The -Trail to Happiness”_] - -[Illustration: _Curwood, The Woodsman, Preparing for a Night in the -Woods with Mrs. Curwood_] - -[Illustration: _An Unusual, Striking Picture of Curwood_] - -[Illustration: _The Curwood Outfit Going Down the Fraser River_] - -[Illustration: _The Cabin on the Au Sable (Old Curwood Cabin)_] - -[Illustration: _The Conservation Clubhouse, Six Miles North of Owosso. -Curwood donated several Thousand Dollars for Its Construction and the -Property Surrounding It_] - -[Illustration: _The Home of James Oliver Curwood at 508 William St., -Owosso, Mich._] - -[Illustration: _Curwood Grave in Oakhill Cemetery, Owosso, Mich._] - -The room was silent and still as pencils moved over the papers. As Jim -pondered over them he began to feel a strange paralysis come over him. -Even at that time he firmly believed with all his heart that none of the -teachers at seemingly far off Owosso and Central School could have -answered a single one of those almost terrifying questions. It was with -a feeling that his scholastic grave was already dug that Jim ploughed -into the series of questions. He tackled them with all the fury of a -wild, untamed lion. But at the same time the long, silent wilderness -trails beckoning toward Alaska and the great North came in a vision to -him. Was this vision to prove to be one of those unexplainable destinies -in his life? He wondered. - -Young James Oliver Curwood, just slightly past twenty, sat many long -minutes trying to answer the questions. Evidently Professor Scott must -have noticed the sick look upon his face, for he came over to Jim and -told him he need not hurry. He explained to the young man that he had -plenty of time, that he would accomplish more if he proceeded slowly. - -For the entire two hours and up until Professor Scott called the -examination to a halt, Jim sat there writing as fast and accurately as -his arm and brain would permit. He had been a little slow at first, but -as time went on his memory seemed to return and he remembered more. When -the allotted time was up he handed in a sheaf of papers that would lead -one to believe that Jim Curwood had written a full length novel. - -A few anxious and worried days went by before the big news came telling -of the results of the examinations. Jim Curwood had passed the difficult -examinations with “flying colors,” while over one-fourth of the others -had failed. He was jubilant and overjoyed at his great success. -Immediately he rushed off to the telegraph office to send back the news -to all of Owosso. - -James Oliver Curwood plunged deep into college life. Now, besides being -a part of the university he was also a resident of Ann Arbor. It later -became known that it was not only the studies that interested him but, -strange as it may seem, being a resident of Ann Arbor gave him a -soul-satisfying thrill, a thrill so great and real that for many years -afterward Jim could never quite fully describe it. - -The weeks that followed were filled with the usual pranks and escapades -that come to all college students, and Jim was by no means an exception. -Being a freshman was not an altogether happy affair, what with the -periods of “hazing” and “paddling” and peeling of onions that became -parts of his daily existence. But through all this Jim’s sense of humour -never left him and, while he did not particularly enjoy these -“persecutions,” his understanding of them made them easier to bear. - -At last came the time for Jim to take notice of his financial standing. -He had paid his tuition fees, purchased his books and all minor colleges -fees had been taken care of. Even his room and board were paid up for -the entire first semester. Still, Jim was running short of cash. So he -set out in search of work. Any job that paid any wages at all was what -Jim Curwood wanted and would take. Luckily there was a university -employment agency on the campus and Jim lost no time in contacting it. -For several days he practically haunted the agency and at last after a -week of waiting he secured employment at a house that needed someone to -tend the furnace and take out ashes after school hours. Though the -compensation was little it helped Jim immensely to carry on his college -work. - -It was not long before a similar position presented itself, and this -together with the first one, netted him the then magnificent sum of -$6.00 weekly. Jim’s education, at least for the present, looked a little -more secure. - -As the first year at Ann Arbor was rapidly drawing to a close, the final -examinations came up. Jim soon began the ever tiresome task of studying. -The light in his room burned from early dusk until early in the morning. -This was one time when he realized that he must burn the proverbial -“midnight oil.” - -After many long, hard hours of intense study, Jim managed to pass the -examinations. His first year at the University of Michigan had been a -success and he was quite proud. - - - - - CHAPTER SIX - - NEWSPAPER WORK AND EARLY WRITINGS - - -In September, following the completion of Jim Curwood’s freshman year at -Ann Arbor, Professor Scott convinced him that there was an excellent -opportunity in newspaper work in Ann Arbor. - -So once more Jim began to write. He wrote stories he felt people would -love to read—the type of stories that he loved to write. Jim wanted to -write about nature, something which would appeal to the public in a big -way, tales of adventure where the women were clean, pure and brave, and -the men valiant and courageous. - -From that time on stories of all types flowed from his pen and his -typewriter. He wrote high grade adventure yarns which were slightly -tinged with an air of romance. Jim even gave detective fiction a try but -found that he was unsuited for it. - -His stories were mailed to newspapers all over the middle west. Detroit, -Bay City, Indianapolis, Toledo and many others were on his mailing list. -At first they all came back with the usual rejection slips. Then out of -a clear sky, checks began arriving. He sold a great many of his stories -to Detroit newspapers and to various other city newspapers. His monthly -earnings now began to total as much as seventy dollars and were never -less than thirty dollars. - -Jim’s ambition now was burning more fiercely than ever before. His -desire to have millions of people read his stories became an obsession -with him. His stay in Ann Arbor at the University was now assured. -Henceforth Jim Curwood dropped all other college activities, for his -writing and studies were taking all of his spare time. - -The little room he occupied on State Street had now been turned into a -regular beehive of activity. The throes of creative composition were -swarming in his adventurous blood and write he must. Papers were strewn -across the floor and completely covered the space all about his desk, -the top of which was covered entirely with manuscripts, correspondence -and tid-bits of notes. Jim was unceasingly racking his brain for new -plots and new angles and different settings. - -Detroit began buying more and more of his stories and it was all he -could do to continue the steady output. He was producing stories of the -great Canadian Northwest, stories that were so jammed with -heart-stirring adventure that the newspapers to which he sold them were -selling their papers by extra hundreds daily. James O. Curwood’s stories -had selling appeal. People, as well as the editors, were beginning to -wait impatiently for them. Jim was eternally grateful and thankful, in -fact, more thankful than he had ever been before. He had been writing -for the past twelve years and now at last some degree of success was -coming to him. - -It was during this terrific onslaught of writing fury that Jim strayed -farther away from nature than ever before. He missed it terribly and -yearned to get back to it. That urge was constantly burning within him, -the same as was the desire to become a writer. Fortunately enough he was -writing about the great open spaces, the deep, silent forests, and the -many lakes and streams, and this allayed his longing somewhat. As often -as possible, however, he would break away from his room long enough to -take brief walks of an evening. Sometimes these walks would develop into -strolls across the rolling ridges and hills and wanderings into the -beautiful glens and forests that lay nearby. Atop these ridges on the -outskirts of town he could look down upon Ann Arbor as it nestled among -the many silently swaying trees. Even on cold, wintry nights he would -sometimes climb to the tops of these ridges as the world lay asleep and -look down upon the glimmering lights of the campus and town. Here he -could see the lights twinkling and flickering through the light of -steady downfalls of glittering, gleaming snow. Jim Curwood loved the -falling of the snow. He loved it almost as much as he did the ever -glorious arrival of spring. - -All through the cold winter Jim worked feverously on his studies and on -his writing. His mind and nerves were constantly on edge, so deep in his -work was he engrossed. Still he turned out stories that eventually found -a market and that was what he was searching for. - -With the arrival of spring, Jim was still engaged in his free-lance -newspaper work. But the proceeds of his writings were not yet sufficient -to assure his staying on at the University, so he accepted a position -offered by Professor Adams who had undertaken a huge railroad -statistical job for the government and was in need of a few college men -to assist him. Jim was to draw $75.00 per month, with room furnished. -The job was to last all summer long. As this work was comparatively -easy, consisting only of calculations, Jim enjoyed doing it. - -When the fall term opened Jim returned to school with over $200.00 in -his pockets. He now had sufficient funds to provide himself with a -little relaxation and some luxuries. The year of 1900 was to prove one -of the most enjoyable and changing periods in all his life. - -Because he was now better off, financially, Jim decided to take larger -quarters, so he rented a two-room apartment on Jefferson Street. Then he -bought a new suit of clothes which materially changed his appearance. -With a pipe and a mandolin, previously acquired, he became a typical -“college man.” - -“As a sophomore I devoted only a little attention to the incoming -freshmen. The enthusiasm with which I had entered into under-class -rivalries the preceding autumn had worn itself out, or rather, had been -supplanted by my interest in newspaper work.” - -What with his writing, his difficult studies and the planning of his -work, Jim was truly as busy a man as there was on the whole of the -campus. He spent his spare time, as little as there was of it, in -strolls about the campus and the wooded sections on the outskirts of the -city. Here he loved to walk along slowly and take in nature as it -actually was. He loved to watch the birds flit from tree to tree, to see -the chipmunks, the squirrels and the various other creatures of the wild -in the throes of their work and play. They always appeared so -industrious to him. But Jim Curwood did not watch them merely for the -thrill of it all, but because he studied their every move. Here it was -that Jim discovered that he cared for nature almost selfishly. At times -it seemed as if he could not break away from his wanderings in the -forests and along the lakes long enough to accomplish anything else. The -birds, the trees and the rippling waters entranced the young man. The -many squirrels and rabbits that infested the places that man did not go -held constant fascination for him. - -Jim watched nature and wildlife with gifted eyes. He would see creatures -of God where no other human eyes could detect them. Jim Curwood was a -staunch believer that everything on the face of the earth was an -important item in the worldly scheme of things. - -“If I did not believe a tree had a soul I could not believe in a God. If -someone convinced me that the life in a flower or the heart in a bird -were not as important in the final analysis as those same things in my -own body I could no longer have faith in a hereafter.” - -Those words seal the case of Jim Curwood’s love of nature and of all -living things. - - * * * * - -The sophomore year at the University of Michigan came and went almost as -fast as had his previous year as a freshman, with but one exception. Jim -Curwood had begun to take a keen and glowing interest in the young women -of the campus. Previously he had hardly looked at girls and at times -hardly realized that there were such lovely creatures about him, save -for his childhood sweetheart, “Whistling” Jeanne. Those memories of -Jeanne Fisher, however, were not haunting him now, for the beautiful -women of the University were taking her place. Jim began to notice their -pretty dresses, their hair-do’s, and their feminine pulchritude. It was -the glory of womanhood and all it stood for that made Jim happy. He -began to realize more and more that womanhood was probably the most -wonderful of all things on the earth. He began to glorify them in his -stories as he had the creatures of the wild and all nature about him. - -“Then I began to understand that no matter how successful a man may be, -how much money he may amass, or how many honors he may acquire, his life -is woefully incomplete unless a woman fully shares it with him. As the -tired-eyed factor at Fond du Lac once said, while he stood beside the -lonely grace under a huge spruce: ‘No country is God’s Country without a -woman.’” - -One afternoon early in the fall of the year, Jim was on one of his -evening strolls down a byway along the very edge of the Huron River as -it made its way out of Ann Arbor. It was during the course of this walk -that Jim Curwood chanced upon one of the most beautiful creatures of -womanhood that he had ever seen. About a mile down this path along the -Huron from whence one turns off to follow the course of the river, Jim -found her. The path was called then, as it still remains, “Schoolgirl -Glen.” Jim had long come to consider this particular spot as his own, -and upon discovering the intruder, beautiful as she was, he resented it -somewhat. He had grown to love the bigness and glory of the solitude -here. From this spot a man’s eyes could roam for countless miles and see -nothing but the beauty and glory of nature. - -As Jim came upon the young lady she turned about, smiled, and spoke to -him. Then he smiled, too. Smiled as he had never smiled before. It was -not as a matter of politeness that a smile came to his face then, but -because he felt like smiling at that particular moment. - -All about them were massive pines, spruces and willows and many -varieties of shrubs and bushes. Jim later often referred to the spot as -one of the most beautiful that he knew of. - -At first he was backward and shy, but when his newly-found companion -began talking about nature and the very things that Jim Curwood loved so -well, almost immediately his backwardness vanished and he found himself -in a veritable “Garden of Eden.” Jim could hardly believe that there -could possibly be two people in the same world who viewed things so -nearly alike. - -For many hours they talked of the beauties of nature, of the wilderness -and of their own love of wildlife. They spoke of what they thought -should be done in order to preserve our natural resources. Jim found -himself liking this new youthful companion who loved nature as he did. -This meeting between the two was the beginning of a serious romance, -which resulted in their marriage on January 15, 1900, exactly six months -later. - -From that time on Jim found that he had to work much harder than ever -before in order to make ends meet. He drove himself in his story -writing, hardly relaxing or letting up. Story after story and article -after article he would grind out in an effort to make a decent living. -In fact, Jim was all but driving himself to the very limit. When asked -why he was working so hard, he would reply: - -“Why not? I have something to work for now!” - -About this time the _Gray Goose Magazine_ began accepting Jim’s stories -more regularly. Various other magazines, both slicks and pulps, began -taking an interest in his work. What with all of his newspaper -free-lancing and his magazine work, Jim was finally managing to make -both of the proverbial ends meet. - -At last when the school year ended and the glorious summer of 1900 -began, Jim and his lovely wife began making new plans. So promptly and -without much deliberation, they headed for the Big Marsh country. The -call of adventure was strong in Jim’s blood once again. He was coming -back to nature and the life he loved so dearly, only this time he was -not alone. - -The summer was wonderfully and educationally spent by just the two of -them. They were constantly on the move as they journeyed from one -beauteous spot to another, making sure they missed nothing. They were -taking in all the wonderous sights that were available in the Big Marsh -country. They loved the great open spaces where one could breathe clean, -fresh air and where all the creatures of the wild were at home, playing, -working and making ready for the coming of winter. That particular -summer of 1900 was one of the most enjoyable that James Oliver Curwood -had ever spent. - -Once again September rolled around and with it went Jim Curwood to -become a member of the junior class at the University. But Jim did not -complete his junior year, for Pat Baker, a great newspaperman, wired Jim -that he had a job for him and he should come to Detroit at once. So, -with his wife and all their baggage, Jim withdrew from the University of -Michigan and headed for Detroit ... “land of opportunity.” This move was -to change the entire course of James Oliver Curwood’s life. - - - - - CHAPTER SEVEN - - WITH THE DETROIT NEWS-TRIBUNE - - -Detroit, the land of opportunity for Jim Curwood. This was the lone -thought that raced through the young writer’s mind as the train sped -toward the great city. In fact, that was the only thing he could think -about. Here he would have the opportunity of writing for some 465,000 -individuals every day. - -Two days passed after their arrival in Detroit before Jim at last went -to see Pat Baker. During that time Jim had once again sat down to -another improvised desk, in newly-found quarters, and had begun two new -stories. He was not actually writing them now, but only making general -outlines which he carefully filed away for future use. Some of his work, -however, was awaiting completion and these Jim promptly finished and -mailed out to various magazine and newspaper publishers. - -Jim’s meeting with Pat Baker was short and to the point. He was put on -the pay-roll and assigned to work forthwith. - -George Snow, editor of the Sunday edition of the _News_, asked Jim to -write some “feature stuff” for him and Jim promptly complied. Snow -complained, however, that Jim’s plots had been written and rewritten a -thousand and one times. He wanted to give the readers something new, -something with a snap in it. This peeved Jim a great deal and for four -successive days he pouted and thought it over seriously. Then he came to -the conclusion that if George Snow and Pat Baker wanted something -different and unusual, they would most certainly get it. - -Jim began wracking his brains for a story with an unusual angle and -twist to it. Eventually such a story came to him, and he began receiving -larger assignments from the Detroit _News-Tribune_. - -From the very beginning of Jim’s newspaper career with the Detroit paper -he had had to start out on small items of interest in order to learn the -ropes. That procedure was as usual then as it is now on all newspapers -of major importance. Despite the fact that it was one of the customs -governing the publication of the _News-Tribune_, Jim Curwood disliked it -very much when he found that he had to cover funerals, fires and auto -accidents to start with. All of these were well handled and he received -due credit for them. But all the praise and glory Pat Baker could heap -upon his shoulders could not make Jim happy, for he was dissatisfied. He -even had to handle “obits” and state deaths in the very beginning, and -to a writer of any ability at all, this practically is an insult. -However, Jim took it like a man and kept his chin high and went on. - -Coincident with handling his newspaper work, Jim was writing his own -stories and sending them out. He now was writing with the blood of a -true adventurer surging through his veins ... he was inspired. - -Perhaps the most disheartening factor of all was that Jim’s salary on -the paper was only $8.00 a week. This was not nearly enough for two -people to live on. - -Fortunately enough, George Snow frequently asked Jim for a feature story -for the Sunday edition. Payment for this, together with his regular -salary, helped immensely. - -Pat Baker assigned Jim early one morning to accompany Stewart, another -reporter, into Canada, just across the river from Detroit, and cover a -“hanging.” Jim went and covered the execution, but nearly fainted when -the trap was sprung on the gallows. “To add insult to injury,” Baker -then only used twenty lines of what Jim had written. All this led Jim -Curwood to believe that he was not worth eight cents a week, let alone -$8.00, as a reporter. But he finally got over the shock of the execution -and the fact that only twenty lines of all he had written had been used, -and went back to the steady grind. - -Jim’s “big chance” finally came. He was ordered to watch police -headquarters for “something big.” Here he would have an opportunity for -a “scoop.” For days upon end he practically haunted the Detroit Police -Headquarters. True enough, there were many stories that could have been -written about the various arrests and charges, but that was not what Jim -was looking for. He wanted something big. After several days had elapsed -it came. When the story broke, he thought it had amazing possibilities, -so he immediately wrote it up and shot it into the office. The entire -staff handled it as if it was almost “too hot to handle.” George Snow, -Pat Baker and all the so-called “big shots” patted the young reporter on -the back and told him that he was really one of them now, that it was a -job well done. Baker even went so far as to grant the raise in salary -that Jim had so thoughtfully asked for. Jim now felt as if he were -firmly established with the Detroit _News-Tribune_ and he was indeed -proud and happy. He was highly elated at his future possibilities and -was feeling very confident of himself now. He was handling “Big Time” -news. He was a real reporter of the first school. - -The next morning, however, the “payoff” came. When Jim arrived at the -office he discovered that there was a most unusual conference going on -in Baker’s office. It was a conference of editors. Several minutes after -Jim had sat down to his desk, the men in Baker’s office filed out and as -they did so they all looked straight at Jim. Why were they all looking -so hard at him, was the thought that entered his excited mind. - -It seemed that everyone in the office was down on him, and to save his -soul he could not figure out just why. All those stares were bothering -Jim and interfering with his work. Upon asking for an explanation he -discovered that he had not heard the culprit’s name correctly and it -appeared in the newspaper as if one of Detroit’s most highly respected -citizens had been “horsewhipped.” This, Jim slowly began to realize, was -the beginning of the end for him and his newspaper career. He had made a -mistake and he would have to pay for it. - -That day Jim Curwood was fired from his job and all his back pay was -withheld from him. It was all due to the fact that he had not checked a -name in the city directory and thus it had appeared that one of -Detroit’s most illustrious citizens had been the object of a common -“horsewhipping.” It was the end of his short but eventful career with -the _News-Tribune_. It was then that Jim Curwood found out just how hard -it was to find work in Detroit in those days. Being undaunted, however, -Jim kept right on with his writing and was determined that despite the -losing of his job he wasn’t whipped yet. Unfortunately, Jim was able to -sell very few of his stories and very soon both he and his wife began to -look underfed and their clothing began to appear rather shabby. - -At long last the struggling young author received another break of good -fortune. He chanced upon Alfred Russell, then one of Michigan’s greatest -lawyers, who promptly offered him a job with a pharmaceutical company. -It was named the Parke-Davis Company and was located on Jefferson -Avenue. Jim’s salary to begin with would be $50.00 per month and a -chance for a raise if he worked hard enough and showed enough -improvement. So Jim Curwood turned to making “pills.” - -It was indeed most fortunate that the young man knew that this was not -his type of work and he grew discontented with it on each passing day. -Nevertheless, he had a wife to support and to make a living for the both -of them. So he was making pills. He wanted to write, but this moulding -of so-called medicine was constantly interfering. - -It seemed to Jim that all his plans, his hopes and his aspirations, all -his fondest dreams and optimistic outlooks on life had all come to an -abrupt end. Would he have to go through life as a “pillmaker,” was a -constant query in his active and alert mind. He shuddered at the -thought. - -One day, as he was hard at work, a fellow employee told Jim that there -was a man living very near the company who claimed to be a baron, a man -whose ancestry dated back several hundred years in the old country. Jim -later found out that this man was actually working right there in the -factory, as a common laborer. In those days it was great news to find -one of noble heritage, let alone one who worked at common labor. So, Jim -promptly made it a point to see and talk to the man, gain his well -wishes and get his permission to have a story concerning him published. -Jim carefully gathered the material he needed and at once wrote it up -and mailed it to the Detroit _News-Tribune_. - -Being quite capable of seeing far enough in front of their noses, the -editors of the paper not only bought the story but put Jim back on the -payroll. This time, however, it was on a much more important job, for -Jim was made a special writer on the Sunday edition of the -_News-Tribune_ at a salary of $18.00 every week. - -Besides the promotion, Jim now had his own private office, tastefully -furnished, on the second floor of the older section of the building. Jim -plunged joyfully into his new assignments. This was not a job for him; -it was a labor of love. - -In a comparatively short time Jim was turning out one and two-page -features that were promptly published. He was now working seven days -each week and many times he even worked late into the night. - -Time was passing rather rapidly for Jim now and inside of two years -after returning to the _News-Tribune_, his salary had been increased to -$25.00. It was during this time that the first of Jim’s two daughters -was born and there was not to be found a happier man on the face of the -earth than James Oliver Curwood. He had a fine wife, he loved the work -which he was doing, and he actually possessed a wonderful baby daughter -named Carlotta. - -Many things were now entering into Jim Curwood’s life and his writing -output was also bothering him considerably. He was striving to do more -than he had been doing in the past, but just how he was going to go -about this he did not know. His time was more than just rationed and he -had to use it sparingly. - -Jim at last decided that he would do away with all of his -pleasure-filled hours and devote what time he could at the office as -well as those out of the office to purely creative work and nothing -else. He would, furthermore, branch out farther and with more scope than -he had ever imagined. So he began a series of slick-paper magazine -stories and immediately sold the first one, “The Captain of the -Christopher Duggan,” to the _Munsey_ magazine. He was paid $75.00 for -this story, the most he had ever received for any story before. Jim -Curwood now thought seriously of quitting his newspaper work and -devoting himself exclusively to his literary efforts. But when the -_News-Tribune_ raised his salary to $28.00, he decided to forego his -dreams until a more propitious time. This decision probably saved the -genius of James Oliver Curwood from certain disaster. For as yet he was -not fully prepared to enter the great field of literature entirely upon -his own, even though he did not realize it then. - -At the _News-Tribune_ Jim was under the constant tutelage of Annesley -Burrowes, who saw to it that the young writer’s burning spark was never -extinguished and that his imagination was always afire with creative -efforts. Burrowes believed strongly in young James Curwood’s chances of -rising to truly great heights in the field of newspaper writing and in -the fictional world. Time has shown that Mr. Burrowes’ intuition was -correct and accurate. - -Shortly after Jim received his raise in salary, Mr. Burrowes resigned -his post at the _News-Tribune_, due to an eye ailment, and with his -going Jim took his place. He now was getting $30. - -“I am sure that I only partly filled the position.” - -This remark Jim Curwood made in his own modest manner. - -Through the years beginning with 1902 up to and including 1905 the -rapidly rising young author published quite a number of articles and -short stories, among which were: “Pills,” which ran in _Frank Leslie’s -Popular Monthly_; another _Munsey_ story, and Jim’s first juvenile -serial was published in _The American Boy_. In 1905 Jim vacationed in -the wilds, whereby he obtained the basis for a number of articles which -appeared in _Outing_, _Outlook_, _Woman’s Home Companion_, -_Cosmopolitan_, and others. It was also during this hectic period that -Jim edited a banker’s publication which was called “_Dollars and -Sense_.” - -With the appearance of these numerous articles and fiction works, Hewitt -Hanson Howland, editor of a magazine published by Bobbs-Merrill in -Indianapolis, began to take notice of the rising writer’s works and -asked him to do a series of articles on the Great Lakes for his -magazine. Jim also was contributing nature sketches to _Leslie’s -Weekly_. Of this group he published more than one hundred articles. - -Having now been on the staff of special writers of the _News-Tribune_ -for three years, Jim Curwood was really beginning to feel like a veteran -“news-hawk.” It was in his third year as a special writer that Jim’s -wife presented him with his second daughter, who was named Viola. Now he -was the father of two fine girls. Jim was gloriously happy, of that -there was little doubt, but for some apparently unknown reason, his wife -was not. Perhaps it was because he had excluded her from his real life. - -With the birth of her second child Mrs. Curwood began to seem rather -discontented and nervous. In fact she seemed dissatisfied with her life -with Jim Curwood altogether. Why, Jim was never able fully to find out, -except for the fact that the life of a writer was too confining for her. -Had she stopped to realize that her husband was on his way to the top of -the ladder and would eventually reach that goal, the marriage might have -lasted. - -Following his successful contacts with _Munsey’s_ and other famous -magazines, Jim was made one of the “bigshots” of the Detroit paper and -served in that capacity until 1907. He had been writing continuously for -fourteen years, sticking everlastingly to his chosen profession. He -deserved success much more than the average writers of the time. - -As fast as the so-called “big breaks” would come to Jim Curwood, he -would turn out better articles and stories than ever before. With each -successive sale it seemed certain that his writing actually was of a -high order. Evidently scores of various publications thought as much, -for Jim was receiving requests for his stories from papers and magazines -throughout the United States and Canada. His work was in great demand at -this time as it so continued to be for many years to pass. - -In 1906 Jim Curwood began writing two novels. This was his very first -attempt at book length work and though somewhat hesitant at first, Jim -fought his way through valiantly. The first was entitled “The Wolf -Hunters,” a tale of the Hudson Bay country, and the second one was “The -Courage of Captain Plum.” The latter was an adventurous yarn of the -Mormon settlements on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. - -Late in 1907, the year of Jim’s 29th birthday, he completed both “The -Wolf Hunters” and “The Courage of Captain Plum,” and sent them both off -to the Bobbs-Merrill Company in Indianapolis. Many anxious weeks passed -during which time Jim waited with prayerful hopes as he continued his -newspaper work. Then one day a letter came with the wonderful news that -both his manuscripts had been accepted for publication, and that “The -Courage of Captain Plum” was so well liked that he was being offered a -contract for one book yearly for the next five years. Jim’s books were -to sell for one dollar and a half of which he was to receive a ten per -cent royalty. To say that the young man was jubilant and happy would be -putting it mildly. Jim very nearly tore up the city room of the Detroit -_News-Tribune_ when he had read the letter from the Indianapolis -publishers. Both books were published in 1908. - -Now more than ever Jim Curwood realized how swell Pat Baker, George Snow -and Annesley Burrowes, as well as the entire staff of the paper, had -been to him in affording him the great opportunities that he had had. -What they did for him were enshrined as memories deep within his tender, -loving heart. For they had provided the chance for Jim to get his name -before the reading public and thus enabled his works to be read. - -Within a few days after receiving the notice that his two book-length -manuscripts had been accepted, James Oliver Curwood handed in his -resignation to the Detroit _News-Tribune_ as assistant editor, and began -to plan and devote his life wholly to literary work. Thus, the -_News-Tribune_ lost one of its finest writers. Jim was a natural born -newspaperman and with his resignation the paper suffered a great loss. - -Upon his leaving the Detroit paper, Jim wrote to his brother Ed, who -still was in Ohio and invited him on a long vacation trip into the -wilderness. Ed accepted and the two brothers enjoyed one of the grandest -adventures of their lives in the country surrounding Hudson’s Bay. - - - - - CHAPTER EIGHT - - GOD’S COUNTRY - - -With the acceptance of his first two novels in 1907 Jim Curwood -definitely proved that he knew what he was doing and that he was on the -right road to success. Even then, as the young author received official -word of the forthcoming publication of his first two works, he was -drafting plans for the writing of three other pieces of fiction work. -These were only the forerunners of many others which followed and which -established James Oliver Curwood as one of the foremost authorities on -the Canadian Northwest. - -Jim’s first book, “The Wolf Hunters,” was somewhat of a juvenile story -centering about the Hudson Bay wilds. Although starting it had been -rather hard for him, Jim soon developed it into an easy task, and so, -fired with still greater ambition, he wrote a second novel, “The Courage -of Captain Plum.” - -Writing book-length novels was new to Jim, but it was work which was -both interesting and good. He was always out of bed by five in the -morning and by six o’clock he could be found fast at work. Jim would -write steadily until noon and many times long past noon. There were many -occasions when his wife would have to call him several times before he -would leave his desk, so engrossed was he in his writing. - -For over a year he pounded his typewriter. He never rewrote any of his -work, believing that once a story was written it could never be -rewritten quite so good. Of course, he did take time to correct his -grammar and punctuation, but that was as far as he went. - -It was during this period of incessant writing that Jim’s home life -began to suffer a severe blow, for he had been neglecting his family. -Jim began to notice a great change in his wife. - -Yet, while he felt that something was wrong in his household, it never -dawned upon him that not only was he driving himself to the limit, but -he also was driving his wife’s patience to the very end. For it was very -little that she saw of him, and even when she was with him, it seemed as -if his mind was always on the waiting typewriter and paper, and not upon -her or their children. In two years the great blow fell. Early in 1908 -the inevitable result came ... divorce. - -Some time after the divorce had been granted, Jim remarked: - -“As we grow older we all learn that it is better to let the dead past -bury its dead in peace.” - -After the acceptance and publication of his first two book-length novels -by the Bobbs-Merrill Company Jim began the long drive for publicity that -is so vitally important to an author. Realizing that in order to become -famous he must get his name before the reading public, Jim induced more -than one newspaper to print his success story. Perhaps the best one was -that which appeared in the Detroit _News-Tribune_. Even the _Argus_, -back in Owosso, gave him a great write-up, and Jim Curwood at last knew -that he was really on his way to a colorful and glorious career. - -Slowly but surely the little city of Owosso began to claim James Oliver -Curwood as its own native son. In fact, the writer’s name was upon every -tongue. Even those who at one time had felt that they were much too good -to speak to Jim Curwood, now regarded him as a close friend. Even those -who had never seen him boasted of having grown up together. Such talk as -this was going on in and around Owosso and in other parts of the state. -All were eager to make claim upon one whom they had once shunned and -laughed at. - -At long last Jim decided that he wanted and needed a vacation very -badly, so he wired his brother Ed, down in Ohio, to come up and join him -for a trip into the wilds. - -Jim lost no time in getting ready, and soon the two brothers started on -their long trek into the wilds of northern Canada. Traveling aboard the -Grand Trunk railways, they received free transportation because Jim was -well known by officials and was well liked. - -The trip was to be a long one. They were headed for the Athabaska -Landing territory and possibly farther up to the edge of the Great Slave -country that abounds with all sorts of North American wildlife, which -for the most part, roam about at will. - -Jim and Ed took to canoes many times, thoroughly enjoying their fight in -the roaring rapids of the swift, turbulent northern streams. - -On their walks in the forests Jim stopped many times to listen to the -sounds of wildlife all about them. High above in the towering pine trees -came the ever welcomed songs of the birds. Over on a ridge could be -heard the calls of foxes. Somewhere in the heart of the forests came the -sounds of mink, the hoot of owls, and the roar of the grizzly bear. - -[Illustration: _J.C. WEBER_] - -Along the banks of the roaring stream, the Marten, the mink and the -weasel could be heard as they slipped down to the water’s edge for a -drink of cooling water. All of these sounds and noises of the twilight -and early nightfall James Oliver Curwood studied and loved. He loved -nature and wildlife with a savage love, and hated those who dared to -disrupt their silent, peaceful and happy abodes. - -Jim Curwood fought for those animals throughout all his life and was -even waging a valiant battle for them up until the time he died. Ed -marvelled at his younger brother’s devotion for wildlife, and he, too, -grew to love the wilderness and all it stood for with an undying love -during the first trip of theirs together into “God’s Country.” - -For three months the two brothers stayed away from civilization, taking -in all the wonders of nature. Jim took countless photographs of wildlife -during this trip, and these, together with others he took over a period -of years he made into one of the largest and finest collections of its -kind in the world. - -With the publication of Jim’s first two books and the release of -numerous articles and short stories in various magazines, all of which -were based upon settings in Canada, the Canadian Government offered the -now somewhat famous James Oliver Curwood the sum of $1800.00 a year with -all his expenses if he would explore the distant wilds of the Dominion -and use all he saw as a basis for material in his future writings. - -This plan was primarily to induce tourists and vacationists into the -picturesque provinces. It also was to be used in an effort to bring -settlers into the wilderness to cultivate the soil and provide the -citizens of the Dominion with an abundance of wheat and other fine -crops. Jim was to write all he saw and was interested in for publication -in any form he chose. Jim accepted the offer almost immediately. It was -toward the latter part of 1908. - -An exploration trip such as this had long been somewhat of a -“far-fetched dream” of Jim’s, and now at last that dream was becoming a -reality. - -Plans were soon under way and he began conferring with government -officials. The Canadian officials complied with Jim’s every request and -within four short and eventful weeks, Jim Curwood was completely ready -for his long journey into the wilderness. - -Back in 1902, while employed at the _News-Tribune_ in Detroit, Jim had -become acquainted with M. V. MacInness. MacInness was then representing -the Canadian Immigration Department in Detroit whose offices were -located on Jefferson Avenue. He was affectionately known to all who knew -him as just “Mac,” and Jim was one of his very best friends. - -“He was rather portly and always in jovial humor. He never tired of -painting vivid word pictures for me of his beloved Canada, more -particularly the vast panorama of unexplored wilderness toward the north -and west. His mind was filled with information concerning that -magnificent expanse of territory and he never lost an opportunity to -introduce me to important Canadians who came to his office. I met many -Dominion immigration officials, members of Parliament, Hudson Bay -Company officials, officers of the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific, -members of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and scores of others -whose interests were in the vast areas of the Canadian Northland.” - -[Illustration: _J.C. WEBER_] - -It was MacInness of the Canadian Government who now handed Jim Curwood -the necessary papers for the trip into the northern wilds and at the -same time wished him all the luck in the world. “Dear old Mac” passed -away a short time after Jim returned from his trip. Jim always liked to -speak of M. V. MacInness after his passing in a heart-felt, reverent -voice. - -“There has been an empty place in my heart since he died, and whenever I -go up into that great Northland I know Mac’s spirit is there, for it was -God’s Country to him just as surely as it always will be to me.” - -At last, after all preparations had been made, Jim started out on the -first of the many exploration trips which he was to make into the wilds -of the Canadian Northwest in years to come. He went first to the vast, -beautiful wilderness of the Peace River Country, over to the sweeping, -towering mountains to the westward, then to the great reaches and -solitary plains of the Arctic to the Athabaska and the Mackenzie. From -there he traveled down to the uninhabited forests and timberlands about -the mighty Hudson’s Bay. These forests later became a ruling passion and -a dominant force in Jim’s life. He wanted “the uneducated people of -civilization” to love them just as he loved them. Upon his return he -pleaded with the populace to conserve and protect the virgin forests and -all the wild life that inhabited them. - -“It is my ambition to take my readers with me into the heart of nature,” -Jim Curwood once said and there is little doubt but that he did. Indeed, -Jim took more than seven million of his readers into the heart of that -nature and wilderness. This same devout love he held for the “great -outdoors” later led Jim to start the great conservation movement in the -State of Michigan. He led the onslaught against the “game hogs” -unmercifully, broadening his crusade throughout the country. - -It was during these trips into the wilds of Canada that he decided to -make his home in Owosso. So in the little town in central Michigan where -he had been born and raised Jim finally settled down. His father had -quit the cobbling shop and Jim supported him, as he had faithfully -promised. - -Within three weeks after his return to Owosso, Lou Allison invited Jim -Curwood to a chicken-pie supper which was to be held at the -Congregational Church. Here he met a very charming and beautiful young -lady named Ethel Greenwood. Jim did not recognize her at first, but at a -later date remembered her as being in school at the same time he was, -two or three grades below him. He especially remembered her sparkling -eyes, and he found that they had not changed with the passing of years. -Jim always liked to think of her as the little schoolgirl of several -years back. Those sparkling eyes made a great impression upon him at -once. Later on during the church supper Jim and Miss Greenwood found -themselves alone. - -As they talked, Miss Greenwood told Jim that she had read of his -expeditions into the far North and she appeared to be genuinely -interested in his travels and in his work. It was then that he decided -that he should become better acquainted with the young lady. As time -passed by Jim Curwood found himself thinking a lot of this new and very -interesting personality. As a matter of fact he was beginning to believe -that she would make an ideal companion for him on the many trails of the -wild on which he planned to travel. Her eyes were like shining stars -that sparkled both day and night, and her personality was pleasing. - -Then it dawned upon the thirty-three year old writer that he must be -falling madly in love with Miss Greenwood. Of this he was convinced -after meeting her again. Their interests were mutual. She too loved the -wilderness country and all of God’s wonderful Nature. She loved to hear -the murmurs of the streams, the chirping of the birds and the chattering -of the squirrels just as he did. This interest which she expressed and -showed in his work set Jim Curwood to thinking very seriously. - -It was not very long before Jim and Ethel Greenwood were married. The -ceremony took place in the old home on John Street, at six o’clock in -the morning. It was quiet and simple. By seven of the same morning the -bride and groom were on board a train headed for the wilderness and -God’s Country. - -Jim and his wife were as happy as any couple could ever hope to be. -Together they fought and loved the wilds. Side by side they worked and -built their cabin deep within the heart of the forests surrounding -Hudson’s Bay. That autumn Jim began cutting his supply of wood for the -winter and storing up provisions. Even though they worked hard in -preparation for the long, hard and cold winter, they were gloriously -happy. - -Fall soon came and with it the turning of the leaves, the strangely -different sounds of the rivers and the mating calls of the wild. Still -Jim Curwood worked frantically for the oncoming of winter, for he knew -what winters in the north were like, and he did not intend being caught -shorthanded. Cord-wood was cut and still more provisions were added to -their mounting larder. The cabin was made more secure and warm. The cold -months were but a short way off, for the leaves were rapidly beginning -to fall. - -Already the bears had gone into hibernation. The chattering squirrels -were providing themselves with their winter’s supply of nuts and the -birds had all returned to the south with the exception of the few -families which always remained behind. - -It was during this long winter that Jim began work on his third novel, -“Steele of the Royal Mounted.” What with his regular routine work and -with his writing added, James Oliver Curwood had a rather full and busy -winter. His writing took nearly three quarters of his day. The rest of -the time was given over to his wife, some reading and other activities. - -“I had found a wife who was proud of the work by which I earned my -living, who looked fearlessly into the future with me, splendidly caring -for my little daughters; a mother who later gave me my son, James, the -last blessing to our family, now almost ready to go to college.” Indeed -he was happy and content. - -As the snows blew and the winds howled about the tiny cabin far off in -the Canadian wilds, Jim’s log fire would burn cheerfully as he and his -wife would sit in front of it and read or talk. Darkness would arrive -around three in the afternoon and sometimes before that. - -Jim Curwood continued work on his new novel up until the beginning of -spring. It was then that he proudly announced to his wife that “Steele -of the Royal Mounted” was completed. Not only was he happy over the -completion of the book, but because of his wife’s happiness. He was -happy, also, over the joy and love Ethel had for his two daughters. She -cared for them and loved them just as if they were of her own flesh and -blood. They were a part of Jim and that in itself explains her new-found -happiness. Jim once said that the winter spent in the cabin around -Hudson’s Bay was one of the most supreme winters of their lives. - -[Illustration: _J.C. WEBER_] - -Spring was at last upon them, and the buds were beginning to pop out on -the trees. Green patches of grass were beginning to show here and there. -Bushes were already taking on their various colors and some of the -animals and creatures of the natural and untouched country had come out -of hibernation. - -Towards the close of spring Jim and Ethel returned to Owosso. Here Jim -definitely established himself at home. He built a large, fine house, a -brick structure of two stories. This house still stands. Surrounding it -on all four sides is a large and spacious yard that extends for many -yards around the mansion. Thousands of dollars went into its -construction and today the house remains as it was years ago, except -that its beauty has increased. - -Jim Curwood did not remain in Owosso as long as he had expected. For he -now had the money to travel to and from his beloved wilderness at his -own choosing. Jim went back into the forests and wilds at least once a -year, often spending five to six months at a time. Usually Mrs. Curwood -accompanied him, but on a few of his exploration and writing trips, she -did not go. Each year when he returned to upper Canada, he went back -with all the happiness and love one man can possibly have for any one -particular spot. - -Perhaps there is one basic reason why Jim built the fine home in Owosso -just where he did. It has been established that on the spot where his -home is located, one of the large camps of the Chippawayan Indians once -stood. - -In 1909 Ethel Greenwood Curwood bore her first child for Jim, a son. The -youngster was named James Oliver Curwood II. With the arrival of his -baby son, Jim Curwood became the proudest father in the entire city of -Owosso. For now he had a son to carry on his name, a son who would prove -himself a great man and who would follow in his father’s footsteps. -James Oliver Curwood II was the only child Mrs. Curwood bore. - -As soon as the baby had grown somewhat the family began to spend a great -many months far from civilization in the timber country. The two girls -and the baby boy were growing quite rapidly and becoming very healthy by -their constant play and travel in the fresh, cool air. - -Ethel and the children grew to love the strange and unusual people, the -“Nomads of the North” who were their only friends away from -civilization. Of course Jim had loved them for many years, but he wanted -his wife and their offspring to regard them in much the same manner as -he did. - -Hundreds of miles from civilization the Curwood family would bury -themselves in God’s Country. James Oliver Curwood’s feet have trod many -unknown trails throughout the north. The stars, the heavens and the -virgin forests came to be a living part of all of them. All the things -which Jim had dreamed of as a boy were at last coming true. - -Jim had roamed through the boundless prairies, the highest mountains, -fought his way through deep Canadian snows and sub-zero temperatures all -along the northern plains. He was now enjoying himself more than he ever -dared dream. - -James Oliver Curwood actually lived each story that he wrote. - -He began to realize that the long and arduous struggle that he had had -to go through to reach success had been worth it. He had fought and -battled as few other men ever have in order to reach that pinnacle of -success and fame that he desired. Fortunately enough, Jim was possessed -of the spirit of everlasting perseverance. - -About this time came the release of “Steele of the Royal Mounted.” At -the outset its sales were rather disappointing as were the sales of “The -Wolf Hunters.” Eventually, however, after the slow progress that his -books had been making, they began to sell and sell fast. In fact his -first three books sold as few others had ever sold before. Up to that -year, 1911, James Oliver Curwood had three novels and one book of -non-fiction to his credit: “The Wolf Hunters,” “The Courage of Captain -Plum,” the book of non-fiction, “The Great Lakes,” and the sequel to -“The Wolf Hunters,” “The Gold Hunters.” “The Danger Trail” was the last -of Jim’s books for the year 1910. In 1911 Jim published two more works -of fiction, namely: “Steele of the Royal Mounted” and “The Honor of the -Big Snows.” Realizing that he now had a firm foothold on the ladder of -success, Jim Curwood was prompted to write something of non-fiction that -would fully express himself and his beliefs. - -At last came that opportunity in the volume “God’s Country—The Trail to -Happiness.” This book is the strangest that Curwood ever produced and -one of the most wonderful messages of hope ever addressed to mankind. It -was a rather small volume and the price was far below the usual price of -Curwood books. “God’s Country—The Trail to Happiness” sold for $1.25. - -“Philip Steele of the Royal Mounted” had, of course, been released in -1910, along with “The Honor of the Big Snows,” which was written the -same year. This made a total of two novels and one volume of non-fiction -for 1911, which was indeed a great output of words for that length of -time. In 1912 Jim Curwood’s output was limited to one novel. This one -was entitled, “The Flower of the North,” a saga of the wilderness -country that was chock full of red-blooded adventure and romance. 1913 -saw the arrival of another novel, “Isobel.” In 1914 Curwood wrote -probably the greatest work of his entire career. That was when he turned -out “Kazan,” which sold 500,000 copies. This story ranks with “The Call -of the Wild,” and “White Fang,” by the famous Jack London. “Kazan” is -the story of a wolf dog of the far north. The dog is three-quarters -husky and one-quarter wolf strain. Kazan is torn between his wild mate -and the man whom he loves most dearly. The story is so excellently woven -about the dog and so wonderfully told that many thousands of people have -reread it many times. - -Although some of the so-called critics did not give this particular book -as high a rating as Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild,” it is the -belief of millions that “Kazan” is equally as good and as thrilling as -Mr. London’s famous book. - -After the publication of “Kazan” Jim and his family headed back to the -north country. This time, however, they did not go back to the old -cabin, but to a new one that Jim had built in the British Columbia -mountains some months before. Here among the picturesque mountains of -towering spruce and pine, James Oliver Curwood penned “God’s Country and -the Woman,” a story so well written that it immediately sold better than -one hundred thousand copies. The woman in the story was none other than -his own dear wife, Ethel. Jim once said that he loved this country -devoutly, but it was not God’s Country unless there was a woman. “No -country is God’s Country without a woman.” This was in 1915. - -The United States had already declared war on Germany when Jim completed -“God’s Country and the Woman.” So he immediately returned to Owosso with -his family to see if he could help his country. A great deal of time -passed before Jim was eventually assigned to anything. Then, in -1917-1918 he was officially designated as a World War Correspondent. -During the time he received this information and the time that he was to -have sailed, something intervened and Jim did not get a chance to go to -France. The government felt that since he had three children Mr. Curwood -should remain behind. He was given an assignment to do propaganda. He -wanted to go along with the rest of the boys and help protect our -country’s liberty and freedom. Instead, however, he was forced to remain -behind, and from his magazine articles flowed many words of truth and -wisdom during those hectic months of war. Jim termed the war “the thrill -of man killing man.” - -In another article came this statement: “The momentary pangs of the war -could be compensated for in time by the benefits it would confer -spiritually.” During the course of the war, however, Jim not only penned -magazine articles, but he also turned out such novels of major rank as -“The Hunted Woman,” in 1916, and the sequel to “Kazan,” “Baree, Son of -Kazan,” which was published in 1917. - -After the world’s first great tragedy, Jim’s books began selling faster -than they had before the war. Still, despite the fast sales of his -books, some critics were very harsh toward him. - -In 1910, James Oliver Curwood made one great mistake of his life. He -started playing the stock market. Jim invested a sizeable sum of money -and immediately realized a profit of over $100.00. This encouraged him -to further speculation, and in a short space of time he lost all his -savings. - -Now there remained but one thing for him to do. So, with his wife, Jim -left for the wilderness once again. From his countless number of friends -Jim borrowed the necessary money for expenses. - -This time, the Curwoods went deeper into the wilds of upper Canada than -they had ever gone before, and buried themselves completely away from -civilization. Here Jim Curwood picked up his implement of trade and -commenced writing another one of his famous novels. He had no idea of -what he was going to write, except that he had to write something which -would sell. - -Buried deep in the beautiful wilderness of the Canadian Northwest, where -lakes and streams run deep and the forests are thick and quiet, from -Jim’s pen came the wonderful, romantic adventure story of “The Honor of -the Big Snows,” the story of little Melisse and Jan Thoreau, a book -which was, in time, hailed as another great Curwood masterpiece. Again -Jim had money and again with the arrival of spring, Jim and Ethel left -the wilderness and headed back to civilization. He was cured of -gambling. - -Shortly before the release of “The Honor of the Big Snows,” Jim’s -contract with the Bobbs-Merrill Company expired. Immediately, Harper and -Brothers brought out his works which included “Flower of the North,” -published in 1912. - -After some time with Harper, Jim Curwood began to grow desperate and -returned to Bobbs-Merrill. Upon renewing partnership with the -Indianapolis firm, “Kazan” appeared. He had taken this fine story to -Bobbs-Merrill hoping that it would become as popular and famous as “The -Call of the Wild.” However, the critics denied Jim this honor in their -many reviews of “Kazan.” Despite the reviews the book later sold in -great quantities, particularly in England and later in the cheaper -American editions. - -“By the time ‘Kazan’ was written I had made five trips into the -wilderness about Hudson Bay. Thrice had I gone into the Arctic and spent -a winter with the Esquimaux. I had crossed the great Barrens four times -and explored the unknown regions of British Columbia and the Yukon -country.” - -Regardless of the critics’ adverse criticism, “Kazan” enjoyed an immense -sale, and continued to do so for many years afterward. This book is -rated by all Curwood admirers as one of his best, regardless of the -opinion of the literary critics. The partnership with Bobbs-Merrill -continued until the latter part of 1914, when Jim left to join -Doubleday, Page and Company of New York City (now Doubleday, Doran and -Company). - -Jim’s first book under the new imprint was “God’s Country and the -Woman.” - -It seemed at that time that James Oliver Curwood had reached his prime -and the top rung of the ladder of success. Immediately after the -publication of “God’s Country and the Woman,” Jim wrote “The Hunted -Woman,” in 1916, and a year later the grand animal story, “The Grizzly -King.” The latter was the story of Thor, one of the largest grizzlies -ever known to mankind in all the wilds of British Columbia. Over 300,000 -out of all the millions of Curwood fans chose “The Grizzly King” as -Jim’s outstanding book on wildlife and nature. Also, in the same year -Jim wrote the sequel to “Kazan,” “Baree, Son of Kazan.” This novel of -wilderness dogs did not quite reach the high standard that “Kazan” did, -but it was excellently written and vividly told. - -All sales on his books, which now totaled fifteen, were slowly but -surely increasing. It was during these years that James Oliver Curwood -came to fully understand that peace, love, health and faith may be found -in the presence of Nature and of God’s lowly creatures. He began to -realize more than ever how small and insignificant we human beings are -as compared to the mighty nature that surrounds us. In James Oliver -Curwood’s last work he brought out the latter fact.... - -“I have often wished that some power might rise to show us how little -and insignificant we are. Only then, I think, could the thorns and -brambles be taken from the paths to that peace and contentment which we -would find if we were not blinded by our own importance. We are the -supreme egotists and monopolists of creation. Our conceit and -self-importance are at times blasphemous. We are human peacocks, puffed -up, inflated, hushed in the conviction that everything in the universe -is made for us. We look down in supercilious lordship on all other life -in creation.” - -Jim Curwood came to know that a dead stump of a tree still has life and -a soul. He voiced his opinion many times on that. - -“If I did not believe a tree had a soul I could not believe in a God. If -someone convinced me that the life in a flower or the heart in a bird -were not as important in the final analysis as these same things in my -own body I would no longer have faith in a hereafter.” - -This thought was reflected somewhat in his following book, “The Courage -of Marge O’Doone,” released in 1918. - -Only two more of James Oliver Curwood’s books were to be handled by -Doubleday, Page and Company. These were “The Golden Snare” and “Nomads -of the North.” The latter novel of animal life Jim Curwood thoroughly -enjoyed writing much more than any of his novels depicting North -American wildlife. “The Golden Snare” was made into a motion picture of -the silent film days with Lewis Stone playing the lead role. “Nomads of -the North” was the last of the James Oliver Curwood books to appear from -the presses of Doubleday, Page and Company, for in that year of 1919 a -greater opportunity presented itself for the much wider distribution of -Jim’s novels. So he parted from his good friends at Garden City with -deep regret in his heart and he always cherished the memory of their -association. - -Jim Curwood left the Doubleday organization and went to the Cosmopolitan -Book Corporation in 1919. The first book written by the diverse hand of -James Oliver Curwood for that firm was, without a doubt, his greatest -and finest work. “The River’s End” was the first of his novels that sold -more than one hundred thousand copies of the first edition. Modern -advertising arrangements ran up the advance sales on this book alone to -one hundred thousand copies. It later sold while it was still new to the -reading public, and the first edition had been exhausted to over three -hundred thousand. Since the time of its publication, twenty-four years -ago, “The River’s End” has sold many hundreds of thousands of copies, -and many new editions have had to be printed. Sergeant Derwent Conniston -and John Keith, the two principal characters of “The River’s End,” have -now become immortal, as has the entire story. Many motion picture -adaptations of it have been shown. The latest version was filmed and -released in 1941, with Dennis Morgan in the starring role of Sergeant -Conniston. - -Very quickly after the release of “The River’s End” came “The Valley of -Silent Men” in 1920. The advance sale on “The Valley of Silent Men” ran -to better than 105,000 copies. Today more than five million people have -read this famous work of fiction. It is the story of the Three River -Country long before the railroads came. Jim traveled more than three -thousand miles down the mighty Saskatchewan before he wrote the great -novel, “The River’s End.” If he had not gone with the “Wild River -Brigades” of God’s Country down those fabled streams that flow north, -the millions of readers who enjoyed James Oliver Curwood’s writings, and -those who still enjoy them today, would never have had the opportunity -of reading the powerful novel, “The Valley of Silent Men.” Jim Curwood -always lived the stories he wrote. - -In all of Curwood’s stories he portrayed great souls and strong men who -wage their battles of life, death and love in the open spaces. There is -little wonder why he had the great and loyal following that he at one -time possessed and still retains today. He was truly a master in his -particular field. - -The sales on “The Valley of Silent Men” grew into much larger numbers -than the book, “The River’s End,” as far as advance sales were -concerned. The totals on the advance sale of “The Valley of Silent Men” -were 105,000 copies, and “The River’s End” ran up to 100,000. These two -stirring dramas of the Canadian Northwest alone brought out the true -genius of James Oliver Curwood. At long last the world was beginning to -sit up and take notice. The flowering genius of Jim Curwood was at last -beginning to bloom. Owosso townspeople were claiming him now more than -ever before as their native son. Not only they, but thousands upon -thousands of others were hailing James Oliver Curwood as the greatest -writer to appear on the literary horizon since the days of Charles -Dickens and Anton Tchekov. - -Shortly following the release of “The Valley of Silent Men,” Jim again -headed into the land of tall timber. During this stay in the backwoods -Jim worked on various jobs. He did a share of sledge driving for he -delighted in seeing the wonderful huskies and malamutes of the big snows -work. He also studied at great length the characters of the people of -the far North. - -Six months later Jim returned to his home town and with him came a -series of short stories that he had written during his stay in the -beautiful northwest. These were now edited and compiled into the volume -of short stories published by the Cosmopolitan Book Corporation under -the title of “Back to God’s Country.” This was in 1920. - -Many of the stories which appeared in this collection were actually -lived and experienced by Jim Curwood in those six months back in the -“far-reaches.” Among them were: “The Mouse,” “Peter God,” “The Honor of -Her People,” “The Strength of Men,” and “His First Penitent.” “The Honor -of the Big Snows,” Jim’s novel of little Melesse and Jan, originated -from the short story, “The Honor of Her People.” Many of these stories -appeared in such publications as _Good Housekeeping_, _Outing_, -_American Magazine_, and many others. - -The title story, “Back to God’s Country,” was later filmed and made into -a great motion picture. With the arrival of this collection of short -stories on the market, it was immediately hailed and heralded as one of -the finest collections of short stories of its type ever published. - -In 1921, sixteen years after Jim Curwood started out on his prolific -writing career, came still two more exciting and well-written novels of -rugged adventure: “The Golden Snare” and “The Flaming Forest.” The -latter was praised highly for it was a magnificent story, a story so -well told that it sold nearly 100,000 copies before it was actually -released, thus nearly putting it on an equal with “The Valley of Silent -Men” and “The River’s End.” - -“Teddy” Roosevelt praised “The Flaming Forest” with these words: - -“I have read with great interest Mr. Curwood’s book, ‘The Flaming -Forest.’ It is excellent. It is good, clean adventure in the open -spaces.” - -“The Flaming Forest” was the third and last of Jim’s tense novels about -the Three River Country. The first two had sold better than 100,000 -copies in the advance sale. This would have been flattery to the -majority of authors, but to Jim Curwood, who lived in the vivid and -exciting northwoods life of which he wrote, it was just a fighting -challenge. - -The advertisement of Jim Curwood’s book, “The Country Beyond,” read -something like this: - -“2,000,000 people have bought his books. He is no one book author. Every -one of his novels has outsold its predecessors.” - -With the publication of “The Country Beyond” Jim Curwood had reached his -44th birthday and was still considered young in his profession. His -books themselves contained youth and what it stood for and fought -valiantly for. People rushed to the bookstores when they learned a new -James Oliver Curwood novel was coming off the presses. They actually -went in droves to get a single copy of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th -editions. Incidentally, most of his books ran into more than five -editions, for many printings had to be made in order to supply the great -demand for his writings, and printings still continue to be made to this -day. - -Three months elapsed before the ever prolific pen of James Oliver -Curwood brought forth another first-rate novel entitled “The Golden -Snare.” Although “The Golden Snare” did not enjoy the major sales of his -other works, it still was listed among the “best sellers” of its day. - -In the little volume “God’s Country—The Trail to Happiness,” James -Oliver Curwood did a magnificent job of non-fiction. In this book Jim -tells of his conversion from a “killer of wildlife,” to “a savior of -wildlife.” He openly confesses his sins about his former treatment of -the wild creatures that roam our forests, as no other man of his fame, -ability or popularity has ever done before or probably ever will do -again. - -“God’s Country—The Trail to Happiness” is a series of four essays, none -of which was written to please those people who believe that the -organized church is an institution of importance in our national life in -every respect. The four essays were entitled: “My Secret of Happiness,” -“I Became a Killer,” “My Brotherhood,” and “The Road of Faith.” The -little book by itself is nothing else save a summary of the religion of -a nature loving and God fearing man. It has often been called the -strangest thing James Oliver Curwood ever wrote and at the same time a -most wonderful message to all mankind. At the age of 44, James Oliver -Curwood was already at his goal, for he had to his credit a total of -twenty novels and two works of non-fiction, fourteen of which were on -the “best seller” lists, with the remainder selling much better than the -average fiction book. - -Early in 1922, Jim constructed his town studio which he named Curwood -Castle, because it was an exact replica of the old Norman fortress. The -Castle itself stands on the edge of the Shiawassee river and within -twenty feet of the old home just off John Street. Frequently Jim was -prompted to burn the old home place, or else tear it down and add those -grounds to the ones of the Castle. But because there were too many -memories embedded within the walls of the old house Jim was reluctant to -destroy it. - -The Castle is surrounded on three of its four sides by a great sweeping -expanse of beautiful green lawns, which are kept beautifully trimmed and -immaculately clean. At the front, leading in from John street, is a -long, winding concrete walk which leads to the only entrance to Curwood -Castle. No one is allowed inside the studio at all. It is kept up and -maintained by Mrs. Curwood and once each week a housekeeper thoroughly -cleans the studio from top to bottom. - -Overlooking the Shiawassee is the tower study which James Oliver Curwood -loved so well. It is the room and study from whence many of his writings -were created. The tower study has windows extending around it in -circular fashion and from all directions Jim could look out upon the -peaceful little town of Owosso and the lazy sweeping river. Down the -river, a short distance from the Castle, lies a small island. Here the -tall, weeping willows gently bend their heads down to the water’s edge -and sway in the gentle breeze. Here the birds of a thousand different -varieties gather and sing. This was one of the spots which Jim was -entirely devoted to. - -In the old home next to the Castle remain all those wonderful Curwood -memories of not so long ago. There stands the second-hand Caligraph -typewriter and improvised desk his parents provided for Jim when he was -yet only a budding author. In his room the walls still hold the old -magazine and newspaper pictures that Jim had cut out as a boy and had -pasted and pinned up. - -Long after Curwood Castle had been constructed and in use, Jim Curwood -used to go back to the old bedroom-study to finish many of his articles -and stories. Here he recaptured the inspiration that drove him onward -when he felt that he was going stale. But James Oliver Curwood never -went stale in his writing, for he kept constantly at it both day and -night and led a full and happy life. - -Many, many times Jim would leave his town studio in Owosso for his -northern Michigan studio along the banks of the Au Sable, where it is -quiet and peaceful. Jim’s northern studio, in the thick forests of -northern Michigan, was built as a hunting lodge far away from mankind -and the noises of the city. It was indeed a beautiful spot. - -Not very far from the only entrance to the Castle there stands a large, -stately tree. It was under this masterpiece of nature that James Oliver -Curwood once sat and talked by the hours with his many friends. Here -beneath this old oak Jim used to sit with prospectors from the wilds of -Alaska and northern Canada who had come to visit him. - -Jim would carefully listen to these men of the north and have enough -material to weave a wonderful adventure story. Time and again he would -invite the swarthy, weatherbeaten men of the gold fields down to spend -days and weeks with him so that they might spin yarns for him and thus -provide him with material for future stories. It was not only that he -wanted stories from them, but he also wanted to see their faces again -and hear them talk. - -Many were the nights when several of them would gather at the Castle -after a long journey and sit before a great open fire, swapping yarns -and smoking huge cigars and strong pipes. All this Jim Curwood enjoyed -to the fullest extent. He loved to have his old friends around him. - -Many residents of Owosso and of other parts of the country have told -that regardless of how famous James Oliver Curwood ever grew to be, he -always remained “Jim” to everyone. He might be walking down the street -or be riding in an automobile and still he would throw up his hand to -those people he knew and even speak to those who were strangers. He -considered everyone a human being and felt that all men and women should -act as “brother humans,” and not try to appear superior. Jim’s usual -reply to anyone who spoke to him was this: - -“Hello, there, Bill! What’s new?” - -James Oliver Curwood, the famous man that he was, loved his home town of -Owosso with an undying love. It had persecuted him, laughed at him, -scorned him, but still he loved it. Of Owosso he would say to his -friends in New York: - -“Come out and see, I think it is the nicest place in the world. I was -born there and I hope to die there. Of course my love for it does not -make me blind to its defects. We have our poor, pathetic smart set, our -misguided flappers and a wee bit of the salt and pepper of life ... and -we make coffins for half the world. I tell you these things because it -would take too long to tell you all the good things about my home town. -I think the nicest thing is that we’re not afraid to let the geese go -barefoot around about where we live. Come out and see.” - -A good many people have done that very thing and many who came to see -have remained behind and have made their homes in Owosso or nearby. Such -is Owosso, the town where James Oliver Curwood was born and died—one of -the nicest, most beautiful little towns to be found anywhere on the -North American continent. There is no wonder Jim loved it as he did. - -Today the lodge that once belonged to Jim is no more in Curwood hands. -In the fall of 1939 Mrs. Curwood sold it to a buyer who wanted it very -much. Fortunately enough it was sold to a great lover of James Oliver -Curwood stories as well as a great admirer of Jim himself—a man who -promised to keep it as it always was. - -Today in Owosso, at 508 Williams Street, stands the home of Mr. and Mrs. -James Oliver Curwood, where Mrs. Curwood still resides. The house is a -very large, majestically built domicile standing on the very spot on -which the former tribes of the Chippawayan Indians camped. Jim chose -this site for that reason alone. The home could more readily be called a -mansion, it is so large and beautiful, with spacious gardens surrounding -it. It is just a few hundred yards from Curwood Castle. - -Jim Curwood was without much doubt the greatest and foremost naturalist -of his time. He loved nature so sincerely and lived in such intimate -communion with it, that, as he once put it so naively: - -“I have become a bit estranged from a large part of the rest of -humanity.” - -Any and all times are good times to seek nature in all of her wondrous -glory, and that was precisely what he believed. - -Jim Curwood believed that even a twig from off a tree, or a blade of -grass have souls. Souls that are every bit as important as the vital -organs and souls of human beings. - -James Oliver Curwood’s God was nature. The same nature that he so -wonderfully preaches about in all his writings. He vividly tells of -nature, the reasons, the idea of nature and just why we must protect and -conserve it. Jim’s books and writings go straight to the hearts of his -readers for he was a common man even when his fame had been assured. His -readers knew that. Everyone knew him as Jim ... just Jim. - -One of his common hobbies was raising radishes and onions. Jim once said -concerning these two vegetables that he delighted in raising: - -“I can beat anyone in Shiawassee county raising onions. I mean green -onions, the kind you eat with bread and butter.” - -Even about his own home somewhere in the back Jim always had an onion -patch along with some fine and assorted radishes. He loved to work in -the rich, black earth. - -No matter where Jim might happen to be, whether on the stream in a -birchbark canoe, in the forest, or in his studios or gardens, his mind -was constantly upon the subject of nature. In fact Jim devoted much of -his life to the helping of nature and the consistent fighting of “game -hogs.” - -True enough, Jim Curwood did not know all the scientific names for the -trees, toads, shrubs and so forth, but he could tell you all about them; -all about their life from birth to death. Jim practically knew the day a -certain plant or flower would die, so intent had been his study. - - - - - CHAPTER NINE - - HIS BROTHERHOOD - - -After long years of successfully hunting and selfishly killing game, -James Oliver Curwood had at last ceased, and suddenly launched a -campaign by which he hoped to stop “game hogs” from taking wild life -from the forests. - -This campaign was also an attempt to stop “ordinary hunters for the time -being, until the game had ample time to replenish itself.” He founded -the first conservation movement in the state of Michigan and remained as -its head for several years. - -Jim pleaded through his books and his articles for the public to stop -the slaughtering of innocent, wild and untamed animals, to preserve the -natural resources and not to dynamite the streams in which fish -abounded. - -Slowly the public began to take heed, but not quite soon enough, for -already a number of species had been all but destroyed. Many of those -species of animals and birds that were killed off then, have not been -able to recreate themselves even to this day. Jim realized that this was -not fair to either wildlife or mankind. “It must stop and it shall -stop.” - -On January 1, 1927, Jim Curwood was made chairman of the “Game, Fish and -Wildlife Committee of the Conservation Department of the State of -Michigan,” and later was in charge of the activities of the entire -conservation commission. He was held in high regard and esteem by many -thousands of people who firmly believed and were convinced that he was -doing something fine and worthwhile. Others hated Jim with a vengeance. -They believed, as there are so many who do today, that James Oliver -Curwood, and the so called conservationists, were meddling into other -people’s business. Likewise Jim hated the “game hog” who was attempting -to destroy the very thing which God had intended to live and to make the -world more beautiful for mankind. - -Since James Oliver Curwood was born and raised within the heart of the -timber country, and lived most of his life in it, he could respect and -love it more readily and naturally than people of large metropolitan -cities. As a boy he had gone into the deep forests unescorted many times -when it was known to be dangerous. Often he did not even carry a rifle -for protection, for even as a small boy he believed in a mutual feeling -between animals and men. Jim believed that he could make friends with -the animals and make those creatures understand him. He did just that. -Many of Jim’s friends who have been fortunate enough to accompany him on -one of his trips into the wilds, still describe how they saw him make -friends with the most fierce of all North American animals—the Grizzly. - -Because of his wanderings and explorations throughout the whole of the -Dominion of Canada, Jim developed what he chose to call a “Creed of the -Wild!” - -“To hunt and fish is the first great law of nature. Everything ‘hunts -and fishes,’ from man to the weakest of the creatures and things which -he destroys. It is ordained that the ashes of destruction shall give -birth to life, and that in killing, if it is within the immutable bounds -prescribed by nature, there is rejuvenation; but to adventure beyond -those limitations, until killing becomes a lust, is to invite -destruction of the balance of those laws of nature which makes existence -possible. - -“I believe that many generations, if not centuries, will pass before man -arrives at a point where he will view all manifestations of life as so -nearly akin to his own that he will cease to slaughter for pleasure.” - -This alone was Jim Curwood’s “Creed of the Wild,” as well as his creed -of life. He loved everything and hated nothing save the “game hogs.” - -When Jim Curwood assumed his position on the conservation commission on -January 1, 1927, he immediately set to work to make adjustments. For one -thing he immediately began clamping down on the capturing of certain -species of birds. In some cases he closed the season long before it was -to have officially closed, or else set the bag limit very low. Many -people objected to this as they did not understand the real purpose -behind it. - -Jim took several trips around the state, entirely on his own initiative, -and issued “official communiques” with great abandon regarding the -closing of seasons on certain types of wildlife. The conservation -commission felt that he was not justified in these actions and believed -that he was causing the commission undue trouble. As a matter of fact -one of the members of the original commission had this to say of Jim: - -“He took a trip around the state, entirely on his own, issuing official -communiques with great abandon, and getting the department into hot -water. I recall particularly the decidedly vexing problem of an open -season on birds (perhaps deer, but I’m pretty sure it was birds). -Curwood said that his survey had shown beyond the shadow of a doubt that -the birds were scarce and therefore the season should be closed. I -believe he gave newspaper interviews declaring the season closed in -certain sections.” - -Jim Curwood’s policy of riding roughshod over the statutes and his -fellow commissioners, plus the fact that he had his great reputation as -an out-of-doors expert to live up to, was becoming very serious and -embarrassing, or so certain members of the conservation commission felt, -for what he believed in he fought for, regardless of how the rest of the -commission felt or thought. So intent was he upon his ideas of -conservation that he had to have his way in everything which was -undertaken. And as another fellow commissioner once said of Jim: - -“If I were to write a chapter on Curwood’s activities as a member of the -commission it would be in the section of the book devoted to wild life, -sub-classification, ‘stormy petrel.’ I recall that he simply had to have -his own way, and so perhaps if one were to look him up in the index it -would be in the list of fauna, under lone wolf.” - -Despite the fact that some so-called conservation experts felt that Jim -Curwood was radical in his ideas, and beliefs concerning conservation -movements, he proved conclusively that he was right in most of his ideas -at some time or other. - -“Jim was almost exclusively interested in protecting wild life from man, -shorter or no, seasons; reduced bag limits, banning of spears, etc., -were items for which he would fight. He had an academic interest in -fire, a sentimental leaning toward the planting of trees, no time for -research or land acquisition. Jim was just too starry-eyed for the -others to get.” So spoke another fellow member of the original -commission on which Curwood served and directed during 1927. - -Because of his short term on the conservation commission it was -impossible for him to carry out many of his ideas. Had not the mighty -hand of the Great Reaper struck, the conservation movements today would -be much stronger and more firm than they are. He was the first and in -reality the last man to start such a movement which carried over such a -widespread field. - -During this time with the Department of Conservation of the State of -Michigan, Curwood was made a head of the Izaak Walton League. This is -the largest organization on the conservation of natural resources in the -world today. During a stormy meeting held in Chicago Jim almost -resigned. At that meeting Jim drafted a plan whereby thousands and -thousands of animals might be spared from the hunters’ guns. He was -promptly informed that this plan would not work and could not possibly -materialize. He arose and spoke with bated breath as he informed the -large gathering that despite what they thought, the plan would and could -be used effectively. He further stated that either the plan would be put -into operation immediately or else his resignation would be forthcoming. - -Many members of the Izaak Walton League could not as yet understand Jim -and hesitated to vote. Eventually Jim Curwood had his way and his plan -was put into operation. It worked better than even he had anticipated. - -Today Jim Curwood stands as a typical example of righteousness in the -halls of the State Conservation Department of Michigan. Even though many -have felt that his work for the preservation of our natural resources -was in vain, his work alone speaks for itself. - -“One’s work is the voice that is heard most clearly and is most -enduring.” Jim proved his belief that “it is the work that counts” only -too well. His experience and intimate knowledge of the outdoors were his -guides on all matters. - - * * * * * - -The first book to appear from Jim’s pen after the completion of Curwood -Castle, was the widely read novel, “The Alaskan.” This book had an -exceptionally large advance sale. - -In the early spring of 1924, two short years after his studio had been -constructed, Jim and Ethel returned from another one of his famous -expeditions into the North. It was then that Jim released to his -publishers his newest work entitled “A Gentleman of Courage,” a book -which brought him still more widespread fame and glory. People were -growing more and more each day to love this writer of the wilderness. He -wrote undeniably about a land that seemed so wonderful and far off, and -yet in reality so very close. Prompted by Jim’s writings many people -have journeyed into the Dominion of Canada to make their homes. - -The following year Jim published the first of his historical novels, -“The Ancient Highway,” the locale being around old Quebec and its -plains. Many critics praised this new type of work Jim had put out, but -as he often remarked: - -“A novelist of romance and adventure can never become a successful -historian.” - -Jim spoke those words, but it doubtless did not occur to him at the time -that he was probably the greatest of all romantic historians on the -Dominion of Canada. Through his novels of romance and history he painted -a picture of the Canadian Northlands not only as they used to be years -ago but as they really are today. - -James Oliver Curwood was both a novelist and a historian even if he did -not believe himself to be a recorder of both ancient and modern history. -It was said of “The Ancient Highway” that this story of modern Quebec -takes you down the old world highway of romance, while woodland beauty -brings nature near in that communion which Curwood lovers find a healing -and tonic force. “The Ancient Highway” is truly a fine piece of -historical work and deserved the praise which it received. - -It was about this time that Lewis Galantiere reported that James Oliver -Curwood was by all odds the most popular of American writers among the -French people. Where it once had been Jack London and Upton Sinclair it -now was Curwood. Edith Wharton had attempted to establish herself as our -literary ambassadress to France, but she had failed. - -In England, Germany, Denmark, Norway and numerous other countries, Jim -Curwood had built for himself a great reputation and his fame among the -various peoples of the world was definitely assured. - - - - - CHAPTER TEN - - TRAIL’S END - - -Unlike most authors of Jim Curwood’s day, thousands of people annually -came to visit him and to see the fair city of Owosso, they came to meet -him from all parts of the country, and to ask him countless, rather -foolish questions. Being the well-bred, cultured man that he was, Jim -complied by answering each question and replying to each letter written -to him, to the very best of his ability. - -During the morning hours, no one was allowed to see him or to interrupt -his writing schedule in the slightest manner. For he had his daily -writing stint of five hundred words to write and it must all be -thoroughly checked. Jim never wrote more than five hundred words a day, -for he felt that writing beyond that limit would tend to make his work -slighty. In the afternoon, however, his duties were more numerous. The -first part of the afternoon was devoted to the dictating of letters and -to all general business that might be at hand. Then and only then would -those people who wished to see him and ask him questions be admitted to -his private study. - -One of Jim’s greatest enjoyments was in the many letters he received -daily from small children; letters that asked about only those things -which small children could possibly want to know. He loved every one of -those scrawled letters, for it not only showed him that people were -reading his books, but that even small children loved his stories of his -beloved northland. - -Many were the times that great numbers of small children from Owosso -would come and visit with the man from God’s Country. On these visits, -Jim always saw to it that there was a treat for them on hand. He would -take each in turn upon his knee and always managed to tell wonderful -stories. Many residents of Owosso of the present time were among that -group. They like to recall those days when they had the honor of sitting -upon the knee of one of America’s most famous writers. The citizens of -Owosso loved him immensely. For his undying love for humanity and his -unquenchable love for all nature had indeed made Jim Curwood a patient, -kindly and loving personality. - -Many of the questions that Jim received in his morning mail ranged from -the “ridiculous to the sublime.” “How shall I begin on my writing -career?” “How do I construct or build a plot?” “Ought I to go to college -for four years?” “How much education is needed to become a successful -writer?” These and countless more just like them were Jim’s daily -plight. Perhaps the most frequent question found in those letters was: -“Will you sell my story for me?” - -Many are the times that Jim’s laughter echoed throughout the walls of -Curwood Castle as he pored over the amusing letters. - -One of the principal reasons Jim Curwood received so many letters was -the desire for the author’s signature. But there were those who, Jim -realized, were struggling up that long, hard and difficult trail over -which he had traveled, and so to these he always sent forth some kind -and encouraging words. For the young man who is embarking upon a -literary career, Jim’s advice was always this: - -“Hard work and steady work for years, with a fixed purpose is most -important.” He also said that an author trains himself for his life’s -work just as a farmer learns to use the plough or hoe, or in the same -manner that a surgeon studies to use his scalpel. - -“Most authors are but ordinary men and women who have trained themselves -to earn a livelihood with the pen.” - -Perhaps the wisest and most important advice that James Oliver Curwood -ever gave anyone was the importance of good physical condition at all -times. - -Jim’s advice to a young writer with plenty of ambition was to get plenty -of sleep and always to arise early. By this he meant about four-thirty -or five o’clock in the morning. Then to snap through a vigorous -limbering-up exercise, followed by two or three glasses of good, cold -water. The latter is a truly important factor. What with going to bed -early and rising early of a morning along with the many different type -exercises, James Oliver Curwood often voiced his opinion that he himself -would live to be one hundred years old. - -“After a bath, which includes the use of cold water, I have a breakfast -which consists of half a bowl of bran with creamy milk. Dinner is at -noon. There are many excellent reasons why a heavy meal should not be -eaten at night. My dinner is largely composed of vegetables, though not -infrequently we have fish or fowl. Meat once a week is quite enough for -a man who wants a long life. - -“After breakfast I walk vigorously for ten minutes, and as I have eaten -lightly I do not thus disturb my digestive tract. I walk rapidly, for -slow walking is no exercise at all, and am at my studio by half-past -seven, vibrantly alive and eager to get to work for the sheer pleasure -of it. My brain is clear and my body healthy because I have started the -day right by taking the opportunity which Nature intended all men should -have.” - -The very first thing which he always did upon arriving at his studio of -a morning was to have a fifteen-minute conference with his secretary, -during which he gave out his daily instructions and explained just what -was most important for her to do during the course of the day. Then into -the tower study he went where he immediately disconnected the telephone -and locked the door. This was a precaution he used so that he would not -be disturbed. Here Jim buried himself until eleven-thirty in the -morning. Under no consideration could anybody get in to see him unless -it was the most urgent business which could not possibly wait. All -morning hours were devoted entirely to his writing and he disliked very -much being disturbed during those hours. - -Once inside his study, Jim always looked over the previous day’s -correspondence, checked it and then carefully filed it away. Upon -completing this he would pick up his notes and yesterday’s planning for -today’s work and study it carefully for several minutes. Then he would -clear his desk of all unnecessary materials and begin the work which did -not let up until four-thirty in the afternoon, except for a brief lunch -period. - -Some days Jim’s work would come easily, clearly and distinctly; but on -other days he would feverishly wrack his brain in order to drag forth -words one by one. - -For the most part, the majority of authors hurriedly write the first -draft of their story, check it thoroughly and then carefully write the -second draft. Finally the third and final draft is written and then the -yarn is ready for the publisher. Such a procedure was against Jim -Curwood’s policy, for he did not believe in writing a story too -hurriedly, checking it and later revising it. He was a slow, deliberate -worker and never averaged more than five hundred words per day, or only -two full-sized manuscript pages. He slowly and methodically built every -sentence and every paragraph as he went along. He never returned to -rebuild that which he had already constructed. - -“I build every line and page of my manuscript to the best of my ability, -with the result that I am a very slow worker, as compared with many. I -average only about five hundred words per day. Often I have spent an -entire forenoon on one paragraph of a dozen lines. I stay with a -difficult passage until it is done satisfactorily. I never put off until -to-morrow what I find hard today, for to-morrow rarely brings the needed -skill.” - -At noontime Jim would always lay off from his work for a half an hour. -This always afforded him ample time to look over his gardens, which -consisted mainly of onions and radishes. The raising of onions and -radishes was his hobby and one of which he was indeed proud. He always -took particular pride in his ability to raise the finest of these -vegetables in the surrounding territory. - -Promptly at four-thirty of an afternoon, Jim was up and away from the -studio, unless he had a story which he felt must be completed, or else -some important business matter that must have his personal attention. -And when he did leave his studio, he immediately looked for recreation, -which as a whole was not very hard to find. He was very fond of a brisk -walk, a swim, golf, or a horseback ride. His two favorite sports, -however, above all others, were horseback-riding and handball. On many -of his trips into the wilds he would take along a few horseshoes and a -handball outfit to help keep trim as well as to provide relaxation. Jim -played handball with a vengeance and could never quite get enough of it. -Regardless of what sport he participated in, he always played hard, -industriously and squarely. As it was with his writing, Jim never knew -quite when to call a halt to his recreational activities. - -As twilight would begin to break forth Jim always liked to sit out on -the terrace that he loved so well or else take a long walk or a drive in -his auto. Twilight would lengthen into dusk and unless he had something -else more important to do he would spend the evening with his wife and -children before retiring. But Jim did not retire to rest and to sleep as -most men do. Instead he went to bed to think and meditate and ponder -over his problems. - -On one particular occasion, Ray Long visited Jim at his home in Owosso. -The two men sat up late one night in order to develop a plot for the new -novel Jim had in mind. It had to be something different from anything -previously written, and so for many hours Ray and Jim studied earnestly -and tirelessly over the possibilities. The new work Jim had in mind was -to be entitled “Nomads of the North.” Mr. Long eventually suggested a -situation that appealed to Jim’s vivid imagination and so together the -two of them developed their idea for all it was worth. That night both -men went to bed elated and highly satisfied over the prospects of the -new story. Mr. Long later explained how surprised he was the next -morning when Jim appeared at the breakfast table and informed him that -the plot would not do. Obviously he had gone to bed the night before and -had laid awake for most of the night turning the plot and situation over -and over in his mind. Then at last he had come to the conclusion that -the animals involved would not be likely to do the things that he had -planned for them to do. - -The very popular and famous Ray Long, who published numerous James -Oliver Curwood stories serially in his magazine, once spoke of Jim: - -“James Oliver Curwood is a writing man because he has something to say, -and he writes only of those things which he knows best. His novels are -set in the far North region of Canada because he not only knows but -actually loves that country.” - -That Curwood’s God is Nature and that in his books he preaches -constantly the beauty and glory of his creed the reading public quite -generally knows. He is a writing man because he has something important -to talk about. - -James Oliver Curwood loved the North as few men have ever loved a -country in which they have not been registered citizens. Even long -before he was employed by the Canadian government as an exploratory -writer on the Northlands, Jim had already grown to love that land, for -many trips already lay behind him. He knew many of the Mounties, he had -trapped and prospected in the Yukon and in and around Hudson’s Bay; he -knew his North as few men ever could know it. But the element which made -him so popular was that he loved the country about which he wrote. Ray -Long, then editor of _Redbook Magazine_, knew the author quite well and -told many wonderful things about him. - -“When Jim Curwood described the coming of spring in the northern -mountains, he saw and wrote of beauty which brought a lump to my throat. -He wrote melodrama, yes; there was action and vigor and at times -brutality in his stories; he was far from being the greatest -psychologist who ever wrote: but he was sincere, he loved nature, he -made you love nature. And that’s not a bad epitaph for a writer, is it?” - -For two full years Curwood was an employee of the Dominion and it was -during those years that he gathered much of the material about which he -has written. Also, during that time, Jim lived among the Eskimos and the -Indians. Few people, if any, realize that the trips before and after his -government contract had expired were entirely at his own expense, so -sincere was he about that which he wrote. Many were the times that Jim -formed his own expeditions and went farther north than most men have -ever dared penetrate, save those internationally famous explorers who -have reached and discovered the North Pole. - -He has actually been up as far as the Arctic sea and has oft times gone -out upon it in search of adventure and material for his stories. He has -braved every type of danger and adventure practically known to mankind, -as far as the North goes, to bring back thrill-packed stories for the -world at large to enjoy. A. J. Donovan, of Owosso, who was a school-mate -of Jim’s, often said this of him in later life: - -“Jim passed on just when he was doing his home town, his state and his -country the most good.” - -By that Mr. Donovan meant that Jim Curwood’s work in conservation was at -last being heeded and that wild life was beginning to be conserved. He -also had in mind that Jim was doing his people more good by his -inspirational and courageous writings than few men of his time have ever -done. - -Many, many times Jim had openly declared that he simply could not write -in his fine, new home. - -“I just cannot write in my own home. Something is missing there that -gives me the inspiration that I do so need.” - -Jim’s home is one of the most beautiful and stately ones in all of -Owosso. But because he was a wilderness man, a true disciple of the -wilds, and because of the Indian blood flowing in his veins, he found it -difficult to write inside four walls. He found it difficult even to do -so inside the walls of Curwood Castle, his own especially-built writing -studio. His great-grandmother was a full blooded Mohawk Indian princess, -and his famous ancestor, Captain Frederick A. Marrayat, was a great -seaman and world renowned novelist. It is therefore easy to see how the -adventure blood must have been surging through Jim’s veins. - -Jim loved the great open spaces where all was silent and peaceful so -much, that when he was away from it for a long period of time, he was -quite hard to get along with. That was one of the reasons for building -his Castle so he could decorate it to his own satisfaction and still -feel the tang of the wilds about him. That was why he built it along the -shores of the Shiawassee, “Sparkling Waters.” It had that ancient and -wild look about it that gave him inspiration. - -Jim lived and died an outdoorsman, believing in “the fundamental rights -to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” for all creatures of the -wilderness. And so during his climb to the top rung of the ladder of -success he had acquired several thousands of acres of forest land in -northern Michigan, just a short way from the little city of Roscommon. -There in the very center of “his own wilderness,” Jim Curwood built -himself what was almost a baronial castle done in logs. Each log was -from a tree which he had selected himself, making sure that his -“out-of-the-way retreat” was constructed with the finest the forests had -to offer. - -Although situated along the banks of the Au Sable River and just a short -way from the town of Roscommon, Jim would not consider having a -telephone in his cabin. Although within that same distance there were -electric light wires, Jim absolutely refused to have them in his -wilderness home. He insisted upon keeping his lodge absolutely -primitive, and that is exactly what he did. - -The place cost him many thousands of dollars, but he would have no -modern plumbing of any sort installed. He maintained that it was -possible “to be luxuriously primitive—or primitively luxurious,” and in -the end it cost him his life. - -Here in this “stag hiding place” were some of Jim’s very best friends. -Namely, they were the mink, the wildcat, the marten, squirrel and many -other creatures of the wilds. It was here at the cabin in upper Michigan -and the place in the upper part of Canada that Jim had a most contented -peace, and could note wildlife at its very best. - -Bruce Otto, the noted timber country guide, made many trips with Jim -Curwood and helped him build several of his cabins which are scattered -all over the wilds of the Canadian Northlands, ranging from the -mountains of British Columbia to the wilds surrounding Hudson’s Bay. -Those two men have lived entirely off the land for months at a time, -securing whatever food was necessary when the time arrived. It was on -journeys as these that Jim secured material for such great novels of the -North as “River’s End,” “The Valley of Silent Men,” and “The Flaming -Forest.” - -“I traveled three thousand miles up and down the mighty Saskatchewan -before I wrote ‘The River’s End,’ and if I had not gone down the -Athabaska, the Slave and the Mackenzie with the ‘Wild river brigades,’ -of God’s Country, I could never have written ‘The Valley of Silent -Men.’” - -Jim Curwood actually lived with those wonderful characters of his books. -He has lived with the strong men and brave women from such books as -“God’s Country and the Woman,” “The Honor of the Big Snows,” “Kazan” and -many others. - -In Jim Curwood’s home are twenty-seven guns of all types and calibers. -Each of them has seen much service, and all of them have notches cut -into them recording the number of kills made. The entire place, from -attic to basement, is filled with pelts and mounted heads. These -trophies, denoting the days when he was known as a great hunter, are -regarded as martyrs. For, from that day when the “great light appeared,” -Jim Curwood ceased being the hunter, the trapper, the destroyer of -nature and wild life. For, in what he terms his religion, Jim believed -that the wild creatures understood him and believed in him as their -friend. This understanding and belief was eventually written into the -volume entitled “God’s Country—The Trail to Happiness.” This was James -Oliver Curwood’s worldly confession as a “killer.” At the time and for -years after, Jim vowed that he was far more happier writing this -particular book than any others he had ever penned. - -“Nature is my religion; and my desire, my ambition, the great goal I -wish to achieve, is to take my readers with me into the heart of this -nature. I love it and I feel that they must love it—if only I can get -the two acquainted!” - -In his article, “James Oliver Curwood and His Far North,” Ray Long gave -forth his ideas concerning Jim’s fame: - -“My belief in Curwood’s accuracy was based on my knowledge of the man -and on my scant knowledge of wild animal life gained on short vacations. -To have a man like Thomas Linklader confirm him meant more to me than -the confirmation from a dozen Stepanssons, for Thomas really knew his -woods. Jim took me one day to the scene of a caribou battle, and from -the footprints in the gravel by the shore of a stream reconstructed the -entire fight. He could tell me with greater accuracy than any man I ever -met in the North, just where we would find any particular kind of fish. -He absolutely knew what he was talking about. - -“I returned to my desk with still greater faith in Curwood, and from -then on published practically everything he wrote. I think I enjoy as -much as he possibly can, the announcement that 105,000 copies of his -latest novel, ‘The Valley of Silent Men,’ were sold before publication. -For Curwood had come into his own. He had won a vast audience among -novel readers as he long ago won a great number of magazine readers.” - -This in itself shows the faith that millions of people had in Jim -Curwood. All who could purchased his books, for they knew that what he -wrote was accurate, authentic and realistic. They knew that he had -practically lived the stories about which he wrote. That accounts for -the great pre-publication sales of over two dozen or so of his novels. - -On many occasions Jim was asked just what a writer should write about, -and he always came forth with this reply: - -“Authors should write only about those people, things and places which -they know. This should be self-evident; yet nearly every one of them has -almost a fatalistic passion to do otherwise. If you live in a -picturesque country village, don’t write about the city. On the other -hand, if your life is in the city, don’t try to write of the characters -and settings you know little or nothing about. There is no sufficient -reason why a Michigan author should write of Arizona. Nor is there any -excuse for a young woman who lives in a lovely cove by the sea with a -world of rich material about her, to write of what is happening at -Newport or Palm Beach. Stick to truth when you write fiction—truth as to -details, habits, and settings—even though the story be wholly imaginary. -No other books have a chance to live.” - -Those few lines explain why Curwood’s works have been “best sellers,” -and are still in great use today. He possessed that “certain something” -that all writers of fiction pray for—that vivid imagination and -forseeable power behind them to keep driving constantly forward. Jim had -the courage to fight almost insurmountable odds and consequently he came -through. What Jim Curwood started he usually finished. Some advice which -came directly from his lips should be well to heed: - -“Only those who are quite prepared to labor long and hard for little -pay, and without assurance of fame, should undertake to write for a -living. A few earn large sums—but only a few. The great majority eke out -a bare existence, living in anticipation of the great good fortune that -is just around the corner.” - -Jim Curwood wrote for ten long years before he was ever able to place -and sell a story; at the end of that tenth year, Jim sold his first one -for $5.00. $5.00 for ten years of work! He merely overcame those fits of -despondency that attacked him through the hundreds and hundreds of -rejection slips that came to him. Jim learned to believe what each one -said. He kept at his work tirelessly throughout those ten long years. - -With the arrival of 1926, the public saw the last of Jim’s historical -novels and the last book length work which he ever wrote. This one was -entitled “The Black Hunter.” Its sale was widespread. - -Following the publication of “The Black Hunter” Curwood devoted himself -to shorter forms of fiction and several articles on the preservation of -natural resources. During this period Jim came closer to God in his love -of nature than ever before. His life thus far was a success. Upon many -occasions while relaxing in his studio, he would unconsciously pick up -his pen and write his feelings about God and mankind. A few of these -memorable writings have been preserved: - -“The Great Master has opened to me the book wherein is written the -secret of a joyful life—a secret which he never intended to be hidden, -but which has been concealed for untold years because men will not read -what is spread upon the pages of the wonderful book, or having read, -will not believe. Their eyes are hidden so that they do not see the -glory of living and their ears do not hear the myriad sounds which blend -in life’s immortal melody.” - -“I have found the great understanding heart of Nature, and the thrill of -its discovery has set the blood coursing faster in my veins. I have -learned to understand the voice of Nature, and in doing so have obtained -health, developed faith, and partaken of the glory of living. In that -voice there is inspiration, and it whispers to me the hope that all -shall soon understand.” - -Jim lived a life wherein he had found the true joy of living and -consequently his habits were of the best type. Believing strongly that -there is good in every man and woman, he wrote and created his -characters in much the same manner: - -“The world is filled with strong and good men, and with women who are -beautiful and virtuous, people who are the equals or superiors of those -who live in the pages of my books. It is about such folks that I choose -to write. - -“I thank God that in only one of my books, and that an early one, have I -approached what would have evidently pleased that critic. Why should I -not write of wholesome men and women, of clean actions, of just and -upright conduct? Why should I not recount tales of people who cherished -ideals? Why should I refrain from telling of the things to which we all -aspire? - -“I see no good reason why I should take a woman of the streets and -glorify her, though once, when I was a boy, one of them gave me a -glimpse of as unselfish a devotion to the finer things in life as I have -ever known in any woman. There are too many good women whom I may -glorify and clothe with ideals. Why should I make my women ugly in -character or in appearance when we all love beauty? We always choose the -most beautiful flowers of the entire garden for the bed chambers of our -guests. - -“Why shouldn’t I punish the bad people in my books and make a record -that happiness came eventually to those who deserved it? Some critics -may say, ‘people are not like that and things don’t come out that way,’ -but my experience has been to the contrary. Happiness does come to those -who deserve it. Eventually their ears do catch the immortal melody of -life, as Melisse heard the music of her people; and they often learn to -appreciate it long before they pass on to another existence.” - - * * * * * - -Although from the beautiful Au Sable River less than one hundred yards -away Jim could have had water delivered into the cabin by the very -simple process of having an electric pump, only a handpump in the -kitchen was permitted to be installed. - -The isolated place of beauty cost him thousands and thousands of -dollars, but he would not have in it any modern plumbing. - -Due to the absence of a few modern conveniences Jim was bitten by a -poisonous spider, and even though he had often boasted that he intended -to live to be at least one hundred years old, and had so arranged his -life that under ordinary conditions he might have lived to be that age, -a spider upset his life’s plans. - -Shortly after the insect had bitten him Jim left for his home in Owosso -seeking medical attention. This was on August 8, 1927. The physicians -were strangely puzzled by the malady which plagued Owosso’s favorite -son. He was seriously ill with an unusual and seemingly unknown disease. -The newspapers throughout the country carried stories of Jim’s condition -and almost immediately specialists from everywhere rushed to his aid, if -aid were possible. All the efforts of the doctors and specialists who -rushed to the bedside of James Oliver Curwood in those early days of -August, 1927, were futile. He was given a blood transfusion by his -daughter, Mrs. Carlotta Jirus, of Detroit, but this, too, was of no -avail ... on August 13, with his wife, Ethel, his son, James, his two -daughters, Carlotta and Viola, his brother, Ed, and his two sisters, Amy -and Cora, at his bedside, James Oliver Curwood, writer, conservationist, -exponent and lover of Nature, passed away. - -The Detroit _Free Press_ ran this story on August 14, 1927. - - CURWOOD’S FUNERAL SET FOR TOMORROW - AFTERNOON - - Author to be buried in Owosso beside - graves of father and mother. - - Owosso, Mich., Aug. 14—A.P.—Funeral services for James Oliver - Curwood, author and noted conservationist, who died late last - night after a week’s illness of a general infection, will be - conducted at the residence at 2:30 o’clock by the Rev. J. Twyson - Jones, of the First Congregational Church. - - Interment will be in Oakhill Cemetery where his father and - mother are buried. Pallbearers had not been selected today, but - in compliance with the author’s wish, will be Owosso residents. - - BLOOD GIVING FAILS - - Death came to the writer of stories of the Northlands at his - home, “Curwood Castle,” here, after a desperate battle against - the infection that steadily sapped his strength. In an effort to - stay the ravages of the infection, a daughter, Mrs. Antonio P. - Jirus, of Detroit, gave of her blood in a transfusion operation. - - After rallying somewhat, the author weakened again rapidly and - his physicians announced that his death was a matter of hours - only. - - Curwood was born in Owosso on June 12, 1878, the son of James - Moran and Abigail (Griffen) Curwood, and spent his boyhood near - Vermillion, Ohio, his family later returning to Owosso. He - attended the University of Michigan. He spent the greater part - of his life at his birthplace. - - FIRST NOVEL IN 1908 - - “The Courage of Captain Plum,” his first novel, was written in - 1908, after he had spent seven years in newspaper work. - - From then on the books flowed from his pen. There followed “The - Wolf Hunters,” 1908; “The Great Lakes,” and “The Gold Hunters,” - in 1909; “The Danger Trail,” in 1910; “The Honor of the Big - Snows,” and “Philip Steele of the Royal Mounted,” written in - 1911. - - Others of his novels included “Kazan,” 1914; “Nomads of the - North,” 1919; “The Valley of Silent Men,” 1920; and “The Flaming - Forest,” in 1921, and his latest “The Black Hunter.” Writing was - in Curwood’s blood. On his father’s side, he was descended from - Captain Marrayat, the novelist. - - A zealous crusader for conservation of natural resources, - Curwood was considered an authority on the Canadian northland, - and was the only American ever employed by the Canadian - government as an exploratory and descriptive writer. - - His championship of conservation in the fullest sense often - brought him into conflict, and in several meetings, national and - state, he stirred a storm of controversy. - - In 1926 he abruptly resigned as a director of the Izaak Walton - League in a stormy meeting in Chicago. At a meeting held in - Owosso, he opposed policies of John Baird, then Michigan - director of conservation, so heatedly that the state - conservationists formed factions to which they held strongly for - several years. - - With the conclusion of the term of office of Baird, and the - election of Governor Fred W. Green, Curwood was appointed to the - new conservation commission. Frequently at meetings he protested - against what he termed the lethargy of the other members. - - Besides his keen interest in conservation, Curwood was deeply - interested in civic enterprises in his home city, contributing - liberally to such undertakings. - - Two daughters are children of Curwood’s first marriage. A son, - James Oliver Curwood II, and his second wife, who was Miss Ethel - Greenwood, Owosso teacher, also survive. - -On that fateful thirteenth day of August, 1927, the news was flashed to -the entire world that one of the greatest of all outdoor fiction writers -was dead. James Oliver Curwood, beloved teller of tales of the beautiful -Canadian Northwest, had passed away. It was an unexpected blow which the -entire world mourned and bitterly regretted. For, in losing Jim Curwood, -no longer could the great tradition of the mighty northlands be upheld. - -Even the Crees, the Chippawayans and the Shiwashes Indian tribes of the -far reaches of the north mourned the loss of the “great white father,” -who to them was “Jeems.” - -The old sourdoughs along the wilderness trails also felt the loss of -Jim’s cheerful presence. The old men of the north whom Jim had invited -down to his Castle on many occasions from the distant reaches felt the -hurt of losing Jim Curwood probably more than anyone else, save that of -his own immediate family. - -The following epitaph appeared along with James Oliver Curwood’s last -article, his last work. It was entitled “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” and was -written and completed but a few days before he was stricken. The -foreword to this article was written by the editor of _American -Magazine_ in the December, 1927, issue, exactly four months after Jim’s -passing. Of all the articles he had ever written, this last one, his -last and final plea for wild life, affected the public most of all. It -was truly his last stand, and a glorious ending it was: - -“James Oliver Curwood is dead. One of the most popular fiction writers -of his generation, one of the most ardent and courageous lovers of -outdoor life, he leaves millions of devoted admirers to mourn him. - -“Only a month before his death, Mr. Curwood sent me this telegram: - -‘Am working on an article for you which I have wanted to write for five -years, and I think it is the best thing I have ever done. Shall have -copy ready to mail you within week. Good wishes.’ - -“But it was nearly a fortnight before the article reached us, for the -author was already in the primary stages of his fatal malady. - -“Almost at the beginning of this, his last article, Mr. Curwood wrote: - -‘When I am ready to enter this most glorious of adventures, the mystery -and privilege of death, I shall need no greater comforts in the first -abysmal moments of its presence than these things—the grass, the -flowers, the beautiful dove on her nest, the voice of the birds, the -rippling song of water, the inspiration and courage of the trees.’ - -“Before that message could be put into type the hand that had written it -lay in eternal rest. - -“These pages hold Mr. Curwood’s final plea for the preservation of our -wildlife, a movement in which he was a veritable crusader. He hated game -hogs, with an undying hatred, because he loved nature with an undying -love. Here you will find, simply and sincerely expressed, his creed of -the wild. - - _The Editor”_ - -Two days after his death, on the fifteenth of August, James Oliver -Curwood was laid to rest in the quiet, peaceful little cemetery of Oak -Hill, in Owosso. - - The Detroit _Free Press_ recorded the ceremony:— - - CURWOOD RITES HELD IN OWOSSO - - Simplicity marks services for noted - author; business at standstill. - - SPECIAL TO FREE PRESS - - Owosso, Mich., Aug. 16—With Governor Fred W. Green, the state - conservation director and several members of the conservation - commission acting as honorary pallbearers, James Oliver Curwood, - author and conservationist, was laid to rest here this afternoon - following funeral services at his home. - - Burial took place in Oak Hill Cemetery, beside the graves of his - parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Moran Curwood. - - The rites were marked by simplicity. - - The home of the author was filled with intimate friends while - hundreds stood about the spacious grounds and streets adjacent - to the residence. State Police led the funeral cortege. Members - of the Shiawassee Conservation Association, of which Mr. Curwood - was a director, attended in a body, as did members of Owosso - Lodge No. 81, F. & A. M., which the author had recently joined. - - Dr. J. Twyson Jones, pastor of the First Congregational Church, - and an intimate friend of the author, in the funeral sermon, - eulogized Curwood as “a man who has written his own eulogy on - the imperishable scroll of undying fame.” - - The pastor said Curwood’s three hobbies were writing, - conservation and social betterment, declaring that “the passive - and selfish politician” did not command Curwood’s respect. Dr. - Jones also paid the writer tribute for the many things he had - done for Owosso, the town of his birth. - - Following the services, the massive copper casket was carried to - the waiting hearse through a line formed by the Masons. - - The cortege moved through the streets lined with sorrowing - fellow townsmen of the author, to the cemetery where, after a - brief service, the body of Owosso’s most distinguished son was - interred. - - Business activities throughout the city were suspended during - the services. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Transcriber’s Note - -Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been preserved. - -Italicized words and phrases in the text version are presented by -surrounding the text with underscores. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the -Wilds, by Hobart Donald Swiggett - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD *** - -***** This file should be named 53834-0.txt or 53834-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/8/3/53834/ - -Produced by Roger Frank, readbueno and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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D. Swiggett—A Project Gutenberg eBook</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 8%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.4em; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.2em; } - h3 { text-align: center; font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.2em; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - sup { vertical-align: top; font-size: 0.6em; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .lg-container-b { text-align: center; } - @media handheld { .lg-container-b { clear: both; } } - .linegroup { display: inline-block; text-align: left; } - @media handheld { .linegroup { display: block; margin-left: 1.5em; } } - .linegroup .group { margin: 1em auto; } - .linegroup .line { text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em; } - div.linegroup > :first-child { margin-top: 0; } - .linegroup .in2 { padding-left: 4.0em; } - div.footnote > :first-child { margin-top: 1em; } - div.footnote p { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; } } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - div.figcenter p { text-align: center; text-indent: 0; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:500px; } - .id002 { width:500px; } - .id003 { width:431px; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:0%; width:100%; } } - @media handheld { .id002 { margin-left:19%; width:62%; } } - @media handheld { .id003 { margin-left:23%; width:53%; } } - .ic002 { width:100%; } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .table0 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; width: 95%; } - .table1 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; width: 70%; } - .table2 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; width: 80%; } - .table3 { margin: auto; width: 80%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - .nf-center-c1 { text-align: left; margin: 1em 0; } - .c000 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c001 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c002 { text-align: right; } - .c003 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c004 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; padding-right: 1em; } - .c005 { vertical-align: bottom; text-align: right; } - .c006 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c007 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c008 { text-align: center; } - .c009 { margin-top: 2em; text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c010 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c011 { text-decoration: none; } - .c012 { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-top: 0.8em; - margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-left: 35%; margin-right: 35%; width: 30%; } - .c013 { margin-left: 5.56%; margin-right: 5.56%; font-size: 90%; text-indent: 1em; - margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the Wilds, by -Hobart Donald Swiggett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the Wilds - -Author: Hobart Donald Swiggett - -Illustrator: J. C. Weber - -Release Date: December 30, 2016 [EBook #53834] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank, readbueno and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c001'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><a id='Page_i'></a>“<i>I never put off until tomorrow what</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>I find hard to-day, for tomorrow rarely</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>brings the needed skill.</i>”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“<i>What little success I have achieved</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>has been pounded out with naked fists</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>through many years of hard work.</i>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c002'><i>James Oliver Curwood</i></div> - -<div class='pbb'> -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><a id='Page_ii'></a><span class='large'><i>THE WORKS OF</i></span></div> - <div><span class='large'><i>JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD</i></span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='84%' /> -<col width='15%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Courage of Captain Plum</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1908</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Wolf Hunters</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1908</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Gold Hunters</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1909</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Great Lakes</span> (<i>Non-Fiction</i>)</td> - <td class='c005'>1909</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Danger Trail</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1910</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>God’s Country—Trail to Happiness</span> (<i>Non-Fiction</i>)</td> - <td class='c005'>1911</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Steele of the Royal Mounted</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1911</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Honor of the Big Snows</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1911</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Flower of the North</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1912</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Isobel</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1913</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Kazan</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1914</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>God’s Country and the Woman</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1915</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Hunted Woman</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1916</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Baree, Son of Kazan</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1917</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Faulkner of the Inland Seas</span> (<i>Short Stories</i>)</td> - <td class='c005'>1917</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Grizzly King</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1917</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Courage of Marge O’Doone</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1918</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Nomads of the North</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1919</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The River’s End</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1919</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Valley of Silent Men</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1920</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Back to God’s Country</span> (<i>Short Stories</i>)</td> - <td class='c005'>1920</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Flaming Forest</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1921</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Golden Snare</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1921</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Alaskan</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1923</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Country Beyond</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1923</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>A Gentleman of Courage</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1924</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Ancient Highway</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1925</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Swift Lightning</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1925</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Plains of Abraham</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1926</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Black Hunter</span></td> - <td class='c005'>1926</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Green Timber</span> <i>Completed by Dorthea A. Bryant</i></td> - <td class='c005'>1930</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Son of the Forests</span> (<i>Autobiography</i>)</td> - <td class='c005'>1930</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Crippled Lady of Peribonka</span> <i>Completed by Dorthea A. Bryant</i></td> - <td class='c005'>1930</td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_iii'></a><img src='images/i_003.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>James Oliver Curwood</i></p> -</div> -</div> -<div> - <a id='Page_iv'></a> - <h1 class='c006'>JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD<br />DISCIPLE OF THE WILDS</h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><i>A Biography by</i></div> - <div><span class='sc'>H. D. Swiggett</span></div> - <div class='c000'><i>Illustrations by</i></div> - <div><span class='sc'>J. C. Weber</span></div> - <div class='c001'>THE PAEBAR COMPANY</div> - <div class='c000'><i>Publishers</i> <i>New York</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <a id='Page_v'></a> - <h3 class='c006'>FIRST EDITION</h3> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><span class='sc'>Copyright</span>, 1943</div> - <div class='c000'>by</div> - <div class='c000'>THE PAEBAR COMPANY</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><i>No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>permission in writing from the publishers, except by a reviewer who</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine</i></div> - <div class='line'><i>or newspaper. Manufactured in the United States of America.</i></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <a id='Page_vi'></a> - <h3 class='c006'>Dedication</h3> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c1'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div>* * * * *</div> - <div class='c001'>TO MY PARENTS</div> - <div class='c001'><i>Mr. & Mrs. William Hobart Swiggett</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c001'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>It is to these two grand people that their son</div> - <div class='line'>graciously dedicates this volume.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>Had it not been for their understanding and</div> - <div class='line'>guiding ways, I could never have attained and</div> - <div class='line'>aspired to my goal in this life.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_vii'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>FOREWORD</h2> -</div> -<div class='lg-container-b c001'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>This is the first biography written on the life of</div> - <div class='line'>the famous novelist, adventurer and conservationist,</div> - <div class='line'>James Oliver Curwood.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>Although Mr. Curwood’s books are still widely read, the</div> - <div class='line'>younger generation knows comparatively little about the</div> - <div class='line'>life of one of the greatest conservationists of all time</div> - <div class='line'>and the man who knew the beautiful Canadian Northwest</div> - <div class='line'>better than any other.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in2'>It is hoped, therefore, that this volume will refresh the</div> - <div class='line'>memory of the past generation and at the same time bring</div> - <div class='line'>something new to the minds of our present young people.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_viii'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='71%' /> -<col width='28%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER ONE</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>The Child Prodigy</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_15'>15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER TWO</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>A Change Comes About</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER THREE</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>The Discoverer</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_44'>44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER FOUR</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>Owosso Schooldays</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER FIVE</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>College Days</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_105'>105</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER SIX</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>Newspaper Work and Early Writings</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_114'>114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER SEVEN</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>With the Detroit News-Tribune</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_122'>122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER EIGHT</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>God’s Country</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_132'>132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER NINE</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>His Brotherhood</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_165'>165</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c008' colspan='2'>CHAPTER TEN</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><i>Trail’s End</i></td> - <td class='c005'><i>Page</i> <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_ix'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table2' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='74%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>James Oliver Curwood</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Frontispiece</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>The following illustrations are contained in</i></div> - <div><i>a special section facing page</i> <a href='#complete'>110</a></div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table3' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='74%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>James Oliver Curwood at the Age of Seven</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page I</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Street Scene</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page II</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Shiawassee River</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page III</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The James Oliver Curwood Castle</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page IV</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Boat Landing, Curwood Castle</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page V</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Just James Oliver Curwood</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page VI</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Mr. and Mrs. James Oliver Curwood</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page VII</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Curwood, Camping in the Yukon</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page VIII</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Curwood, the Writer, in a Corner of His Gun Room</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page IX</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Curwood Before the Cabin Which He Built in the British Columbia Mountains</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page X</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Curwood, the Woodsman</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XI</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>An Unusual, Striking Picture of Curwood</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XII</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Curwood Outfit Going down the Fraser River</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XIII</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Cabin on the Au Sable</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XIV</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Conservation Clubhouse</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XIV</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>The Home of James Oliver Curwood</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XV</td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c004'><span class='sc'>Curwood Grave in Oakhill Cemetery</span></td> - <td class='c005'>Page XVI</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>Pen and Ink Sketches by</i> <span class='sc'>J. C. Weber</span></div> - <div><i>Pages</i> <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_xi'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>My greatest obligation in the preparation of <i>JAMES -OLIVER CURWOOD: DISCIPLE OF THE WILDS</i> is to -Mrs. Ethel Greenwood Curwood, Mr. A. J. Donovan and -Mrs. Fred B. Woodard, of Owosso, Mich., who aided me -immensely in gathering Mr. Curwood’s volumes, documents, -correspondence, photographs, manuscripts and -other material without which it would have been impossible -to produce this biography.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Thanks and appreciation go out also to the following for -help and encouragement:</p> - -<p class='c010'>J. E. Campbell, editor of the <i>Argus-Press</i>, Owosso, Mich.; -John S. Deere; Miss Anne Crum; Dr. Harold D. Webb; -The Conservation Department of the State of Michigan; -the Alumni Catalog Office of the University of Michigan; -Doubleday, Doran and Company, of New York City -(through whose courtesy many quotations have been made -available for publication in this book<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c011'><sup>[1]</sup></a>); C. A. Paquin; -Harold Titus; Miss Olive Hormel, of Owosso; R. K. -Bresnahan, Postmaster and close friend of Curwood’s, at -Roscommon, Mich.; Private George Terashita, Camp -Atterbury, Ind.; James B. Hendry, of Sutton’s Bay, Mich.; -James Hilton, of Hollywood, Calif.; John Bowen, Staff -Writer, <i>Indianapolis Times</i>; Roscommon Civic Club; John -Sellers, of Franklin, Ind.; <i>The Franklin Evening Star</i>; -Robert Todd; James B. Young, Miss Barbara Swiggett, -and to countless others.</p> - -<div class='footnote' id='f1'> -<p class='c010'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. From “Son of the Forest,” by James Oliver Curwood, copyright, -1930, by Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_xii'></a>I also wish to thank the public and state libraries of -Indiana for allowing me the use of material. And it is a -pleasure to express appreciation to the kind people of -Owosso, Mich., to the students of yesteryear at the University -of Michigan, and to the Cree and Chippawayan -Indian tribes in Canada, all of whom knew Mr. Curwood -intimately.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Harvey Jacobs, a newspaperman, is also remembered for -his encouragement and good wishes, and last, but far from -least, Walter Winchell, whose seemingly endless supply of -energy and driving force helped to push me onward in -the task of completing this book.</p> - -<div class='c002'><span class='sc'>H. D. Swiggett</span></div> - -<p class='c010'><i>Au Sable Study</i></p> - -<p class='c010'><i>Franklin, Ind.</i></p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><a id='Page_13'></a><span class='xlarge'>JAMES OLIVER</span></div> - <div><span class='xlarge'>CURWOOD</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_15'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER ONE<br /> <br />THE CHILD PRODIGY</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Little did the stern though kind-hearted citizens of -Owosso, Michigan realize that on the eventful morning -of June 12, 1878, the newly-born second son of James -Moran and Abigail Griffen Curwood would in time -plummet across the literary horizon as the brightest star -to have appeared in years. His name was James Oliver -Curwood.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From the outset the parents had trouble with their -new son, finding it very difficult to please his childish -desires. Perhaps ancestry had a bearing here, and if it -did, it may all be traced back to the thrilling career of -the famous Captain Frederick A. Marrayat, great seaman -and popular novelist of yesteryear. He was the lad’s -great-uncle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jimmie Curwood’s birth took place in the days when -Owosso was a small town of some eight thousand population, -and trees grew in the center of the streets. It -was that era of the nineteenth century when livestock -and fowl were free to roam about the city at will, and -the horse and buggy played an important part in the -development of transportation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Likewise so it was in that district of Owosso known -as West Town. It was in this particular part of town -<a id='Page_16'></a>that Jimmie Curwood played so much with his friends -(bad though they were), and came forth from bitter -schoolboy battles unscathed. Later in life he remarked -about West Town in the following manner:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Had I continued to live in West Town at Owosso, -I might have become a genius, but Fate determined a -change was advisable when I was six years old.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The city of Owosso today is far removed from what it -was in the childhood days of James Oliver Curwood. -Today luxurious homes line the paved streets and tall -buildings dot the skyline where once stood low flat -ones. Beautiful homes have filled up the empty spaces -that were once wide within the city limits, but that -same feeling and general atmosphere of drowsiness persists -just as it did fifty years ago.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tall, stately trees line the smooth streets and many -automobiles traverse these thoroughfares where once the -old horse and buggy moved slowly along.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Today Owosso is in the very heart of the Michigan -vacationland. Running practically through the very center -of the city is the smooth flowing Shiawassee river, better -known as “Sparkling Waters.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Although Owosso has grown in population from eight -to fifteen thousand since Jim Curwood’s birth and boyhood -days, her people remain very much the same as they -were then.</p> - -<p class='c010'>West Town! A haven for growing children and a -headache for grownups. It was here in West Town that -Jimmie Curwood grew up and also where he all but -drove his very patient parents insane with his juvenile -rascality.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With his chum, Charlie Miller, it seems that there -<a id='Page_17'></a>was hardly anything the pair of them would not attempt -to do. Stealing fruit and playing “hookey” from school -were just a few among the many items that always kept -the good citizens of Owosso on the constant alert.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They fished, hunted and trapped all along the banks -of the Shiawassee, which flows through the city in a -great sweeping bend (when they really should have been -in school). The river is flanked on either side by some -of the most perfectly shaped trees that man has ever -looked upon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jimmie and Charlie often staged and executed raids -upon the fruit stands of old Mike Gazzera. Then as -they would run away with their plunder tucked safely -beneath their dirty blouses they would glance back and -see the grey-headed old Italian shaking his fist at them -and threatening them with all types of punishment. Fortunately -enough for both, old Mike thought far too much -of them and never actually carried out his plans of chastisement.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Probably the one outstanding characteristic of Jim -Curwood as a young boy was the fact that he was seldom -if ever clean of face or clothing. Try as she might to -keep her bewildering offspring clean, his dear old mother -seldom succeeded for much more than an hour or two -at a time. For immediately after having been thoroughly -cleaned up young Jimmie would head for the nearest -schoolboy fight or the dirtiest part of West Town and -proceed to get himself dirty again. Indeed he was a -child prodigy and therein lies the reason for the old -saying, which is sad but true: “why mothers get gray.” -It is indeed no wonder that the townspeople would oft-times -shake their heads and sigh:</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_18'></a>“Them two’ll never amount to a hill of beans.” But -Jimmie and Charlie amazed and fooled them all.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At the rather seedy, uneventful and undecided age of -five years, when a youngster wants to be everything -from a minister of the gospel to heavyweight boxing -champion of the world, both Jimmie’s and Charlie’s -parents decided that their sons should embark upon -some sort of careers. Before Jimmie was born, his -parents had decided what their second son would do for -his life’s work. They had chosen music and the classics -for him; Charlie’s parents had chosen literature and -the arts for him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So for a short while Jimmie practiced his music lessons -but soon gave them up as hopeless, as did his parents, -for the lad hated music lessons at that age with an undying -hatred. As far as Charlie’s future in the field of -literature was concerned, he too abandoned his parents’ -choice.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many things enter into the course of a child’s life -even as they do with a grown-up, and consequently the -career of a musician for Jimmie did not materialize. -Instead the lad developed into one of the world’s foremost -authors and conservationists of his time. It was -Charlie Miller who became quite adept as an accomplished -musician.</p> - -<hr class='c012' /> - -<p class='c010'>With the surrender of Lord Cornwallis came a man -of adventurous spirit and Dutch descent into the land of -the Mohawks and the Oneidas. As he journeyed through -this country making friends with the Indian tribes, he -chanced upon and fell madly in love with a beautiful -Mohawk princess from a little village near the head -<a id='Page_19'></a>waters of the Canada river. As to her name, it has not -been learned, but as to her beauty, all the men and -women of those days readily vouched. For she was as -tall and as slender as the most delicate reed. The tiny -moccasins which covered her feet were the smallest ever -seen by her tribe. Indeed, she was the pride and joy of -that village of Mohawks and of all tribes who had seen -her as she roamed the forests.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood’s mother very distinctly remembers seeing -this wilderness beauty. At that time Mrs. Curwood -was but a child of ten and the lovely Indian princess -was well past her eightieth birthday.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Her beauty was indeed bewitching and all white men, -as well as the redman who had set eyes upon her loveliness, -fell in love with her. Her hair was long, black and -radiantly glossy. The shoes she wore upon her feet were -so small that Jim’s mother, then but ten years of age, -could not have put her feet into them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was the adventurous Dutchman wandering through -the Mohawk region shortly after the Cornwallis surrender -who married the Indian princess. This man was Jim Curwood’s -phlegmatic great grandfather, an adventurer of -the old school who ended up by marrying an Indian -chief’s daughter. It is little wonder that young Jimmie -became such a carefree, vagabond lover of the deep -forests. Indian blood flowed deep within his veins and -throughout his entire life the forests, the streams and the -lakes were his home despite the fact that he owned a -mansion in the very heart of civilization.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after the blond Dutchman had wooed and won -his princess, there was born in England a man who later -became a great naval officer in the Queen’s navy and a -<a id='Page_20'></a>world famous writer of sea tales. A man who delved -deeply into his memories and imagination to spin yarns -of thrilling adventure on the land as well as on the swelling -sea. His name was Captain Frederick Marrayat. That -famous personage turned out to be a great-uncle of Jim -Curwood’s.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several years later it was these same stories of adventure, -gallant battles and of brave men, which -caused a lad named James to run away to sea and come -to America in search of adventure and thrills. When he -left England, he never returned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Upon landing in America young James fought in the -Civil War, where fighting blood ran fast and free. Here -was what he had been searching for and at last he had -found it. Years later that man became the father of Jim -Curwood.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The little house in which Jimmie Curwood first saw -the light of day no longer stands. Some time ago the -two-story frame building was razed and so far no other -construction has been erected in its place. However, a -marker has been placed there, showing that it was on this -particular lot that James Oliver Curwood had been born -many years ago.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As time went on the two youngsters, Jimmie and -Charlie, still persisted in getting into more and more -mischief. People were beginning to shake their heads -in disapproval and consequently Mr. and Mrs. Curwood -began wondering what they should do to curb their son’s -mischievous habits. For hardly without fail when anyone -saw Jimmie, son of a shoe repair man, and Charlie, son -of a saloon keeper, he was almost always sure to see -something happen.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_21'></a>Both boys always ran about barefooted (something -which you seldom see today), with dirty faces, hands -and clothing, with no crowns in their hats whatsoever. -It is little wonder that Jimmie’s hair became bleached -by the sun and his face gathered a harvest of freckles.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As youngsters most children have peculiar ambitions, -but those of Jimmie Curwood’s as a lad of seven were -outstanding among childhood desires. It seems that his -ambitions were just one or two paces behind his vivid -imagination. For some day he hoped that he might be -wealthy enough to buy an entire stock of bananas at -one time. Then and only then would he be fully able to get -his complete fill of the fruit he loved so well. His second -ambition was to ride astride the large bustle worn by -Kate Russell to Sunday church. Miss Russell was a cook -at the combination saloon-hotel which was operated and -owned by Charlie Miller’s father.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Despite all the obstacles that confronted them, Mr. and -Mrs. Curwood were perhaps two of the happiest people -in all of Owosso. They had a fine family and Mr. Curwood -was making a fairly comfortable living with his shoe-cobbling -shop. They had no luxuries, for they could not -afford them, but they did have all the necessities that made -for a comfortable happy life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Regardless of how honored and respected Mr. and Mrs. -Curwood were in their home town, the townspeople still -continued to frown upon the antics of the Curwood and -Miller children. Was there ever to be an end to all of this -childhood devilment? This was the thought that plagued -the minds of the citizens of Owosso when the great change -came about.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_22'></a>Business began to grow bad for Mr. Curwood at his -cobbling shop and after long deliberation he decided -to sell out and purchase a farm somewhere. He received -many offers for his shop “as it stood,” and so after a -great deal of bickering he at last managed to get a fairly -decent price and it was announced to Owosso that it -would soon be rid of one of her two “Tom Sawyers.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Although he had kept it from his family all along, -Mr. Curwood at last told them one night in the dead of -winter. He had made the down payment on a farm down -in Ohio, located near the villages of Vermillion, Joppa -and Florence in Erie County.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was to be a new life for them and since business -had slacked off to such a point that he could barely -make a decent living, both Mr. and Mrs. Curwood felt -that he had made a good investment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next day Mrs. Curwood, Jimmie, his sister Cora -and brother Edward began preparing to leave their old -home. With what money he had received from the sale -of his shop, Mr. Curwood paid all of his debts and at -last had all of his business interests straightened out. -Even though he was left with very little to begin his new -life, he paid every bill which the family owed in Owosso.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few days later the family began its pilgrimage -to the new land of Ohio.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The little backwood’s town of Owosso thought a -great deal of James Moran and Abigail Griffen Curwood -and sorely hated to see them depart, despite the fact -that they were taking with them one of the town’s biggest -trouble makers. Still, regardless of what their outward -appearances were toward Jimmie, deep within their hearts -the neighbors and all who knew him, loved him.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_23'></a>The move from Michigan into Ohio was later to prove -the most important change in all of young Jim Curwood’s -life. Many things were to happen, many events to take -place within the next five years that none of the Curwood -family ever dreamed would happen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the family of five arrived at their little farm -located not far from the cross-roads village of Joppa, -it was in deep winter and their forty acres were covered -with snow. The head of the family was highly elated -over the prospects of his “sight-unseen” purchase and -at once began making plans for it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was not until the arrival of spring, when the snows -had cleared away, that Jimmie’s father found that he -had purchased something which more closely resembled -a stone quarry than a farm. As far as one could see -there were nothing but stones and boulders all over the -forty acres of his land.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One can easily imagine the thoughts that came into the -elderly Mr. Curwood’s mind as he gazed out upon what -he thought was to be his salvation. Instead of rich, fertile -farmland, he had purchased a practically worthless land -of stones.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One night at the supper table Mr. Curwood called -upon his children to help him more than he had expected -them to. The stones must be picked up and stacked in -piles and the work of doing so must be left to the -two young sons, monotonous, laborious and endless as -it must have seemed to them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jimmie hated his daily task of picking up rocks from -sunup to sundown, but he had enough foresight to realize -that he had a job to do that must be done. So together, -day in and day out, Jimmie and Ed picked up -<a id='Page_24'></a>stones. Picked them up so their father could plough the -fields and till the soil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Life now was drab for Jimmie. Gone were the glorious, -carefree days along the banks of the Shiawassee. In their -place had come the ceaseless task of picking up stones -and rolling huge boulders out of the way. No longer -had he the ambition to ride astride Kate Russell’s huge -bustle, nor to own a whole stock of bananas. Just as any -young boy of seven years would feel, Jimmie hated and -dreaded work, and especially this type. It seemed that the -more stones he and his brother Ed would pick up, the -more there were. For with every furrow that their father’s -plough would turn over, there would always appear a -fresh supply of rocks, both large and small.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The two boys piled stones into great stacks higher -than their heads; they constructed stone fences and they -piled rocks until there were stacks actually higher than -the farmhouse itself. There were great heaps of stones -all over the forty acres of land. As a matter of fact there -was hardly enough room left to break up the ground -anew and plant crops. It was rapidly and most assuredly -developing into a serious situation. Then, suddenly, relief -came from an unexpected source.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The highway department of Erie county came to their -rescue and took 3,000 loads of the stones at ten cents a -load. For at that time the county needed stones for road -repair and for numerous other repair jobs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the arrival of summer came long hard months -of hot, back-breaking toil. Jimmie and Ed wore thick, -hard callouses upon their hands, their backs seemed as -if they were about to break, and the sun bronzed them -until they began to look like Indians. Many times during -<a id='Page_25'></a>the long three summer months Jimmie became overheated -by the sun and fell in his tracks in that summer -of ’85. But work had to be done if success in their new -venture of farming was to be accomplished. There was -little grumbling from anyone now with the realization that -they must work and save if they were to live during the -coming winter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Directly across the road from the Curwood farm stood -the home of Hiram Fisher, a kindly old farmer, who had -developed a beautiful homesite and whose yard was filled -with maple and pine trees.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Fisher family was not as large as the Curwood’s, -for there was but one child, a very lovely daughter named -Jeanne who was young Jimmie’s superior by five years. -Perhaps her outstanding characteristic was the beautiful -brown hair which fell in glossy waves down to her trim -and fragile shoulders. It was the most lovely head of hair -that Jimmie or his family had ever set eyes upon. It -is indeed odd that a boy as young as he was should -take much notice of a girl’s hair, but its bewitching beauty -made him secretly admire it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She would always part it in the middle and let it -flow down to her shoulders in long flowing tresses. She -was gloriously beautiful for her age.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As time went on and Jeanne and Jimmie became better -acquainted, he adopted a nickname for her that was to -remain with her all the days of her life. He affectionately -called her “Whistling Jeanne,” because of the beautiful -tunes she whistled almost constantly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She alone was the inspiration which helped Jimmie to -hold his head high when he felt blue or useless. For -Jeanne offered him companionship, untiring encouragement -<a id='Page_26'></a>and wonderful guidance. She inspired him to greater -things in life. Jimmie often was heard to make that -remark both as a child and later as a grown man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was about the time that Jeanne was nearing her -twelfth birthday and Jimmie his seventh, that this thought -came to him:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No matter how hard the work is, and no matter -what it might be, I shall always do my task thoroughly.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The stones that he had picked up all spring and -summer finally set Jimmie to serious thinking. Every now -and then after he had worked an hour or two, he would -walk over to a shade tree nearby and sit down to mop -the grime and perspiration from his brow. Then he -would look out over the long, fertile fields that were -once not so fertile and resolve that he could do anything -that he should set out to do, if only he would -adjust and drive himself toward it. The look in his -young eyes denoted that of an adventurer. The eyes -for thrills and dangers of the unknown. Even at the -age of seven years, young James Oliver Curwood had -begun to wonder what lay just over the brink of the -next ridge.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then, as if no such thoughts had even come to him, -he would return to his task of piling stones; but as he -worked he would experience a thrill, a feeling such as -he had never known before as he stooped down to pick -up the fragments of boulders. True, it was monotonous -there in the hot broiling sun, but to Jimmie, there now -was something creative in that piling up of rocks—something -of which he was justly proud.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I experienced a greater thrill when I had done three -piles than I did when I had but accomplished two.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_27'></a>With the arrival of fall and early winter, James Curwood -saw that the work his sons and he had done had -been a success. His crops had all turned out good and -his farm was now a thing of beauty instead of a stone -quarry. It was quite obvious that the hard labor and toil -his sons and he had administered had not been in vain. -Mr. Curwood being an honest and God-fearing man, -thanked his Maker for his family’s salvation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Each afternoon that winter after a hard day’s work, -“the three men of the family” would trudge up to the -small, white house to be greeted by the good mother -and a meal of wholesome, plain, but substantial food.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Curwood home was small, warm and comfortable, -even though humble. The important item was that the -little family was happy in its new home. In those days -there were no electric lights, telephones, radios or motion -pictures or even automobiles. So it was only natural -that the fine Curwoods always were close to the “home -fires.” Though meager and humble their home, no other -family could have been happier.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They used the old type of Lion Brand coffee at two -pounds for a quarter, and the usual stick of candy -once a month or so. They had plenty of eggs and bread, -for Mrs. Curwood raised hens and young chickens. Above -all else, the neighbors nearby thought the world of the -Curwoods and considered them “real, down-to-earth country -people.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the winter of 1886 at last settled over them, Jimmie’s -father and his family settled down to a long, cold winter, -snug and secure in their own home, which by now was -nearly paid for. The migration to Ohio had proved itself -successful in every respect. No longer did Jimmie -<a id='Page_28'></a>persist in his childish devilment, for there was neither -the place nor the time for it.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_29'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER TWO<br /> <br />A CHANGE COMES ABOUT</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>At the beginning of the winter of 1886 Jimmie found -a new friend in Clarence “Skinny” Hill, a new boy who -had moved into the neighborhood. Despite this newly -formed friendship, “Whistling Jeanne” remained Jimmie’s -great comfort. For no matter how tired he might -be at the end of the day he could always turn to her -for encouragement and fun.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Usually their nightly visits would begin just as darkness -would settle over the Ohio countryside. In the winter -they would sit before the great open fireplace and talk -and plan. By summer they would be sitting on the Fisher’s -front porch steps and watch the sun sink beneath the -western horizon and twilight creep upon the world.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For it was there on the Fisher front steps that Jimmie -and his Jeanne would dream and plan for the future. -Many are the nights that these two were to be found -there, with Jeanne telling him what would be the wisest -thing to do and how to set about doing it. He always -listened attentively and throughout his life he never forgot -what she told him. To him her words were words -of wisdom and law, and he knew she was right. She never -told him anything that wasn’t true. Of this he was sure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was just about this time in Jimmie Curwood’s life -<a id='Page_30'></a>that everything which was to prove itself worthwhile -later in his life’s work began to unfold.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through constant reading, thinking and planning he -had developed a mania for wanting to see stories of his -own in print by setting the words down himself. Many -were the times that his parents would have to speak to him -a dozen or more times a night in order to get him to -turn out the lights and go to bed. Seldom did Jimmie -mind them on this account if he could get around it, for -by now he was deeply engrossed in his childish writing -career.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As for his ravenous reading, the boy could not put a -book down until he had read completely through it and -thoroughly understood it. He craved to express himself -on paper and tried desperately to develop characters -such as those of famous writers whose stories he had -read.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His appreciative sense of good writing at that age was -truly unusual.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Like every other youngster Jimmie had to have his -play as well as his work. Thus his playtime had to cut -in on his writing somewhat. So he alternated his time -between Jeanne, Skinny, his writing and his working -hours. Through this routine he managed to keep himself -quite busy throughout the day. At times he felt as if -he had too much to do, but still he enjoyed it all for -life had taken on a new meaning.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As each succeeding day passed by the little farm began -to mean more to him than just a place in the country -where hard labor was prevalent; it became, instead, a -place where one’s creative and imaginative powers -could function more properly. At that age little Jimmie -<a id='Page_31'></a>Curwood, the former “Tom Sawyer” of Owosso, was -hoping for solitude so that he could think more clearly -and thus be able to turn his characters into more -lifelike people.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The remainder of that year passed rather uneventfully -until the day of his eighth birthday. On that day his -father presented him with his first gun, a brand new -rifle.</p> - -<hr class='c012' /> - -<p class='c010'>The most amusing and yet the most serious incident -that occurred in all of Jimmie’s young life while on the -farm in Ohio, was the night that he “got religion.” He -was nine years old.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seems that a certain “Parson Brown” was holding -revival meetings at the little town of Joppa, which was -just a mile distant from the Curwood farm. Jimmie decided -to see what it was all about. He had heard his parents -speak of “the meetings” that were being held in Joppa, -quite often. That night he trudged across the open fields, -half afraid and hardly knowing what to expect.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That night at Joppa, in the little country church as -the excitement grew to a fever’s pitch, Jimmie sat back -and listened intently until he could no longer suppress -himself. He jumped up from his seat and ran to the -front of the church proclaiming that he had been saved -and that the Holy Ghost had entered his body and soul.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Young Jimmie was truly inspired and this incident -played an important part in his later life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Until that moment his ideas concerning God and -Heaven above had been practically the same as those of -any other normal boy or girl. That heaven was just a -place where all good people go, and that God was -<a id='Page_32'></a>their protector. Tonight all this was changed and at the -age of nine years Jimmie Curwood had already found God. -It was a wonderful thing for this lad to be able to do, -and it must have remained as an inspiration with him -all the days of his life. Little did he realize, however, the -predicament it would get him into in the days to come.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At that meeting when he rushed to the front of the -church to Parson Brown proclaiming his faith and his -belief, all eyes, of which there were many, were focused -upon the figure of the small boy. Pleasing smiles came -to every face when they discovered that a small boy was -claiming his Maker. It was a wonderful sight as the -Parson led the congregation in prayer and in song for -the young boy as he knelt there before the improvised -altar. This was the important thing in his young life -that led Jim Curwood to the heights of success he later -attained. For he admitted to the public many years later -this same admission of faith.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It was only through God Almighty that I have -reached the pinnacle of fame and success that I have.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after the meeting had been adjourned, with -the usual benediction, Jimmie cut across the fields and -through the dark woods that he had heretofore been -afraid to cross at night. He felt no fear, for the spirit -of the Holy Ghost was strong within him. He was reported -to have said a few days later:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“An angel went with me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>From all indications one is led to believe that the angel -that guided and went with him was none other than the -lovely Jeanne Fisher.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The following morning Jimmie awakened still feeling -strong with the religious spirit.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_33'></a>He felt strong with the spirit which had entered -his body the night before and he wanted the whole -world to know all about it. Little did he realize the -blow that his inflated and loving disposition was to receive -in a short time. His parents thought it fine for -this thing to have happened to their son, but at the -same time felt that other people might object to it. Unfortunately -enough, Jimmie could not control himself and -so to his schoolmates he told of his wonderful experience. -As he spoke of the new faith that had become his, -his schoolmates promptly laughed in his face.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ha! Ha! You’re crazy, Jimmie Curwood. You’re -crazy!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then everyone took up the chant. On that day Jimmie -found himself involved in a total of five different fights, -for he could not stand to have anyone say that he was -crazy because he believed in something which was wonderful -and something which had taken possession of his -mind, body and soul. However, like all youngsters -eventually come to find, Jimmie found that the flesh is -weaker than the soul. From that day forth Jimmie was -still given drubbings from time to time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During those hectic days one person other than his -family stood beside him to comfort and advise him. -That person was his “Whistling Jeanne.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Days lengthened into weeks and weeks into months -and still Jimmie continued to pick up stones on his -father’s farmlands; stones that were to later prove themselves -to be “worth their weight in gold.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The longer he remained at his daily task the more -his air castles grew. His vivid imagination gave rise to -dreams and hopes of greater things. All his visions and -<a id='Page_34'></a>plans were strictly private and no one was allowed to -interfere with the young creative artist’s dreams. Not even -little Jeanne nor his pal Skinny was allowed to pierce -their sacred portals. What he felt, what he dreamed of, -and what he planned to do were all sacred thoughts -and now vitally important to this nine-and-one-half year -old lad.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Long after the usual supper hour had been completed -Jimmie would go to his room to think and to plan and -to write. Many were the times that his mother had to -beg her puzzling offspring to put his books aside and -go to bed in order to get the proper amount of rest. -Jimmie’s mind was thoroughly made up and he was -really intent upon what he was working for and seeking -so desperately.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For six months or so Jimmie Curwood continued with -his writing of his childish though well-meant blood and -thunder stories, stories which he believed were truly fine.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It really did not matter to him upon what kind of -paper he set his stories down, just so long as they -were written. He would pick up wrapping paper and -cut it into squares, or else if nothing else was available -he would write his stories on tissue paper which came -in shoe boxes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As fast as he would complete one of his “swift moving, -red-blooded yarns,” he would carefully file it away as -best as any young schoolboy could possibly do. Writing -was in his blood and it was taking complete possession -of his every thought and action.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was only after he had completed some twenty -“thrillers” that he brought the entire stack down from -his room and asked his parents if he might read his -<a id='Page_35'></a>stories to them. There naturally was no hesitation on -their part, for they were anxious to see their youngest -child pursue a career such as he was now doing. So -for several hours Jimmie’s parents were silent as their -“pride and joy” went on with his avid reading. That -night the boy read through the entire stack of manuscripts, -taking some three hours and a half to complete the -job. When he had finished his father walked over to -him at the far end of the long kitchen table.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’re going to get there, Jimmie boy, you’re going -to get there. Just you keep at it!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boy smiled, for those few words of encouragement -meant a great deal to one who wanted to be a great -writer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He silently picked up his stories, went to his room -and filed them away again. Hardly five minutes had -elapsed before he was back at his improvised desk to -start work on a new story.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At twelve-thirty that night the boy at last put away -his pencils and his papers and went to bed. Rather late -for a young, growing boy to retire, but his heart and -soul were really in his newly-found work. With the coming -day he was to have one of his greatest childhood -surprises.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the next day’s mail came the wonderful news that -Jimmie’s sister Amy, who had remained behind in her -own home in Owosso when the family had gone to -Ohio, was coming to visit them. Since he had not seen -Amy for a long time he was indeed overjoyed at the -prospects of her home-coming. Three days passed until -she at last arrived. Only a few short seconds after she -had entered the house, Jimmie remarked:</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_36'></a>“Gosh, Amy, you’ve changed!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Almost from the very beginning of her visit Jimmie -began telling her of his stories and shyly asked her to -help him. He wanted her to read them and to tell him -just what she really thought. Sister Amy’s interest in her -younger brother’s career as a forthcoming author was -not casual, but really of great concern.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She did everything in her power as a woman and -as a sister to encourage her kid brother and to help him -in every way possible. She even went so far as to check -his make shift manuscripts for the errors in punctuation, -sentence structure and spelling.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the greatest step she took in the furthering -of her brother’s career was to arouse the interest of Fred -Janette, great newspaperman and contributor to <i>Golden -Days</i> magazine.</p> - -<p class='c010'>To Jimmie this “introduction” was nothing short of a -miracle. To get the great Fred Janette interested in his -writings was indeed a mighty step toward his future -as an author.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now with the noted journalist interested in him, together -with his sister’s constant coaxing, Jimmie was at -last persuaded to send one of his seemingly impossible -creations to the editor of <i>Happy Hours</i> magazine. Amy -knew her brother’s work was not of literary quality but -merely wanted to see the editor’s reaction and just how -the manuscript would be treated. So the hand-written -story was posted and within a few days, as was expected, -the postman returned it with a neatly printed rejection -slip attached to it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The feature of it all was that the slip bore words -of kind encouragement to the aspiring author. For the -<a id='Page_37'></a>editor of <i>Happy Hours</i> realized that a child had submitted -the script and had judged it accordingly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The little pink slip assured the boy that if he would -keep everlastingly at it he would eventually succeed in -having his stories published. From that time on his -rapidly maturing mind was on nothing else save that of -writing. School and work entered into his everyday -routine, of course, but even while he was attending to -these duties he still was thinking of writing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>To add to his happiness he received in the mail one -day a letter from Fred Janette himself asking the boy to -send him one of his stories. Jimmie was jubilant. The -very next day Amy mailed out one of her brother’s very -best manuscripts which she herself had transcribed for -legibility.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several days elapsed before the anxiously waiting Curwood -family received any word on the judgment of -Jimmie’s story. Eventually it came through. Mr. Janette -was returning the manuscript but on the fly leaf was the -following inscription:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Keep at it, fellow, you cannot fail!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Those words meant a great deal to Jimmie, and the -manuscript bearing those words remains today, yellow -with age, in Curwood Castle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now satisfied that she had helped her brother as best -she could, Amy returned to Owosso.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that moment hence Jimmie Curwood could not -be held down in the reaching of his ultimate goal. Guided -by that ever present desire to become wealthy, famous -and to create his own characters on his own pages in -his own stories, Jimmie Curwood probably never knew -exactly when to quit writing once he had commenced. -<a id='Page_38'></a>He drove himself unmercifully toward that which he -desired so much. It seems almost unreasonable to think -that a lad of his age was capable of such determination, -but facts cannot be denied or doubted. Inspiration is -one thing, while encouragement and help is still another. -That which he knew so well could not be suppressed. -It was there within him, germinating his mind, tormenting -his soul.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It has often been said that a suppressed thought in -the mind of a creative writer is the worst possible thing -for him to endure. He may endure all the hardships -of life that are thrown in his path, but a suppressed -idea or thought germinating in his mind, is fiendish torture. -Such must have undoubtedly been the case of -Jimmie Curwood at that young age.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Although Amy had returned to Owosso she wrote -her brother every week, sending him hope and inspiration. -Fred Janette from time to time wrote to the boy urging -him to keep at his work. Even between times in his -writing as Jimmie would be picking up stones again -or else at some other type of farm labor, he experienced -thrills that he had not known before. He knew he was -accomplishing something, creating that which no one -could destroy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he continued piling stone on stone and as they -began to take form, Jimmie imagined that they were -great castles which held gallant princes and lovely princesses. -He envisioned heroes who possessed more courage -and more valor than any other earthly mortal. They -fought long, hard, bitter battles, always to be victorious -in the end. The developing of this vivid imagination at -<a id='Page_39'></a>this early age in life was one of the direct causes for -Jimmie’s rise to fame.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For the first time since his dreams and plans had -begun to materialize, Jimmie at last shared his ideas -with his “Whistling Jeanne.” She knew all of his -fondest hopes and his aspirations, and she prayed for -him and fought for him in many of his schoolboy tussles.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She alone stood up for him because he was so much -smaller than the majority of the other boys and she was -old enough and capable enough to manage most of them. -She stood up for him when she knew he was wrong. -She even talked Mrs. Curwood out of a great deal of -spankings that were due the lad and which he surely -would have received had it not have been for her. Although -five years his senior, Jimmie looked upon her -as being of his own age and even younger, perhaps.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It might be said that Jimmie Curwood had loved -Jeanne in his own silent, youthful, schoolboy way. He -adored, in silent worship, her great blue eyes, her thick -braids of radiant brown hair and her flawless complexion. -As a matter of fact everyone loved little Jeanne Fisher, -but as Jim Curwood once said later in life:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Everyone loved her, but none so devoutly as I.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the winter of 1884 when James Curwood and his -family moved into the little farm in Ohio, Jeanne Fisher -took it upon herself to see that the Curwoods became her -friends. The lovely Jeanne was lonely and needed friendships -besides those of schoolmates.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For, from the time school was dismissed in the afternoon -until the following morning, she was entirely alone -with her parents. No playmates, no neighbors lived within -a mile of her home.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_40'></a>So when the Curwoods came, Jeanne quickly presented -herself. It was a strange new land to Jimmie as well as -to his parents and consequently they all welcomed her -friendly approach. She tried and she succeeded in making -the young boy feel at home in his new neighborhood. -From that time on, nothing save death could separate -the pair.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By the nickname of “Whistling Jeanne,” one would -be led to believe that the girl was a “tom-boy,” and so -she was, to a certain extent. Her kindness for Jimmie, -however, would surely tempt one to believe to the contrary. -For when Jimmie nicknamed her “Whistling -Jeanne,” he did so because he loved to hear her incessant -whistling. She would whistle regardless of how -much trouble she might be in, or no matter how low her -spirits might be. At times she was very much a young -lady of the first rank; but she could become a regular -“tom-boy” if the occasion called for it. She was a swift -runner, a good tree climber, an excellent shot with a -rifle and she could put up as good a fight as most boys -of her own age are capable of. Still she was every inch -a young lady. Quiet and refined as the occasion demanded. -She did not believe in being inactive, believing that one -should keep one’s body as well as one’s mind occupied.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Only a few short months after Jimmie had launched -himself on a literary career Jeanne’s guiding influence was -tossed to the four winds by the reckless, though well-meaning, -lad. For at that time he came under the influence -and thumb of the school bully. Everything that -could have happened to a schoolboy who was being led -astray happened to Jimmie Curwood. He was now almost -eleven years of age while Jeanne was nearly sixteen.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_41'></a>One morning during the first semester of school Jimmie -made a terrible mistake in one of his lessons as well as -having been guilty of a boyish misdemeanor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jimmie Curwood, if you don’t correct yourself and -apologize for your intended error, I shall box your ears,” -the elderly lady teacher informed him. Sitting directly -behind him was the school bully.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On more than one occasion he had caused trouble -and he was once again up to his old pranks. He whispered -to Jimmie and told him just what to do. It is at -this age that young boys get to feel pretty important -if they can hold the limelight for a while.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At first Jimmie hesitated, but when the bully called him -a coward, he blurted out:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You don’t dare to do it!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The entire classroom instantly became ghastly silent, -for the students realized only too well that this meant -trouble. They also knew that the bully was directing -Jimmie and he too was afraid of what the consequences -might be.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The lady teacher demanded that Jimmie come immediately -to the front of the room. The boy was timid -and afraid, but at the same time he admired the bully -for his brawn and straight-forward actions. Urged on, -Jimmie got up from his seat and moved slowly toward -his teacher. As he stood there in front of her “the bombshell -exploded.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The good teacher informed him of his punishment and -then, following the instructions and directions of the -over-grown boy, Jimmie proceeded to give his teacher -a very sound drubbing, much to the bully’s delight. Not -<a id='Page_42'></a>only was the teacher chagrined, but she was touched and -hurt deeply.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the hectic battle, which Jimmie nearly lost because -of his teacher’s extra poundage, only the bully congratulated -him. The others said nothing. Then, like most -boys after committing a wrong, Jimmie came to his -senses, apologized and received his punishment like a -man. In due course, the elder Curwood learned of his -son’s escapade, and he, too, acted accordingly. Eventually -Jimmie returned to school and apologized for the second -time to his teacher. Needless to say she realized that -Jimmie felt it had all been his fault. She accepted his -apology and reinstated him in school.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Unfortunately, however, this did not end the boy’s associations -with the prodigious bully. Once again, after -much coaxing, the bully took him in hand. In order to -increase his prestige in the younger boy’s eyes, the older -and larger lad proceeded to thoroughly trounce a big, -strapping German boy. All of this occurred just a few -days after the first escapade. Once more the light of adoration -began to shine in Jimmie’s eyes. This reoccurrence -of the friendship fortunately led to one of the greatest -turning points in Jim Curwood’s entire life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many adventures take place in the life of a young -boy, but seldom do they come as thick and fast as they -did to Jimmie. For soon after all the excitement died -down at school, young Jimmie discovered a revolver of -small caliber that belonged to his mother, and so he -brought it to school with him one day. This added to -his prestige, but in a minor sort of way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His exhibition of the weapon was met with sighs and -glances of amazement by the students but none dared -<a id='Page_43'></a>inform the teacher of what they had seen. They all realized -the consequences if they were caught as informers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during the afternoon of that early spring day -that Jimmie secured permission to leave the schoolroom -for a few minutes. Upon arriving outside he noticed -two girls leaving an outhouse building. Ideas began popping -in his imaginative young mind and so he promptly -began firing the pistol above their heads. The effect could -not have been worse had he struck them, for the girls -were thrown into nervous hysteria.</p> - -<p class='c010'>If Jimmie thought that he had received dire punishment -for his earlier prank, he was indeed badly mistaken. He -had not realized the dangerous folly he had let himself -in for. He was punished more thoroughly than ever before -by school officials. But the worst was yet to come from -his parents, as the boy fully realized.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he escaped from the small crowd that had gathered -on the school grounds and with head hanging low, Jimmie -slunk across the fields toward home, sorely afraid and -indeed bewildered at the trouble he had caused. His mind -began to run wild as it had in his adventure stories. It -kept telling him over and over that this was the end. -There was no possible means of escape.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_44'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER THREE<br /> <br />THE DISCOVERER</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Many devilish thoughts plagued the eleven year old -Jimmie’s mind as he hurriedly made his way across the -fields to his home. What was going to happen to him? -What would his parents do to him? Jimmie was afraid -and he had just cause to be so.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The very thing which he had done led the boy to believe -that they hanged people or else shot them for such -actions. He did not stop to think that he had not killed -anyone, yet his child’s mind told him differently. He had -brought disgrace down upon the good name of his family, -and forever upon himself. And above all else, he did not -want to be hanged. It really seemed to the boy that the -end of the world was near for him and that there was -nothing that could save him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He was hardly a hundred yards from home when he -almost burst out crying, but he refrained from doing so -for he felt that he was too much of a man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then Jimmie thought of escape.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Only his sister Cora was in the house. And she did not -see Jimmie until he had packed all that he felt he needed -for his trip “away from the good old home.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Among the possessions which he had gathered up were -his hunting knife, a butcher knife, fishing tackle and a -<a id='Page_45'></a>very small parcel of food. The quantity of food which -young Jimmie had packed up was hardly enough for -more than two meals at the most. Also it did not occur -to him to take more than the clothing upon his back. -In his mind he kept telling himself that he never would -return. But at this time there was but one thought that -stuck in his mind. That thought was to put as much -distance as possible between the schoolhouse and himself. -Just as he started for the back door, he was confronted -by his sister.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Where are you going, Jimmie?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going out for a little hiking trip. Be back before -long,” he replied with his head hanging low. “Goodbye.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Had Cora thought about it at the time, she would have -realized that her little brother was home early from school.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Taking one more fond glance at the old home, Jimmie -turned and strode out of the door and made for the -nearby woods half a mile away. It was with hurried steps -too that he fled from his home, for deep in his young and -perhaps rather foolish heart Jimmie feared that a posse -might be organized to overtake him. Then if he were -caught dire consequences might result.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When at last he entered the woods he had little thought -of what to do or where to go. He just walked along -glancing back occasionally when at last he made up his -mind to head for Lake Erie and there board a tramp -steamer bound for a foreign port.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Finally he reached the “Old Woman’s Creek” which -flowed through the woods.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This proved to be the place for his first stopover; darkness -was falling and he was afraid to go further alone -into the night. This spot, too, was a favorite of Skinny’s -and his. Here he knew a hundred different places to hide -<a id='Page_46'></a>away without fear of detection.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Darkness fell quickly and quietly upon the wooded -lands and the fear in the youngster’s heart swelled. Out -on the surface of the river the splashings of leaping fish -were to be heard. Near the banks came the ever-present -calling of the frogs, that eerie cry that comes to the solitary -traveler usually at this hour of the night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jimmie hurried on along the river’s banks to a vacant -red barn. He hurried inside the rickety old frame structure -and searched in the dark for a suitable place to sleep.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After several minutes of silent and cautious searching, -Jimmie stumbled onto a manger half filled with hay. -But sleep for the young boy was entirely out of the question -at the present. For just outside the barn flowed -“Old Woman’s Creek.” Jimmie shuddered at the very -thought of the name. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the -bull-frogs continued their strange and weird calling in -the night, adding still more fears to his whirling brain. -It seemed to the young boy that they were saying over -and over again:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’re a goner! You’re a goner! You’re a goner!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Try as he might, Jimmie just could not go to sleep. His -childish imagination led him to believe that a posse of -men were just outside the door waiting for him to come -out so that they could pounce upon him. For with a -screech owl high on the sagging roof hooting dreadfully -and then the dead silence that followed along with the -beat of bats’ wings, it is little wonder that the boy ever -went to sleep.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the first streak of dawn Jimmie slipped out of -the manger with all the cautiousness of an Indian scout -and looked carefully about.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_47'></a>Feeling that perhaps someone had lain in wait for him -during the night he took no unnecessary chances. Seeing -that no one was in sight he hurried down to the spot along -the river where his pal Skinny and he had their log raft -cached. He soon found it and without a moment’s hesitation -he climbed aboard and with the aid of a long pole -pushed himself out into the river’s current. All the terror -which had possessed him the night before seemed to have -vanished and he once again began to feel very much like -a grown man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The wind was now beginning to churn the river’s waters -into a lather, and was actually carrying the small, frail -raft out into Lake Erie. Jimmie was yards away from -shore and was still going out. He frantically attempted to -pole himself back to the bank, but it was useless. Minutes -grew into hours and still Jimmie Curwood was seeking -some way in which to get back to the fading, distant shore. -He was being tossed about upon the little raft just like a -piece of cork upon the ocean. Half afraid, he eagerly -scanned the fastly fading shoreline in all directions until -his eyes fell upon the dim outline of a sailing ship.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No words in any language could have properly expressed -my relief when a sloop with snowy sails appeared -on the horizon.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Instantly the youngster began to yell, scream and wave -his arms long before anyone could have possibly heard -him. Eventually the ship spotted the drifting raft and -picked the boy up. When taken aboard he drew one long -sigh of relief, started crying and then collapsed upon the -deck.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was the good ship <i>Sandusky</i> whose white sails Jimmie -had seen. Upon being revived the Captain of the sloop -<a id='Page_48'></a>began questioning the lad, asking who he was, from -where he had come and just what he was doing out on -the lake.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was some time after he had been taken aboard that -the Captain could get any information from him. -When at last he succeeded they were several miles from -shore and could not possibly return to the spot from which -Jimmie had embarked. Later on when he had unfolded -his story and had answered all the Captain’s questions, the -Captain and his men all enjoyed a hearty laugh. He, too, -was forced to laugh in a timid manner for it seemed amusing -to him now that he had seriously stopped to think -about it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For the next two hours Jimmie leaned over the railing -of the ship taking in of the broad expanse of water and -the white caps which topped each wave. This was his -first experience at sea and the youngster was enjoying -every minute of it now that he was safely aboard a ship. -This to him was truly thrilling adventure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Far ahead over the rolling waves Jimmie could see the -mainland lined by tall buildings and rows of stately trees. -The storm was now beginning to subside and the violent -rocking of the ship soon came to an end. He thanked -his stars above for this, for he was nearly seasick.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Later in the day when they neared the port of Sandusky, -the Captain called Jimmie aside and explained to him in a -fatherly manner that the good people of Joppa and Vermillion -would neither hang him nor imprison him and that -he had nothing whatsoever to fear upon his return as long -as he behaved himself. As for his parents, they were -surely worried over his absence, and they would without a -doubt welcome him back with open arms and warm hearts. -<a id='Page_49'></a>After Jimmie had listened to all this talk from the aged -Captain the old world began to look bright and rosy once -again and he expressed the desire to return as soon as -possible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The ship sailed on past Huron and into the port of -Sandusky where the Captain and a handful of “gobs” -took Jimmie to show him the town while he waited to -embark for home.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the young boy in his tattered clothing was becoming -interested in the sights of Sandusky, the Captain detoured -somewhere along the line and sent a telegram to Jimmie’s -father telling him where the lad was and to come and get -him immediately.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A short while later the Captain rejoined his crew who -were showing Jimmie the time of his life, and they all -went to a nearby lunchroom where they partook of a -hearty meal. This was the first good meal which the boy -had had since he had left home the day before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After having his dinner Jimmie then was taken for a -walk through the little lakeside city of Sandusky where -he saw his first tall buildings. He simply stood there with -his mouth wide open as he gazed in silent adoration and -amazement at the towering structures. For Sandusky at -that time was a city of some eighteen thousand people -and her streets were wide and tapering as they wound -their way through the parks and down past beautiful -homes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Most awe-inspiring of all were the beautiful school -buildings. Great stone edifices that were as much as three -stories tall and usually an entire city block in length. Here -the sailors stopped to let him watch the students come out -of school. They were all dressed well and seemed to be -<a id='Page_50'></a>so much older than those he had known in the schools -he had attended. But he realized that he was nearly as -old as most of them and that back at the one-room school -near his home the people did not dress nearly so well just -to go to school. This was entirely different from anything -he had ever known.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After all the students had passed from his sight, Jimmie -was taken still closer so that he might be able to see the -magnificent structure at first hand. The huge building had -great, wide halls covered with carpets, and mammoth -rooms with many desks. This was truly enchantment of the -first class for Jimmie Curwood. He felt certain that all -this must be a dream.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he stood there looking upon the symbols of higher -education, he found that he no longer wanted to become -a great Indian fighter, a buffalo hunter, or worse yet, a -bold pirate. Instead, he now wanted to become a part -of schools such as he was now standing before. He wanted -to be one of the kings among the beautiful queens. He -actually believed that he wanted to study. Until this -moment his world had been the forty acre farm back -there at Joppa, with all of its stones. Now a great, new -world had opened up and Jimmie Curwood was determined -to grasp it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Later that same day his father arrived to take his son -back home and away from the beautiful school buildings -of Sandusky. En route homeward the boy tried his best to -express to his father that which he felt in his heart. He -told him of all he had encountered since he had run away -from home. He told of the great lake he had sailed upon -the first night away, and the magnificent schools he had -seen and visited. His father understood.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_51'></a>The night of his return home found Jimmie sitting -on the Fisher’s front steps with “Whistling Jeanne.” -There was a full moon overhead casting down its beautiful -light upon the green, fertile fields and hills. There -almost seemed to be a song in the air—a song of happiness. -A soft breeze was blowing through the cottonwoods -and all about the house the crickets and the katydids gave -forth with their serenades.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And once again Jeanne Fisher was comforting Jimmie -as she had always done. Between their telling of their -dreams of the future, Jimmie told Jeanne of all the wonderful -things he had seen while he had been away, and -of how he had visited the wonderful school building in -Sandusky. He told her how he wanted to attend school -there. Jeanne explained in her best manner that Sandusky -was very far away and that it would cost a great deal of -money for him to go to school in such a place regardless -of how beautiful it might be.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But Jimmie vowed that some day, somehow, he would -go to that great school to study. “Whistling Jeanne” -Fisher realized then that his mind was firmly set and that -he would go to any means to gain his objective, as he -had proven in the past.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Seriously thinking the matter over Jeanne at last came -to the conclusion that there were other schools equally as -fine as the ones in Sandusky, and that if he would work -hard and save his money and speak to his parents earnestly, -he might some day get the opportunity he was looking for.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the following morning, Jimmie did begin work, -at whatever odd jobs he could find during his spare time. -Regardless of what the task might be Jimmie was on -the job.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_52'></a>With winter’s arrival he hunted and trapped rabbits and -continued with this until the arrival of spring. When -the snows had passed and winter was no more he managed -to get himself a job on an adjoining farm picking up -brush, trash and waste at the extremely low rate of -twenty-five cents per acre. The boy took this job and did -his work without grumbling because it meant a few more -dollars toward his potential education. His mind was fired -with the ambition to go to school where he could study -to be a great writer, and go to school he would.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Spring and summer soon passed, and during this time -Jimmie Curwood had beaten carpets, picked up brush and -accomplished many other jobs as well as saving his rabbit -pelts from the winter before. He now had enough money -to buy himself a brand new suit of clothes. But with the -arrival of fall Jimmie began to worry about achieving -his ambition. Many days of anxious coaxing on his part -began to pay off in dividends. For Mr. and Mrs. Curwood -decided that if their son was so intent upon attending -school and college, they would see to it that he would -do so, even if it meant selling the farm.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That was it! That was the solution to their problem. -They would sell the farm and move into town where -Jimmie’s father could once again set up in the shoe-repair -business. Days passed during which time the problem was -given much serious thought. It was only after a month of -such deep thought that Mr. Curwood at last decided not -to sell the farm, but instead to leave Edward behind to -take care of it. So, at last, came the day when the family -prepared to move into the little town of Wakeman. This -happened to be Mrs. Curwood’s girlhood home town.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_53'></a>A great many things were loaded upon the old spring -wagon and as the first load began to pull out of the -barnyard, Jimmie noticed tears in his mother’s eyes. She -hated to leave the farm but it was a great day for her -because of the educational desires of her youngest son.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jimmie did not ride along with the first load of household -goods but remained behind to go with the last load. -Although of late Jimmie had not spent much of his time -with Skinny, his pal remained with him for the duration -of his time on the farm. Naturally, lovely Jeanne was -with him, too, for it was partially through her pleading -that Jimmie was getting the opportunity that he so -desired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The fateful day for departure inevitably came. It was -all that Jimmie could do to keep back the tears, but he -manfully refrained. He told Skinny that he would see -him again soon and then he kissed Jeanne goodbye and -climbed aboard the wagon. But hardly had he gotten -aboard than he jumped off and proceeded to walk with -Skinny as far as Bingham’s old orchard. Several minutes -later the two young men saw the end of their last walk -together, for ahead lay the end of the long orchard.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was an orchard that the two boys had played in often -and which was surrounded by a tall, six foot fence. -Without a moment’s hesitation, merely because he realized -that he should, Jimmie Curwood climbed aboard the -spring wagon as they reached the end of the orchard with -his mother and father, and was on his way to his new -home in the city. He was going to a home wherein would -come bright new horizons for the future.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Looking back a few minutes later Jimmie saw his -boyhood chum standing in the middle of the dusty road -<a id='Page_54'></a>waving frantically at him. Skinny was standing just where -Jimmie had left him when he had climbed aboard the -wagon. Further back on the road in front of the old house -stood the Fisher family. There they were, Jeanne and her -parents all waving their last goodbyes. A great lump came -into Jimmie’s throat as the wagon rounded a bend in the -road and his friends faded from sight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the Curwood family moved into Wakeman its -population consisted of somewhere around one thousand -other inhabitants. It was a trading center for a huge -farming belt, and it was also a freight center. The Lake -Shore and Michigan Southern railroad lines passed -through the little community. Wakeman had but one main -street and this was a beehive of activity on Saturdays.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There were two large general stores where one could -buy anything from soup to nuts and from ploughs to -jackasses. Wakeman also housed three nice grocery stores, -one blacksmith shop, one poolroom and one small hotel. -Therefore it was a very prosperous city for its size.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Wakeman also boasted of a cooperage in which thousands -of apple barrels were manufactured daily for consumption -by most of the midwest and northwestern states. -Despite the number of years that have passed, this cooperage -still stands today with the usual output.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Typical of all mid-western cities and villages, Wakeman -was always converted into a thriving metropolis on -Saturdays. On this day all the farmers from miles around -would manage to come into town. They would gather -about and talk about their crops, weather conditions, -national affairs and always those jokes which simply must -be told. They would purchase what they were going to -need during the coming week and load their buggies and -<a id='Page_55'></a>wagons with their supplies and then head back for the -farms around nine-thirty or ten o’clock.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Wakeman had its rows upon rows of hitching rails -and posts to which the farmers tied their horses and teams. -Today most of those historic relics have vanished.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The first few days in Wakeman proved to be quite -different from what Jimmie had expected. He knew the -farm people and their ways, but he did not know the -townsfolk and their standards and traditions. In fact it -was in Wakeman that he attended his first party -where the boys and girls were really dressed up in their -finest. The boys were of an entirely different type from -what he had been used to associating with. Somehow -Jimmie managed to become accustomed to them and their -mannerisms. It seems that Jimmie possessed that certain -quality that enabled him to adapt himself to almost any -type of environment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was at this first party that he learned many new -and startling facts. He heard of how his new friends had -been as far away as New York and Cleveland. Jimmie -stood with mouth wide open in amazement as they spoke -about their travels and adventures. He hardly dared believe -them even as they were told, yet he knew they spoke -the truth.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the party went on and the conversation continued -Jimmie spoke of his travels and of how he was lost on -Lake Erie during a terrible storm. This increased his -prestige among the younger set. As the talk continued, -it finally drifted onto the subject of books and the best -reading on the market. This was more along Jimmie Curwood’s -line and so he listened attentively as some young -lady led the discussion. At long last he had the opportunity -<a id='Page_56'></a>he had been seeking. So he told of his career in writing -thus far, and how he so wanted to develop his talent into -an advanced study. Many of the others wanted to write -but hardly knew how to get started. Jimmie explained -in a modest manner his eagerness to write great works -some day, too.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was at this party that Jimmie acquired his new name. -He was no longer called Jimmie, but just “Jim.” It was -here, also, that the young man attempted to learn to -dance with the aid of a very charming little lady. He later -admitted that although he felt clumsy and ill at ease, he -enjoyed it all immensely. Throughout his later life, however, -Jim Curwood had little time for dancing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Thus began Jim Curwood’s social life in Wakeman, -and at first he took full advantage of it, for it was indeed -truly social as compared to that which he had heretofore -been accustomed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There were many new things that Jim was going to have -to learn if his social and everyday life in Wakeman were -to be successful. Throughout his life he had been under -the constant guidance of his devoted mother. She had -cared for his personal appearance and insisted that he always -keep himself as clean as possible. But in this new -environment he learned that he must look after his personal -appearance himself. He also learned that one’s -personal appearance and habits counted first and foremost. -He discovered that he must wear a tie. He found that he -must wear presentable clothing to school instead of the -farm clothes. He had to keep his hair trimmed and his -teeth brushed. The things which had before seemed utterly -trivial now were of major importance to his new life in -the city of Wakeman.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_57'></a>Perhaps the most exasperating discovery which young -Jim Curwood made shortly after he had moved into Wakeman -with his family, was the fact that he must take more -than one bath per week. So instead of the usual Saturday -night affair, the young man found himself in the tub as -often as three times a week. He hated it all.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As his new life opened before him Jim discovered that -there were girls in Wakeman. The startling fact was that -he found they were very pretty girls, too. Coincident with -this discovery came the necessity for a little spending -money from time to time if one were to get along. So, -from the first time that he met one of Wakeman’s better -type girls, he was constantly in need of nickels or dimes. -Soon his financial problems developed to the stage where -Jim was asking for quarters instead of nickels and dimes, -as is only natural when a young boy begins to get “ideas.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As Valentine Day approached, Jim met a very pretty -girl whom he decided he would like to present with a -Valentine. Although the tiny card cost but three cents, -Jim was somewhat bashful and backward in giving it to -her when the time came. So he mailed it out the day -before and signed only his scrawled initials upon the -back of it. Somehow the memory of his Jeanne back on -the farm seemed to have slipped from his mind, for this -new young lady filled his every waking hour.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he and his new girl friend became better acquainted -Jim thought he should take more than three baths a week -and in a short time he was to be found in the tub almost -every night. Another thing which was called to his attention -was that he should always keep his fingernails clean, -that a tie should always be worn, and above all that he -should keep his shoes blacked every day without fail. -<a id='Page_58'></a>Mother Curwood as well as her husband had noticed the -tremendous change that had come over their young offspring -and were pleased by it. Their coming to Wakeman -seemed to be proving itself worthwhile.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In a few short weeks arrived that which young Jim -Curwood had been looking forward to with great anticipation—the -beginning of the fall term in the school to -which he had traveled so far and on which so many of -his hopes were based. Here Jim became interested in something -which was to remain with him all the days of his -life—Astronomy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through the teachings of this new subject Jim developed -an entirely different conception of God. He came -to know and to realize then that God had created this -earth as a center of things, and that we were most fortunate -to have been chosen to live upon it. He believed -then that God had created all this for mankind alone, -that man was everything. That the birds, the beasts of -the wilds, and the fish of the streams did not matter. He -believed then, as so many millions do today, that those -creatures were put here just for man to slaughter if he -so desired....</p> - -<p class='c010'>Winter came and passed all too soon for Jim and it -was not until spring arrived that he learned of his -family’s plans to leave Wakeman and return to the farm. -He also made the startling discovery at this time that he -had not learned much more here than he had back at the -little red brick schoolhouse. True, he had learned city -life and all of its startling realities, but it was the little -red school house back there in the country that he yearned -for.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_59'></a>When but one more week was left for the Curwood -family to remain in Wakeman, brother Ed came into town -with the team and wagon, while Mr. Curwood made all -final preparations. Talk of the farm, the fields and the -streams had turned Jim’s thoughts entirely to the open -spaces once again.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With Ed and his father riding along on the wagon, -Mrs. Curwood followed along behind in the buggy. Jim -had still other ideas since Ed had brought his dog Jack -along. So for most of the eight long, dusty miles, Jim and -his faithful hound Jack played and walked behind the -caravan.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It has always been said that early impressions in life -bear greatly upon one’s future. So it was then in Jim -Curwood’s case. His life on the farm as a child taught -him more and more the love of the open roads and the -forests. For on that day when the family returned to their -farm, eight miles distant from Wakeman, Jim exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Gosh Mom, it’s great to be back home again! The -woods are so full of wild flowers, and the old pond is -crowded with big, old frogs, too.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Skinny Hill, having heard from Ed that the family -was once more going to return to the neighborhood, had -been on the watch for his pal Jim since shortly after -daybreak. And hardly had the creaky old wagon and -buggy rounded the bend in the road than Skinny was -running for all he was worth to meet his chum. In his -left hand was an old, black felt hat which he was waving -wildly above his head, as he shouted and whistled.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hello, Slip! Hello there, Slip!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The two youngsters did not even shake hands or clasp -each other in their arms. Instead they both just stood -<a id='Page_60'></a>there in the middle of the dusty road with wide grins.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“My gosh, you’re home, ain’t you?” Skinny spoke -breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yep!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>With those few words Jim and Skinny started walking -up the road behind the buggy and wagon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During the following three days Skinny and Jim were -running all over the surrounding territory looking over -together what they had claimed to be their own several -months before. Through the wooded strips and across -the fields they went, taking in all the glory of “secret -country.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through all of the busy and crowded months in Wakeman -Jim had almost forgotten the one person who was -more important to him in his young life than any other. -But hardly had he set foot in the front yard of the old -farm than he saw her. Immediately his pulse quickened. -It was lovely Jeanne, his “Whistling Jeanne.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The very first thing which he noticed was how tall she -had grown during his absence, and her stunning beauty -spun his senses about wildly. He could hardly believe -what his eyes revealed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Something queer happened to my heart when she -caught me up in her arms and kissed me. My Jeanne was -changed.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>In a few minutes Jeanne had once again won her old -place back in his heart. That feeling of security and -comfort was his, as it had been before, now that he had -his Jeanne back to console him during those times when -things went wrong.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hardly had the family a chance to really settle down -again than Jim was once more beginning to write.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_61'></a>In the town of Wakeman he had become acquainted -with a motherly old lady who had thought a great deal -of him. So much so, in fact, that when he asked her for -some of her old magazines, she not only complied with -that request, but also went to the nearest drugstore and -purchased a “dozen brand new ones” for him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There on the little farm when his daily chores were -over, Jim would sit out under the trees with Jeanne and -Skinny, and pore over the contents and the wonderful -stories by famous authors. The smouldering flame that -was embedded within his heart for adventure stories and -the yearning to write them was overpowering.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It is seldom that a boy of young Jim Curwood’s age -should take so great an interest in such a mature profession. -But he seemed to be able to look into the future and -almost say what was going to take place, so confident was -he. It seems almost uncanny that a young lad could have -such a vivid imagination and at the same time learn to put -it into words and story form. But a great deal of Jim’s -success can rightfully be credited to Jeanne Fisher. Obviously -this is true, for throughout his entire literary career, -the character and the beauty of “Whistling Jeanne” was -always there.</p> - -<p class='c010'>She used to tell him that he must write harder than -ever and then some day he could put her into his stories.</p> - -<p class='c010'>If only she could know how many times, hundreds of -times in fact, she really was written into his stories. Who -knows? Perhaps she does.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So, as the sun began to set over the two little farms -in the peaceful Ohio valley on that first evening of Jim’s -return, it once again found Jeanne and Jim together. And -as the evening wore itself into the darkness of night time, -<a id='Page_62'></a>Jeanne refrained from talking of his future authorship, -but upon subjects instead which were more vital to her. -She had not stopped to realize that during his stay in -Wakeman her Jim had become more and more entrenched -in the path of becoming a famous writer of tales. -As the night began to grow long Jim at last began pouring -out his heart to her, and then Jeanne Fisher realized only -too well that to talk of anything else save writing was a -hopeless task.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim explained to her how he had lingered over the -many new magazines that he had seen in Wakeman; how -he idolized the printed names of the famous authors whose -articles and stories he had read. He told of how his heart -beat just a little faster as he completed reading each -new story. How he had read and reread every story in -every magazine that he could put his hands on. Little -did he realize it at the time, but he was developing a -style all his own through all this extensive reading that -was later to lead him to fame. He even became breathless -as he explained how his heart had missed a beat every -now and then as he read those adventure stories. Tales -of Indian scouts, strong, brave cowboys, and fearless -Indian chieftains. Stories of dauntless seamen who sailed -the seven seas unafraid in search of gold and silver.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Whistling Jeanne” Fisher realized to the utmost that -night that “literature was the guiding star of his destiny.” -She came to realize also that nothing save death would -stop the young, yet determined, Jim Curwood. He had -it in him to write, he had something to say and to tell -about, and she knew that some day he would get his -chance to tell it. Either he would get his chance or he -would <i>make</i> that chance.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_63'></a>Like most men of literature, a writer must have something -to say, something to tell. From the age of eight, -Jim Curwood had a story to tell and he always did his -best to tell it in an unsurpassed manner. His courage in -the face of great odds is indeed commendable.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The character of “Whistling Jeanne” has played the -major roles in most of Jim Curwood’s short stories, -serials and novels. Her character and her beauty were, -above all else, inspirational and courageous.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The character of Melisse in “The Honor of the Big -Snows,” Josephine Conniston in “The River’s End,” and -Jeanne in “The Flower of the North,” are just a few of -the heroines for whom her lovable character has been -responsible. These novels have been filmed and flashed on -the movie screens throughout the world, and his novels -have been translated and written into over fourteen different -languages. “Whistling Jeanne” Fisher’s character -was truly an important part in Jim Curwood’s childhood -days.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With all of the words of hope, courage, inspiration -and wisdom which came from those “rareripe lips,” how -could Jim go wrong? How could he help but to succeed? -For even in his childhood days he was constantly filled -with inspiration, hope and above all else, confidence. For -with those words of encouragement the boy firmly planted -his feet and vowed earnestly that nothing save death -could ever keep him from becoming a great author. An -author whose works would give to the people of the -world hope and courage to push onward. Today, nearly -fifty-seven years later, those works which he spoke about -at the age of thirteen have given hope and courage to -many millions of people throughout the entire world.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There is little doubt but that those early childhood -<a id='Page_64'></a>days on the farm down in Ohio were the days which -proved invaluable in the shaping of Jim Curwood’s -destiny.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_65'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER FOUR<br /> <br />OWOSSO SCHOOLDAYS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Day after day while on long hikes through the forests -and along the river’s banks, Jim Curwood would try -valiantly to explain to his chum, Skinny, the urge and -desire that was burning constantly in his heart. Unfortunately -enough, Skinny Hill could not see things in -quite the same light as Jim did and consequently he -raised argument after argument. At times when he would -grow tired of hearing Jim talk about a writing career he -would very nearly lose his temper.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fortunately, Jim Curwood had the ambition and the -determination to be a writer and no one on the face of -God’s green earth could stop him. The youngster actually -prayed for the opportunity to go to great schools. He -prayed for the one chance, the lone chance, of really -becoming a “somebody.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I knew with God beside me that my goal could not -be too far off. Hard work, and hard work alone, with -confidence in the Great Arbiter, are the keys to success.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that time on Jim Curwood did all in his power -in order that he might pave his own way to success.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Valiantly he fought the odds that were stacked against -him, determined to make the grade and come through -with flying colors. However, at times he would lose all -hope. Then for a moment, he would stop and think -<a id='Page_66'></a>about defeat and what it would mean. The next moment -would find him back at work, his determination multiplied -a hundred times over. It seems miraculous that such a -young lad of Jim Curwood’s age could not be kept -down in his battle for success at the one thing in life -he wanted.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As days developed into weeks and weeks into months, -it dawned more and more on the boy that unless he went -away somewhere to study, it would be a hopeless task -to try to be a “somebody.” It is quite plain that his mind -was much more developed than his age revealed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Like manna from heaven, his sister Amy, from Michigan, -came down to visit the family a few days later. -Jim thanked his lucky stars, for he realized only too -well that his sister not only could help him, but would -be most glad to. His young and adventurous mind began -working rapidly from the very first day that Amy arrived -on the farm. He felt that with Amy’s influence it might -be possible for him to go away to school. For several -days and nights he thought the situation over before he -put the question to his sister. He lay awake at nights -thinking up various situations by which he could induce -Amy to take him away with her. This was his one big -chance and he knew that he must not miss it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few days after her arrival he called her to one -side and spoke to her about his plans and his dreams. -From the very beginning, Amy used a great deal of tact -in handling the situation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Amy ... Amy, will you do me a favor?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What is it you want me to do, Jimmy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Amy, I want to go away to school and study. I want -to be a great author and the only way I can be one is -to go to school!”</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_67'></a>“Do you really want to go away to school and study, -Jimmy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You know I do, sis, oh, you know I do. I must! I -just have to, Amy. Try and fix it with Mom and Dad. -Please!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Then I shall talk to Mother and Dad and see if they -won’t consent to letting you go back to Owosso with me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Amy lost no time in beginning her work of persuasion -on Mr. and Mrs. Curwood. They objected very much -when the proposition was first mentioned and Amy -worked feverishly to wear them down. Apparently they -wanted to keep their youngest child with them and had -no intentions of letting him go all the way back to the -old home town of Owosso unless they, too, went along.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Amy spent many long hours pleading with her parents -to let her brother go back with her, until the last -thread of resistance had been worn away and she had won -her first battle for her brother. If she had only known at -the time the battles she was to have to wage for him in -the future!</p> - -<p class='c010'>When Amy told Jim the good news he fairly raised -the roof of the farmhouse with his jubilant howls of -happiness. He vowed to his parents in his own childlike -manner that some day they would be very proud of him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the days passed by and the time neared when Jim -Curwood would once again leave the little farm, he would -notice tears in his mother’s eyes occasionally, despite the -fact that she tried not to show them. His father became -much more thoughtful, and Jack, Jim’s faithful dog -who always went with Skinny and himself on their hikes -through the country side, followed the boy around in an -extremely strange manner. He seemed to sense in his -keen, canine way that his young master was going to -<a id='Page_68'></a>leave him. Little did Jim realize that the day he bade farewell -to his family and to his dog Jack it would be the -last he would ever see either the dog or the farm itself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was exactly a month to the day after the boy had -gone to Owosso that the good animal died.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Never before in all of his young life had Jim Curwood -hated to leave his loved ones, despite the fact that -he was determined to leave. His mother cried out as her -little son climbed aboard the old buckboard with his -sister:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He isn’t my little boy anymore!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As if this wasn’t enough to bring tears to his eyes, -his beloved Jeanne began crying, too. Somehow father -Curwood held up even though there were tugs at his -heart strings. As his youngest child climbed onto the -buckboard he calmly walked up to him and shook his -hand as two men would do and asked him to take good -care of himself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a great many fond farewells, embraces and goodbyes, -Amy and Jim started on their way toward Michigan, -the land that seemed so far away. In the middle of -the road as Jimmy looked back after they were on their -way, he saw his mother, father, brother Ed, Skinny, -Jeanne and the Fishers all waving farewell. A great lump -swelled up in his throat for he saw his dear old mother -sobbing her heart out and leaning upon her husband’s -shoulder. Jeanne, too, was crying, but his old pal Skinny -was too hurt to weep. He wanted to, but somehow tears -would just not come.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The last words Jim Curwood heard before the little -buckboard was out of hearing distance was from Skinny -who was standing in the middle of the hot, dusty road, -<a id='Page_69'></a>shouting and waving.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Goodbye, Slip. Gee, I’ll never see you again.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a long, hard and exciting trip as Jimmy and -Amy made their way in the buckboard drawn by two fine -horses to the then small town of Owosso. The young lad -was tingling with excitement at the prospects of seeing -his home town again. The town in which he was born -and where he had had some wonderful days playing -along the river banks. But he still was constantly thinking -of his father and mother as only a young boy of his -age is capable of doing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim had been away from Owosso for nearly seven -years now, and as they drove past the city limits he hardly -recognized it as the same place. It seemed to have grown -a great deal and many new buildings had been erected. -The bumpy old streets of old had been worked over and -now were comparatively smooth.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Unable to wait until the following day to see his -home town again, Jimmy persuaded Amy to take him -around the day of their arrival.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the first things he noticed was that his old home -had been transformed into a hotel. And the room in which -he had been born was now a room for drummers and -salesmen. There were no hickory trees growing in the -streets, there were no fowls roaming about at will as they -once did, and giant pines and willows which once had -filled the great commons were replaced by stores and -buildings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Today the city of Owosso has 15,000 residents, and is -more beautiful than it was in the days of old. Looking out -of the studio windows of a wonderful writing castle -which lies along the banks of the waters of the Shiawassee -<a id='Page_70'></a>river, there can be seen one place that shall never be shed -of the willows that wave so gently in the breeze. It is the -little island in the very center of the river which flows -through Owosso in a great sweeping bend. The willow -trees on this small island bend their graceful boughs -almost down to the water’s edge and sway back and forth -continually in the cool morning and evening breezes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Days passed rather rapidly after Jimmy returned to -Owosso and the hottest days of summer were soon upon -the little town. The natural thing for him to do was to -look up his childhood pals and head for the river to fish -and to swim. But try as he might, Jimmy could find -nothing of his former Owosso pal, Charley Miller. It -seemed that since Charley’s father had passed away no -one had seen anything of the boy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the one thing which Jim loved above all else -in his home town was the beautiful Shiawassee, glorious -river of his childhood dreams, that flowed in graceful -curves throughout the length of Owosso constantly beckoning -him to its banks to swim and fish.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Owosso itself had prospered, of that there was little -doubt. And its people had changed with the influx of -prosperity. But to Jim Curwood it was home and when he -grew older he was overheard to say:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Many ties bind me to it and always I return there, -no matter into what little-known byways of the world -I wander. In Owosso I shall end my journey.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_71'></a><img src='images/i_071.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>J.C. WEBER.</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_73'></a>It took young Jim just a couple of days to become -readjusted to his old home town and again “Sparkling -Waters” lured the youthful outdoorsman to its banks. -This was the place where Charley and he had played -before he had moved away to Ohio. The place where -they hunted, trapped, fished and swam along its peaceful -shores. There is little wonder why he always referred to -it not only as “Sparkling Waters,” but also as his “river -of dreams.” For it was along the banks of this river that -many of his childhood dreams developed into realities and -where he learned his first lesson about nature and the -wilds he learned to love so well. It was here that the many -stories that ran rampant in his childish mind later flowed -from his pen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The third day of his return found him with a pole -and line headed for the river to fish. In those days he -would lay his pole over his shoulder with the line -dangling down and stroll through town barefooted. A -typical “Tom Sawyer,” if the city of Owosso ever saw -one.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His bare feet would saunter along the pavement but -would step lightly when he came to cindered paths. He -wore an old hat slouched down upon his sun-bleached hair -which had no crown in it whatsoever. His pants-legs were -torn and frayed and his shirt-tail was out in the back as -always. Those truly were the glorious days of childhood.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During the first days of his return with his sister Amy, -young Jimmy spent many hours along the river banks and -pulled out a great deal of fish. Many people often remarked -that if he did not let up on his fishing there soon -would be no fish in the river for other people.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a week had elapsed Amy told Jim that she -was taking him to visit the great newspaperman, Fred -Janette. You may speak of surprises, but Jim Curwood -was just about the most surprised and thrilled young man -in all of Michigan when his sister broke the good news -to him. Who had not heard of the great Fred Janette? -He himself had even read one of his newspaper serials. -Now, at long last he was going to meet a famous writer! -<a id='Page_74'></a>The young lad was thrilled beyond all explaining. In fact, -he hardly dared believe it. It did not seem at all possible. -But sister Amy had told him and so therefore it must -be true. The young boy could hardly wait for the important -day to arrive.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The day arrived for the visit and Amy took her young -brother to the wonderful home of Fred Janette, author -and newspaperman. It seemed wonderful to Jim, but -in reality Mr. Janette’s home was a modest one. It was -an old fashioned cottage. To Jim Curwood it was the -home and mansion of a king. Soon would come the -moment when he would step across the threshold, he -thought. He walked nervously up the winding concrete -walk with his sister. The doorbell was rung and soon -they were greeted by a tall, whiskered Frenchman whom -Jim later came to love devoutly. Then they were confronted -by a white-headed, kindly old lady who was the -mother of the great author. From that day on Mrs. -Janette always held a warm spot in his heart.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After they had been admitted to the house sister Amy -chatted and laughed with Mrs. Janette and it seemed -strange to Jim that she was not in the least bit awed -by these famous personalities, even though he was.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was ages before a door swung open and the -“great writer” himself entered. Being the gentleman and -scholar that he was, Janette immediately shook hands -with the boy as if he had known him all his life. Knowing -that he would have to be very careful in what he -said, lest he offend the youngster, he exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“So this is our young author!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that moment on, Jim Curwood was sold on -Fred Janette as Mr. Janette was on young Mr. Curwood.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_75'></a>As soon as the introductions were over, Janette promptly -took Jim by the hand and led him into his den. Then -he locked the door behind them. As the key turned in -the lock, the youngster was so thrilled that he could hardly -speak. For the first time he was actually looking at a real -author’s study. True, it was just like any other author’s -studio, but this was the first that Jim had ever been in. -The walls were lined with books, there were two typewriters, -reams and reams of paper upon which to write -wonderful stories, and numerous filing cabinets in which -to file material. He took in everything from the floor up -to the ceiling. He had never seen anything that thrilled -him so in all his life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Behind the closed door. Fred Janette showed the -aspiring young writer a cheque for three hundred dollars -that the editor of <i>Golden Days</i> Magazine had sent him -for one of his latest creations. This, of course, seemed -like a million dollars to Jim and he gasped at the sight -of it. Then Janette proceeded to explain to him just what -his regular daily schedule was, how he went about doing -his work and even showed him a story he was working -on for a certain magazine.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Janette invited Jimmy to sit down at his desk and use -the typewriter if he so desired. This seemed to the boy -to be a great honor; he walked over to the large desk -and sat down upon the chair. And as he sat there looking -over the mass of papers and manuscripts, Janette told -him:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You cannot help but become successful if you put -your whole heart into your writing.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the one thing which the youngster appreciated -more than anything else about Janette was the fact that -<a id='Page_76'></a>the grown man was careful not to treat him merely as a -child.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From this very first meeting there arose between the -two a friendship that was to last a lifetime. From that -moment on, James Oliver Curwood never ceased writing. -Every second that was available was spent with a pencil -or pen in his hand, for writing had taken complete possession -of him and it all but drove him frantic as his mind -was continually upon the work that was destined to become -his only life work. He had to eat and sleep, but -he must also WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last, though all too soon, summer had come to a close -and school days were once more at hand. He enrolled in -Central School the very first day, but he could not understand -why he had come all the way from the farm in -Ohio to go to school here in Owosso, and still find it so -very uninteresting. The chances are, however, that the -writing “bug” had become his first and only love, thus -making it quite difficult for him to study. Perhaps one -of the factors which seemed to make Jim Curwood’s -schooling both uninteresting and hard was the class he -was placed in when he entered school in Owosso. For he -was put in the seventh grade because of his ungentlemanlike -feats at Wakeman and his vulgar tactics under Mrs. -Bacon. Obviously this was not the rating he deserved, but -the teachers at Central School seemed to think it best. -They did not know young Curwood was returning to -school “to study.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This of course was a very bad beginning when one -has made up one’s mind that he really wants to be someone, -and young Jim was indeed very much “burned up -over this treatment.” Despite this barrier, he “muddled -<a id='Page_77'></a>through somehow,” as he chose to put it, until he had -finished the tenth grade.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many times, according to authoritative sources, Jimmy -Curwood was referred to as “a hopeless horror” in -Algebra, by a Miss Curliss. A Miss Needles always -maintained that Jim Curwood was hopelessly dumb -and could never be any other way. Then there was a -small man by the name of Chaffee who once remarked -that the boy’s empty mind was the outstanding feature of -the Owosso schools. The Miss Curliss was perhaps Jimmie’s -greatest dread. Time and time again she embarrassed -him before the entire class. On one particular occasion -she called him an “unforgettable horror in her mind,” -when Jim staunchly maintained that a “skipper” was -a bug in cheese rather than the master of a ship.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was but one bright spot in all of Jim’s schooling -in Owosso, and that was a very pretty and charming -teacher named Miss Boyce. Despite the many mistakes -he would make in class she never lost patience with him -and was always encouraging and cheerful. Years later -when the “plague of Owosso” became a full grown man -and an author in his own right, he remarked:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“To Miss Boyce and Miss Bartrem, who never lost -interest in me, is due what little I actually did accomplish -there.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then, too, there was the principal of the school, Professor -Austin by name. He was a kind and understanding -man and he sympathized with Jim in his goings and -comings up and down the Shiawassee river, even though -he did not approve of it during school hours. The principal -once told him bluntly that if he ever heard of a -prize for stupidity in the classroom, he would see that -it was awarded to him. It was such things as these, -<a id='Page_78'></a>trivial as they may seem to some of us, that made Jim -Curwood’s early schooldays in Owosso ones of endless -terror and seemingly hopeless failure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When at last the fall season was over and the cold -winter months were at hand when the snow would pile -up as high as three and four feet deep, Jimmy would be -up at the crack of dawn and out along the banks of the -Shiawassee setting his traps for muskrat and mink. He -would catch scores of them between the two bridges at -Washington and Oliver streets. The two streets were a -little over a quarter of a mile apart, and were in the -very heart of the residential section, as they are even today.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By the time his second school year began the “Sparkling -Waters” had absolutely claimed him. In his possession -he had countless traps, several guns and an Indian dugout -canoe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Actually being of Indian-strain himself, it is little -wonder that Jim Curwood haunted the lakes, streams -and wilds. His maternal grandmother had been a full-blooded Mohawk -Indian princess. This was, perhaps, a -prime factor in his urge to isolate himself in the wilderness -which had left its imprint embedded deep in his -heart. But he was also a direct descendant of Captain -Frederick A. Marrayat, world famous novelist and seaman, -and Jimmy’s paternal grandfather.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So it is understandable how, of all the students at -Owosso public schools, perhaps the most difficult and -indignant one was James Oliver Curwood. When he was -not present in school he was either writing tales of the -wilds, or living them along the banks of the rivers nearby. -In fact he had absented himself from classes on many -occasions to devote more time to his stories. Jim Curwood -<a id='Page_79'></a>finally developed into a real problem for his teachers in -high school.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day as he quietly came tip-toeing to his seat while -Professor Austin was in the middle of an invocation, the -teacher caught sight of him and completed what he had -to say with: “And dear Lord, we thank Thee for returning -Nimrod safely to us this morning.” From that day forward -his nickname at school was “Nimrod.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during the first winter of his return to Owosso -that Jim received an important letter from his father in -Ohio. The elder Curwood wrote that, unless he could find -some way to get back to Owosso to make a living, he, -Jimmy, would have to come back to the farm. His mother -missed him terribly and yearned to have her baby son back -in her home.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Both sister Amy and Jim were overjoyed. But the -young boy was torn between love and duty. The little -farm was tugging at his heartstrings once more as were his -“Sparkling Waters” here in Owosso. Still, he had his duty -to his parents to consider, and if they remained on the -little farm, he just could not make up his mind what -he preferred to do.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The letter from his father had brought back memories -that heretofore he had tried to conceal. Now he yearned -for the old farm, his dog Jack, his parents and last, but -far from least, Jeanne and Skinny. But he loved his -Owosso and its surroundings, he loved his river and his -wilderness with a burning, flaming passion. What was he -to do? Sister Amy simply told him to wait until they -saw how things were going to shape up.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that time on until the arrival of spring Amy and -Jim received but one letter from their parents. Then -one warm, spring day in April, who should arrive at -<a id='Page_80'></a>Amy’s home than Mr. and Mrs. Curwood, with Jim’s -other sister, Cora. It was such a pleasant surprise.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Once again father Curwood established himself in a -little cobbling shop with the front all painted a fiery red. -He was taking up where he had left off eight years -before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Brother Ed had remained behind to run the farm, so -that in the event that things did not go so good for his -father in Owosso, the family would then have something -to fall back upon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For many years father Curwood had mended other -people’s shoes in his old-fashioned way, with needles, -thread and wooden pegs. One of his outstanding characteristics -was that he never shirked his work and never did less -than his best. Because he was the kindly old gentleman that -he was, he was always held in high esteem by the townsfolk. -His politeness and courteousness were appreciated by -all who knew him. Many years passed since the time he -had made his return to Owosso and again set up in his -cobbling shop. His hair grew white from his hard work, -but he always kept his head high and stood as straight -as any soldier. Jim often said that no son could have -had a finer father than he.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after his fifteenth birthday young Jim secured -employment in Fred Crowe’s grocery store. Here he -worked on Saturdays and earned fifty cents for his day’s -labor. At this time in his life this small sum seemed like -a small fortune.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Work or play, as he chose, the young aspiring writer -always found time to hide away to do his daily stint of -writing that was in years to come to net him several hundreds -of thousands of dollars. He loved to go where it was -<a id='Page_81'></a>peaceful and quiet. It seemed that his best work always -came when he was in a quiet corner of the world.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Writing as he did at this age (and that was a great -deal), Jim had not as yet mustered up enough courage -to send any of his stories out to the publishing houses.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The spring following the fall that Mr. Curwood and -his family had moved back to Owosso to rejoin their -youngest son Jim, he bought a nice little home on the -one sweeping bend of the Shiawassee river in all of the -town. It was a two-storied affair and from Jim’s room -upstairs he would sit and look out over the river and -commons that were filled with some of the most beautiful -trees in all of Michigan.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after moving to the new house, Mr. and Mrs. -Curwood outfitted their writing son with a desk and a -table for his own room, as well as a second hand Caligraph -typewriter. At last Jim had his own study, his -own private study. The young lad felt that he was now -on an equal basis with the great writer Fred Janette -and proceeded to decorate his room in much the same -manner as Mr. Janette’s.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Here he knew that he could work without interruption -and fear of being disturbed. Here he could lock the door -and write as much and as long as he wanted to.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just outside the window below him as he sat at his -desk was his river, flowing gracefully and silently along -as it made its way in a final sweeping bend before entering -the surrounding wilds. The thought that entered Jim’s -mind when he first sat down to write was: “Surely I can -get an inspiration here!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Time quickly passed by, and as time flew, so did young -Jim Curwood’s stories. For just as fast as he would complete -<a id='Page_82'></a>one story on the second-hand typewriter, he would -begin another one.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the most enjoyable things to him at this age -was after the supper hour, when his family would gather -around him and listen as he read his newly-written stories -of adventure. Actually his elders were almost spellbound -at their son’s accomplishments. Every story that the young -lad wrote was indeed good, his parents readily agreed, -even though there would be an exceptionally exciting one -occasionally. Many are the times that Mrs. Curwood -would remark to her neighbors how her son, Jimmy, -was progressing in his chosen work. And even as quiet -a person as his dear old father was, he, too, broke down -every now and then to praise what his youngest child -was doing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fine, Jimmy boy, that’s fine!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Throughout the preceding seven years Jim Curwood’s -interest in writing and literature had never abated. Now, -at fifteen, the thrill and enjoyment of his chosen life work -was surging through his veins at a much greater rate of -speed. Now he had a typewriter on which to write his -stories instead of scrawling them on wrapping paper with -a dull pencil. Writing was a part of him. It would have -been an impossibility for him to have given it up, even -if his very life had depended upon it. For Jim Curwood -was certain, even at that adolescent age, that Jim Curwood -would become a great writer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Despite the fact that he had not mustered up enough -courage to submit any of his stories to editors, he knew -that he must continue pounding a typewriter or “die the -death of a lost soul.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Long before the Curwood family moved to the new -home on John Street on the bend of the river, young -<a id='Page_83'></a>Jimmy used to collect all sorts of wrapping paper and -cut it into sheets of standard size in order to keep his -work in good shape. Then he would write his stories out -in crude fashion and once he had completed them would -bind them together to make a compact volume. As a -matter of fact, Jim would often set his stories down -on anything that would make itself available. As a result -of all those prodigious hours of writing as a child there -are literally thousands and thousands of manuscripts filed -away in neat stacks in the bottom of his writing studio -today.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The first story of Jim Curwood’s to appear in print -was entitled “The Fall of Shako,” which appeared in the -Owosso paper, <i>The Argus</i>. The unusual feature of this -first appearance in print was that “The Fall of Shako” -took young Jim much longer to write than any of his -other stories.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The story was accepted by George Campbell, who at -that time was the editor and owner of <i>The Argus</i>, and he -published it with Jim’s by-line in bold type directly below -the title. No payment was made for its publication, but -at that time Jim thought little, if at all, of remuneration.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Living in Owosso then was a man named Dave Joplin -who, for some unknown and mysterious reason, disliked -Jim’s father. With the publication of the story with the -by-line, JAMES CURWOOD, in bold type, he believed he -saw the opportunity he had been anxiously waiting for. -He did not realize that Mr. Curwood had a son by the -same name, and was mistakenly under the impression that -the author was none other than the subject of his dislike.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With calm deliberation Dave Joplin sat down with his -pen flaming hot and wrote harsh criticism of “The Fall of -Shako.” This he sent directly to the office of <i>The Argus</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_84'></a>He termed the story an insult to the intelligence of the -people of the community and one composed of childish -drivel.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Publisher George Campbell, sensing the possibilities of -the joke, published the “flaming letter of criticism” on the -front page of <i>The Argus</i>. Instantly it boomed back in the -form of hundreds of letters and postcards from angry and -outraged citizens, who protested vehemently against a -man like Joplin attacking the young writer. Realizing his -mistake, Joplin promptly offered apologies, but the public -was up in arms over the silly, idiotic outburst of a full -grown man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly thereafter Fred Janette heard of the incident -and immediately took to Jim’s rescue through the press -itself. He wrote that Joplin had shown himself to be a -superlative ass and that his own egotistical self-centered -nature would be his downfall. At the same time the -citizens of Owosso took up the battle in favor of young -Jim. By the hundreds, letters of opinion flooded into the -office of <i>The Argus</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Because the editor of a small town newspaper had seen -fit to publish a short story by one of the town’s citizens, -the miracle had occurred and the young writer was beginning -to receive publicity that he had not expected in -his wildest dreams to come to him so soon. His name and -the story concerning him was being printed on the front -page of every large newspaper throughout the country. -It was more than state news now, for it contained color -and adventure that millions of people enjoy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As days went by Jim began receiving congratulatory -mail from all parts of the country. All this, because of -the publication of one apparently mediocre story. But it -was doing him more good than he realized at the time. -<a id='Page_85'></a>He was getting his name before the public as a writer and -that in itself was worth its weight in gold.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was not long before the <i>Detroit Journal</i> asked for -a contribution. Naturally it was quite a surprise for the -growing boy and when this happened he saw his chances -for success suddenly rise to new heights.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The Fall of Shako” was written November 2, 1894. -It was published in <i>The Owosso Argus</i> on November 21 -of that year.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The day before publication of that wonderful “first” -of Jim Curwood’s, he had been unknown and unsung. -The next day everyone in Owosso, in surrounding towns -and in many states knew that James Oliver Curwood lived -on John Street and that he was a writer of no mean degree. -Although the <i>Detroit Journal</i> was the first to ask for some -of Jim’s work, other papers in Detroit immediately followed -suit as well as a few papers elsewhere in the state. -However, as the <i>Journal</i> had been the first to contact him, -Jim submitted a group of his tales from which two were -quickly chosen. These were “Pontiac’s Last Blow” and -“The Angel from Heaven.” To his amazement he received -no payment for these contributions. Several days later -he completed a new tale entitled, “The Girl with the -Rareripe Lips and the Raven Hair,” which he promptly -mailed to the <i>Journal</i>, and this was as promptly accepted. -No payment was made for that story either. So, with -renewed energy and determination, Jim took down his -worn book of synonyms and dictionary and began writing -with more ambition than ever before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After a long trip to New York, Fred Janette returned to -Owosso to see how his young charge was faring. He was -quite surprised at the progress the young writer was -making. He was not only pleased, but deeply contented. -<a id='Page_86'></a>Yet, within him, Fred Janette felt that something was -wrong somewhere along the line, and he decided to delve -more deeply into the career of young Jim.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With careful deliberation he began reading the few -published works of the young author. Hardly had he -finished reading the stack of manuscripts than he immediately -“yanked” the boy into his private study once -more. Here he explained fully just what Jim would have -to do and what he must not do. Fred Janette finally convinced -Jim that he must write hard and earnestly for a -long time before he could hope to receive payment for -his work. It was during this session that he advised Jim to -try writing a juvenile serial for experience, if for nothing -else.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All during the long heavy snows of the winter of 1893 -Jim sat at his desk on John Street, hammering away on -his two twenty-thousand-word serials. They were entitled -“The Rebel Quintette,” and “Firelock of the Range.” -Today, forty-nine years later, those two manuscripts still -remain in the dungeon of Curwood Castle, for they were -never published.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Of these two scripts, Curwood said in later life: “These -pencil-scrawled manuscripts, yellow with age, are among -those I sometimes show to those whom I sincerely desire to -understand what is not good writing. Neither was ever -published.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The remainder of that winter Jim kept everlastingly at -his work, pounding away feverishly on the rebuilt typewriter, -with the ever-present desire of having his stories -published burning deep within him. His native love for -writing, aided by the unceasing encouragement of his -parents and Fred Janette, drove him constantly forward. -For even when the young boy would grow tired Janette -<a id='Page_87'></a>and Jim’s mother saw to it that the boy’s imagination -was never led astray or left to linger. They saw to it that -his rapidly developing brain was continually at work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during the last half of his sixteenth year that -Jim Curwood, young as he was, realized that he was on -the right road to success. However, he did not imagine -just how long and how tiresome that road would later -prove itself to be.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after Jim had passed his seventeenth birthday, -he began sending out his stories with fond hopes of -acceptance and remuneration. These hopes were short-lived, -for just as fast as he would mail the manuscripts -out others would be returned with a neat pink, blue or -white rejection slip attached.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Time and time again Jim had fits of despondency that -all but drove both him and his parents insane. He grew to -hate the very sight of one of those pink or white pieces -of paper. Upon receiving a rejection slip he vowed that -he would never write another line. Always within twenty-four -hours he would be back at his typewriter, pounding -away as usual.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Throughout all those lean, hard years of climbing -slowly but surely uphill in his claim to success and fame, -Jim Curwood prayed to his God for guidance and a brain -that was capable of turning out a saleable story. He, like -so many other authors, knew that prayer alone would -never turn the trick. Everlasting persistence and staunch, -bulldog tenacity must be present if success is to come.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim did have the foresight, however, to realize that -he must work continually in order for him to achieve any -minor degree of victory. And work continually he did. -Always from the crack of dawn to the wee, small hours -of the night he could have been found in his study, hard -<a id='Page_88'></a>at work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Curwood’s prayers during his teen age experiences -were not so much that he become wealthy or famous. -Nor were they for the clamoring for recognition. They -were simply that people could get to read his stories. -Then he would be able to write yarns that people would -want to read. Publication and a ready audience were all -that the young man craved.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During those times when fits of despondency would -overcome him at the sight of a rejection slip, there was -but one thing Jim would do. He would have his outburst -of temper, take a long walk and then return to his typewriter. -Unlike most writers who receive, as a rule, not -more than two or three rejects in the day’s mail, Jim often -got as many as twelve to fifteen. Always they seemed to -come in great avalanches. This was all due to his prodigious -output of words and stories.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When he would receive several of his tales back from -the different publishers, Jim would merely send them on -their way to different ones. He was not one to give up -easily and consequently could not be whipped in his determination -to succeed. The postage bill at the Curwood -home as a rule varied from as little as $1.00 to as high -as $3.00 and $4.00 a month. But his parents concerned -themselves little at the expense for somehow they knew -that the cause was a worthy one.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In due time the youthful author, who by this time had -published over a dozen different stories, came to believe -just what the printed rejection slip said—that rejection -of a story did not necessarily mean that it was not good, -but that the story was unsuited to this or that particular -editor’s needs at the time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At one time during Jim’s youthful and turbulent career, -<a id='Page_89'></a>he received a printed rejection slip from Bob Davis of -<i>Munsey’s Magazine</i>, which had the following scribbled -on the bottom:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Keep at it, kid, you’re bound to win!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>These eight words were to prove themselves priceless -to Jim Curwood during the time when everything he -wrote seemed to appear so black and foreboding. For it is -seldom that an editor will take the time to write words -of encouragement to aspiring authors. However, it seemed -that <i>Munsey’s</i> liked Jim’s work even though it did not -quite reach its standards. The kindness handed him by -Bob Davis was something which the boy never forgot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Here and there among Jim’s many files of correspondence, -private papers and manuscripts are to be found -many such words of encouragement from various “big -time” editors of that era. Brief notes from men who knew -that the young man was really a “coming big name.” It -was these same notes that kept the fire burning within -Jim’s heart, and drove him on when his ambition and -energy lagged.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Probably one of the most amusing incidents in all of -Jim’s hectic career was the first and last time he was -ever guilty of plagiarism.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seems that in Jim’s still somewhat immature career, -he wanted publication so badly that he found a way of -achieving it, though it was not quite an honest or ethical -one. He had come across a poem that he enjoyed very -much. A poem that was as old as the yellow paper upon -which it had been printed. It was entitled “A Fragment,” -written by the internationally famous Lord Byron. So, in -his rather great haste to reach the top rung of the ladder -of literary success, Jim changed the name of Byron’s -poem to, “A Prayer,” and submitted it to a magazine as -<a id='Page_90'></a>his own work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then one day, weeks later, he received a check for -fifty cents from the magazine which had accepted the -poem for early publication. This brought high elation to -the young man even though the real thrill was lacking.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several days after publication of the poem in the “big -magazine,” the final blow to Jim’s elation came. For it -seems that Fred Janette’s mother recognized the bit of -verse as that of Lord Byron’s famous “A Fragment.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Never will I ever forget the expression that came over -Mrs. Janette’s face when she saw that which I had sold -to be my own.” Jim remarked in later life. But somehow -she seemed to think it best not to say anything to him -about it at the time. However, a few weeks later she -admitted to him that she had recognized the poem to be -Lord Byron’s. She was even good enough to explain to -the editor of the magazine which had published it -begging him not to say anything to Jim. She believed that -if the magazine’s editor had accused Jim of plagiarism, -a truly great career might have been shattered, hardly -before it had actually begun to get a good start.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Having derived no decidedly great thrill from what he -had done, it dawned on Jim that not only had he cheated -himself, but had equally cheated his parents and his -friends. For Mr. and Mrs. Curwood firmly believed that -the published verse had actually been their son’s.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For weeks to come Jim Curwood worried and fretted -over his literary crime. It grieved him to think that he had -published something which had not been his own and that -he had been paid for it. However, he shortly let the matter -drop from his mind after vowing never to repeat the -act, no matter how badly he wanted publication. James -Oliver Curwood never committed plagiarism again.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_91'></a>In those early struggling days for James Oliver Curwood, -there were such magazines on the market as <i>The -Wayside Tales</i>, <i>The Four O’Clock</i>, <i>The White Elephant</i>, -<i>The Black Cat</i>. To these, and to many others, Jim offered -his writings. Unfortunately, they did not see fit to publish -young James O. Curwood. Regardless of the rejections -he usually got, he always kept <i>Munsey’s Magazine</i> on his -list, for it had offered more encouragement and rays -of hope than all the other magazines combined.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then success, in a minor sort of way, came to young -Curwood. He received a notice of acceptance from the -<i>Gray Goose</i> magazine and $5.00 in payment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>If the neighbors had not known that a young writer -lived nearby, there is little doubt but that they would -have believed a raving lunatic had invaded the little -house on John Street. For at sight of the check, Jim -jumped and ran about the house, shouting at the top of -his voice, as he waved the green piece of paper wildly -above his head. And he had good reason for doing so. -“Across the Range” was his first paid-for story. Heretofore -he had had several of his stories published, but had never -received any compensation for them. Now the “ice had -been broken,” and he was on the road to success.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If the check had been for five-thousand dollars the -thrill would not have been greater,” said Jim at the -time. For here was the result of ten years of mental -anguish and strain; ten years of impatient, but hopeful -waiting. Here was what he had been striving for. It -hardly seemed true, yet there before his eyes and in his -hands was the check.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For many days after this wonderful happening Jim -was held in the throes of excitement, the likes of which -he had never known before in all his life. At last he -<a id='Page_92'></a>could call himself a professional writer. The beacons of -happiness and earnestness shone bright in the teen-aged -youth’s head, for at last his dream was coming true.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Feeling that he had at last struck the right chord Jim -wrote hot, scorching letters to all the editors who had -previously rejected his stories. Many of them replied in -due time by saying, in effect, “we have never heard of -the <i>Gray Goose</i> before.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was not long before young Jim began to believe -many things about himself that as yet were not exactly -true. He even felt himself to be on an equal status with -his idol, Fred Janette. He also believed that now that -fame and glory had taken a quick look at him, he -should resume his normal life and turn out still more -yarns. Stories which would sell many, many copies of the -magazines in which they would appear. Stories that would -hold their readers spellbound from beginning to end. -Stories that would provide hope, inspiration and ambition -to those who might have grown weary of the struggle. -He wanted to write so that in his works there would be -a message for all.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For a long time Jim had wanted a bicycle of his own. -He had borrowed his friends’ bikes many times, but -neither they nor he approved so very much of this policy. -He had been saving his money in the hope of accumulating -enough to purchase one for himself, but he began to -realize that it would take a long, long time for him to -save up the fabulous sum that a new bicycle would cost.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day early in June of 1896, young Jim Curwood, -now past seventeen years of age, had one of the most -pleasant surprises of his life. Mr. Curwood bought his -growing young son a bicycle all his own on which Jim -was free to ride whenever and wherever he chose.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_93'></a>It was a grand and glorious thrill for the boy. It gave -him a feeling of satisfaction and immense pride. No -longer would he have to borrow a bicycle. Now he had -his own, and it was the newest and best bicycle in all -of Owosso.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the very day that Jim became the proud owner of -the new bicycle he began planning for a long trip. He -decided, after some reflection, to travel southward.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fortunately enough, Jim’s parents had no serious objections -to his plans, so, upon completing his itinerary, he -made ready to start on his travels early the following -morning. His first stop would be at his cousin’s, Bert Van -Ostran, seventeen miles away. Father Curwood reached -down into his pocket and extracted fifty cents which he -gave to his youngest boy, and then Mrs. Curwood packed -him a good lunch.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the discussion of the trip had come to an end -the family prepared for bed. Jim urged his parents not -to see him off in the morning, for he expected to be on -his way at the first crack of dawn. The elder Curwoods -doubted very strongly, however, that he would even be -out of bed by dawn, let alone being well on his way -peddling a bicycle. For to reach cousin Bert’s home, Jim -would have to peddle over seventeen miles of the worst -gravel roads. So they made no objections, slyly believing -that the whole trip would come to naught.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But Mr. and Mrs. Curwood did not realize to what extent -the adventure blood was surging through their son’s -veins. They did not realize the yearning that Jim held in -his youthful heart for the open skies where the stars shone -down in glittering millions. They did not know of the -love their son bore in his heart for the winding, steep -trails, the blazing campfires or the countless spots along -<a id='Page_94'></a>the streams where one could lie and dream upon the -green turf while one’s fish pole would dangle idly in -the cool green depths. No, Mr. and Mrs. Curwood did -not stop to think of this. Perhaps it is better they had -not known, for it might have resulted in a great and -most unwelcome change in Jim Curwood. A change that -might have eliminated him from the ranks of the world’s -greatest adventure writers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By the first gleams of breaking dawn as the sun awakened -to start a new day, Jim Curwood was well on his -way to his cousin’s home seventeen miles distant. One -may only guess at the surprise that his parents must have -experienced when they discovered that the boy was gone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim pedaled his heart out and reached Bert’s home -the same afternoon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hardly had he arrived than he was explaining his -scheme to cousin Bert. Up until this time Jim had not -spoken to anyone concerning the plan that had been -hatching in his brain. From all indications it was merely -to have been a short bike trip of seventeen miles and no -further. Bert was in complete agreement, and that night -the boys sat in Bert’s room and drew up their secret plans -long after their elders had turned in for the night—plans -that would open up new roads of adventure for them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The following morning the boys were up early, and by -the time the sun rose they were on their way, their bike -racks loaded and their luggage tight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As any nature lover, any adventurer or any traveler -knows, there is no holding back, no barring of the path -when one hears the call to nature and wildlife. There is -no one to bar your path and say that you cannot go here -and you cannot go there. You are free to go where you -please and when you please. The passport to adventure -<a id='Page_95'></a>is the love of nature.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Throughout the wanderings of the two comrades they -managed to live off the land, as wanderers do. Often, -being extremely fortunate, they would receive handouts -consisting of fresh eggs, chicken, milk and vegetables -which they consumed to their hearts’ content. But they -were not without their periods of hard luck, too, for on -occasions they had to run for dear life before the rage of -farmers who did not particularly relish their trespassings. -But all of this was to be expected, for they had chosen -to live the life of adventurers and live it they did to their -utter joy and sheer happiness.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was about the middle of July that Jim and Bert -decided to swing around and see as much territory as -possible in the remaining time left them. Immediately -they made for Ohio, into eastern Indiana, then back into -Ohio and on down into Kentucky.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This being the first real trip that Jim Curwood had -made thus far in his life, he felt an immense and almost -inexpressible thrill when his cousin and he crossed the -wide and swift Ohio river enroute to the state of Kentucky. -He had never before been this far south and he enjoyed -it so much that they spent several days in the “Blue Grass” -state. They never remained in any other spot for more -than half a day at a time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They pedaled up long, winding trails and hills where -on both sides of them were deep chasms and high cliffs, -overlooking wide fertile valleys. They travelled over -many miles of Kentucky’s roads and by-ways, thrilling to -every mile, every stone, every stream. Unexpectedly, -through the kindness of an unknown sportswoman, they -were given an opportunity to ride on a large steamboat -which had stopped at the docks of the Ohio river. So, with -<a id='Page_96'></a>their bicycles safely on board, Jim and Bert stood along -the rail with their hostess as the shrill whistles blew. For -several days and nights they had three square meals daily -in truly luxurious style and they slept like kings in soft -and downy beds. The dream, real as it was, ended when -the boat docked at Louisville, and the two boys disembarked -to make their plans for pedalling back to their -respective homes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Schooldays soon arrived for Jim Curwood and into the -long, wide halls of Central School he strode once more. -This time he was not the meek and timid beginner as of -old, but one who had the air of an adventurer about him. -He had also grown a great deal during the summer, his -skin was tanned. His natural coal-black, straight hair was -almost bleached white by the hot summer sun.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Despite the fact that he was glad to be back in school, -soon the urge for the great outdoors and what they had -to offer began to beckon to him stronger than before. So, -outside of school hours (and those days when he would -miss school altogether), his time was divided between his -river and his bedroom study.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Night after night Jim constantly heard his river rushing -past his upstairs window on into the wilds. Soon he -found that he could not withstand the urge longer ... -nature was beckoning. So he wrote a long, heart-filled -letter to his old pal Skinny, imploring him to come and -join him, and together they would go on one grand and -glorious adventure. Many anxious days he waited until -those days had developed into weeks, and still no reply -came from Skinny down in Ohio. This silence puzzled -Jim greatly. Surely Skinny had received his letter or else -it would have been returned to him long before now.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim waited three or four days more before giving up -<a id='Page_97'></a>all hopes of hearing from Skinny.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day, when the spring rains had stopped and the -flowers had begun to burst open in a glorious outbreaking -of wonderful springtime, Jim Curwood brought home all -his books and announced that school was of such minor -importance to him, as compared to the material he must -gather for a story for the editor of <i>Golden Days Magazine</i>, -that he must at once dismiss all thoughts of study and -head into the Big Marsh. As far as Jim Curwood was -concerned now school was so much water over the dam -and something which had done him little or no good -whatsoever.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The urge for adventure was much more stronger than -the urge to attend school, despite the fact that he had -returned to Owosso from Ohio principally to go to school. -But he had pondered over the situation seriously for -many weeks and his mind was made up. He was heading -north and nothing was going to stop him. He wanted that -country so feverishly and wanted to write about it so -badly that he could not and would not suppress himself -further.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fortunately enough, school in those days was a small -part of one’s life. So Mother and Father Curwood did -not raise much protest against their son’s wishes, even -though they had hoped and prayed that he would some -day go through college. Consequently Jim had very little -trouble in gaining the necessary permission, although the -necessity of gathering material for the editor of <i>Golden -Days</i> was a fabrication. The editor of that magazine had -never even heard of Jim Curwood....</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several days later Jim started out on his lone venture, -still wondering why Skinny had never answered his letter. -<a id='Page_98'></a>He was starting out into the Big Marsh Country and the -“Land of the Bad” alone. Carrying his gun in one hand -and his dunnage in the other, his tramping was to be a -solitary one. In those days there were no automobiles and -the country was low and flat. There was nothing but -timberland, swamps, lakes, creatures of the wilds and the -rushing white waters of the rivers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As Jim began hiking on the first day of his trip, the sun -was just beginning to peep through the trees. At the end -of that day the sun was sinking behind the western horizon -in a glorious burst of color. He had made something like -thirty miles and he was to spend his first night out in one -of the cabins of one of his swamp Indian friends and -feast upon the usual meal of fried muskrat.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By sunup the following morning Jim Curwood was in -the little town of St. Charles, and it was here that he -rented a leaky boat.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim was on his way down the Bad long before most -people are ready to sit down to their morning meal.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A half mile or so down the river from St. Charles, Jim -entered a region supremely and gloriously wild. It was -strangely and unusually quiet; and along this particular -point the Bad river was very deep and wide, and all but -currentless. Bordered on both sides by many types of trees: -spruce, willows, jackpine, maple and beech that seemed to -be bending their heads down to the water’s edge, and -long entwining vines that looked as if they were just -waiting to fasten their deathlike grips about Jim’s young -neck. It was all mysterious and terrifying, but Jim loved -it all. He loved and almost worshipped every single thing -regardless of how wild and spooky it looked.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_99'></a><img src='images/i_099.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>J.C. WEBER</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_101'></a>The farther he pushed along, the more he began to -realize that he was well within the swamp territory and -uncut timberlands, a place so primeval and mysterious that -it fairly rang with the sound of adventure. It was deathly -still and quiet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As Jim dipped his oars silently and deeply into the -black waters he could not help but hear the occasional -sounds of birds and wildlife about him. Yet, he was -not at the place he wanted to be, the region where game -was abundant. But it was part of what he was seeking. -He marveled at the sounds and the scenery and was thrilled -as never before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood took in everything with all the awe and -wonderment of youth. But soon he knew that he must -stop admiring the scenery and make for his destination -before nightfall caught up with him. His destination -was a place where the swiftly flowing waters of -the flooded Shiawassee joined those of the slow, currentless -Bad. It was there that he planned to spend the -night. Jim dug his oars deeper into the cold, black, -silent waters of the mysterious Bad river.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As young Jim rowed along many thoughts entered his -mind. He had always thought of the Bad river as an outlaw, -stealing away to some dark, secret, quiet place of -seclusion. In some places the longest fish poles cannot -touch bottom, so deep and abysmal is it. As Jim feared it, -so he loved it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Around four o’clock in the afternoon, as the sun was -beginning to set and the shadows began to drop much -deeper within the thick wilderness, Jim reached the old -logging cabin that he had been heading for. Upon his arrival -there, he was greatly perturbed to find that only -about a half an acre was above the flood waters. He -landed his boat on the dry land and went ashore.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The next morning, long before the sun had made its -<a id='Page_102'></a>appearance, he was well on his way. Fortunately enough -for him, he did not have to go as far as he had expected, -for he ran into his old friend, “Muskrat” Joe, with whom -he spent that day and night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That night Jim Curwood spent one of the merriest and -most enjoyable suppers of his life as he sat by the campfire -with one of the true wilderness wanderers. They -laughed, and joked and told tall stories. The two spent -the next five glorious days together, after which the faithful -Joe invited Jim Curwood to come to his home and stay -a while with him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For four unforgettable weeks James Oliver Curwood -lived the life of a swamp Indian, doing everything, and -eating the same things that swamp Indians do and eat. -He paddled an old dug-out canoe that had been carved -from the trunk of a huge tree and ate what food the -Indian offered him. Many of the dishes that the mysterious -and picturesque “Muskrat” Joe cooked, most men -would turn from in horror. This was not the case with -Jim, however, for he ate everything. He felt that what -Joe ate was good enough for him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the amazing part of this wilderness living with -Joe was that the Indian’s home was wonderfully clean. -The abode was located both on and off the river. A long, -winding path covered by marsh grass led back to the -actual home, if one chose to call it a home. Then, too, it -could hardly be termed a cabin or shack, for it was built -of tree boughs and limbs, plastered together with swamp -mud and thatched over with tall, tough marsh grass. This -kept the hot air out in the summer and the cold winds out -in the winter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The place itself was surrounded by an air of mystery and -<a id='Page_103'></a>seclusion. It was in this wilderness outpost that Jim Curwood -turned out “The Mystery Man of Kim’s Bayou.” It -was here, also, that he learned more of the real heart and -soul of nature, as well as the new doors opened for him in -his great worship and search for nature in all of her -abundance and glory.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Upon his unexpected though welcome return to Owosso, -Jim told many strange and weird tales about the wilds that -he had surrounded himself with during the past month or -so. Upon being pressed about the material he supposedly -was gathering for the editor of <i>Golden Days Magazine</i>, -Jim merely said that he was working on it and that it -would be ready in a few days.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day shortly after his return to Owosso, Jim made -the acquaintance of another young man whose name was -Bill, through whose association Jim became involved in -another of his boyish pranks. This time, however, the -prank developed into a scheme of downright dishonesty.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Somehow or other, the two boys decided to concoct a -liquid which they called “The Infallible Blood Purifier.” -Home-made and brewed without any actual scientific preparation -or knowledge, this “stuff” was not only falsely-named -but dangerous to drink, as they found out in due -time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Equipped with many bottles of their “Purifier,” the boys -entrained on a barnstorming tour of the countryside, by -horse-and-buggy, screaming their wares in the market-places -of almost every city and village they came to. Most -of their customers were farmers, and business was extremely -good until, one by one, the farmers became ill. -Complaints came thick and fast and the citizenry were up -in arms against the boys. It was not long before Jim and -Bill were being hunted from town to town by the sheriff, -<a id='Page_104'></a>and it was only through sheer good fortune that they -managed to elude the law.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was while they were fleeing that Jim somehow recognized -familiar territory and he suddenly realized that they -had managed to come to his old farm in Ohio, where he -had spent such glorious days with dear friends. The farm -was now vacant and dreary, but it held memories for Jim -that he would never forget. Inquiring as to his pal, Skinny, -and his “Whistling” Jeanne, he found, to his sadness, -that his pal had died and the girl had married and moved -elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So it was with a heavy heart that Jim returned to Owosso -to take up once again where he had left off. He had had -his fling, was much wiser in the ways of the world and was -now ready to plunge seriously and finally into his life’s -work.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_105'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER FIVE<br /> <br />COLLEGE DAYS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>When Jim Curwood at last returned from his wanderings -on the open roads and along the trails of adventure, he -decided that he must have more schooling if he would -attain the heights in literature that he so desired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim was determined and he set to the task that he had -outlined for himself. The first to suggest that he should go -to college and study was Mrs. Janette. But similar advice -came from his parents, Fred Janette and most of his -friends. Realizing that this would take a great sum of -money Jim began to seriously consider the possibilities.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Where would he ever get the necessary funds for even a -year at Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan? Where, indeed, -would he get the money for the remaining three -years which were required for a degree?</p> - -<p class='c010'>For many weeks Jim thought about his problem. At last -he reached the decision that he would earn just enough to -take care of himself for the first year and let the other three -years take care of themselves. He had not as yet completed -his high school course at Central School, and the job of -doing so was also of prime consideration, since a diploma -was an essential requirement to entering a university.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Even as the century neared its end, Central School remained -a combined grade and high school where students -from six and seven mingled with boys and girls of seventeen -<a id='Page_106'></a>and eighteen years of age. It was a beautiful school -surrounded by trees and sat in the center of a large common -wherein lay a wonderful playground. Despite the -fact that it was a combined school of all grades it had -everything to offer the children of that day. It remains -very much the same today as it was almost fifty years ago.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Without choice Jim set to work doing anything in the -line of odd-jobs. He beat carpets, mowed lawns and yards -and raked leaves in the fall months. He also shoveled snow -from neighbors’ walks and porches during the long, cold -wintry months. He even scraped mortar from bricks at an -old building that was being destroyed. Also, during the -winter, he ran innumerable traplines and from these he -managed to save quite a few dollars. He realized to the -utmost that all of this was work, but since it was for “the -cause” he did not mind. For Jim thoroughly enjoyed his -trapping in the blustery winds of the cold, northern winters, -and his shoveling of snow from sidewalks and -porches. He enjoyed the scraping of mortar from bricks, -the mowing of yards and the beating of carpets, for -through this work he was coming nearer and nearer to -his goal.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the arrival of early fall, the time came when cord -wood would have to be put up, and here again Jim proved -himself efficient. Cord after cord of wood he cut up for -neighbors and friends. For each cord he received ample -payment. Then, when he learned that there was a shortage -of firemen, Jim promptly signed up as a volunteer. -All these jobs Jim picked up over a period of one year.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In early September of the fall of 1897 Jim went back to -Central School, and it was not long before the faculty as -well as his fellow students learned of his desire and determination -to enter college, a desire which they regarded -<a id='Page_107'></a>as being absurd and futile.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All this, however, only made Jim dig in all the harder -and made him fight more gallantly against the odds that -were pitting themselves against him. For the young man -was absolutely determined to show them all up now. He -felt that by actually attaining that for which he was striving, -he would be showing them all just how small and -insignificant they really were.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Adding injury to insult there came a blow to Jim’s dignity -and pride that hurt and touched him deeply. For Professor -Austin of Central School once asked him:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How are you going to get into college, James, without -a diploma—break in with a set of burglar’s tools?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Throughout all those hectic schooldays Jim was constantly -being urged by a great many people to give up his -childish passion for writing, and turn to something that -would prove itself more profitable and worthwhile in years -to come. Since Jim was rapidly becoming quite an expert -with a rifle, he was told that there was an excellent field -in rifle matches which would bring him good money. -Likewise the prospect of bagging big game was proposed -as a means of earning considerable money. Fortunately for -Jim none of these ideas appealed to him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was but one teacher in all of Central School who -firmly was convinced of Jim Curwood’s future. Her name -was Miss Boyce and her loveliness always made Jim’s -heart beat faster. At that time she was a lovely young -woman, not many years his senior and she possessed one -of the most lovable characters that Jim had ever known. -She was constantly urging him onward as only very few -others in all of Owosso were doing. She even went so far -as to arrange a schedule whereby she could have Jim alone -<a id='Page_108'></a>and thereby instruct him privately. The private teaching -took place in her own home and Jim was sincerely moved -by her earnest interest in his career.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Throughout James Oliver Curwood’s short though illustrious -and glorious life he often thought of the beautiful -and kind Miss Boyce, and more than once he wrote -her into his stories. It was through her that Jim learned -that he might enter the university by taking special entrance -examinations instead of the usual ones that other students -would be required to take. From that moment on there -was nothing on earth that could stop James Oliver Curwood. -There was not an obstacle which he could not overcome -in his climb to success. He was young and he realized -fully that only God could keep him from realizing his -ambitions.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I was fully embarked on the project of becoming an -author. Nothing but death could stop me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Summer arrived none too soon for Jim, and with its -coming Central School was to see the last of its most ridiculed -student. At last he was free. As soon as classes were -out Jim sought out work and quickly found it. He clerked -in a grocery store for several weeks, with the remainder of -his summer being spent in the nearby forests that all but -surround Owosso. He planned, he saved and he studied -for those glorious days ahead of him. Actually he had been -able to save the magnificent sum of One Hundred and -Twenty Dollars, which also included the $5.00 received -from the <i>Gray Goose Magazine</i>. He had never cashed the -check.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last came the fall of 1898, and Jim Curwood was -ready for his trip to Ann Arbor and the University. There -were no crowds at the station to bid him good bye and -good luck. There were just his family, Fred Janette and his -<a id='Page_109'></a>mother, Miss Boyce and a few others. Seemingly the -friends of the family and even his own chums had very -little confidence in his ability to succeed at the great institution -of learning. In fact they all believed that within -a very short time Jim Curwood would be back at home. -But Jim’s family and his close friends had confidence in -him and were firmly convinced that he would successfully -pass his special entrance examinations. They were certain, -however, that should he fail he would not return -to Owosso for they knew of the confidence James Oliver -Curwood had in himself at that youthful and momentous -age of twenty. To fail would mean disgrace not only to -Jim, but to his parents and friends, and they were sure -that he would never come home until he had made something -of himself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With Jim when the train pulled out of Owosso were his -lone suitcase carrying only absolute necessities, and of -course his ever present typewriter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a long, rough ride to Ann Arbor and throughout -it all Jim wished that he were already there and had all -of his connections made. Two weeks were still to elapse -before taking his entrance examinations, but Jim had carefully -planned his trip this way to enable him to have more -time for study and to brush up on the necessary subjects.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was at a Mrs. Gray’s that Jim decided to have his -meals after he had arrived in Ann Arbor and had made -inquiries. The prices were very reasonable and she served -an excellent quality of food. In all there were fifteen college -men who ate at Mrs. Gray’s, and each one took his -turn at serving as cashier, waiter or dishwasher, thus -receiving meals at far less than the usual prices.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Mrs. Gray treated Jim exceptionally well and almost -instantly he felt as if he were at home. The food she -<a id='Page_110'></a>served was plain, everyday food, but he paid little and -still had all he wanted to eat. Jim Curwood soon learned -that Mrs. Gray was respected and highly recommended.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was here that Jim met Walter Parker, who later became -the chief of staff of the Owosso Memorial Hospital, -and Jim Greene, who became an Assistant Attorney General -of the State of Michigan. Greene’s official capacity at -Mrs. Gray’s was that of cash master.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After securing a place in which to eat his meals Jim -went in search of a room, after spending the first night at -Mrs. Gray’s house. The twenty year old did not have long -to look for a place in which to lodge, for just a few blocks -down the street he came across a room for just one dollar -a week, which suited him well.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The first night in his new location he labored long into -the dawning hours. He studied as he had never studied -and crammed before. The passing of the examinations now -meant more than anything had meant to him in all his -life. It meant that in the event that he should pass he -would be well on his way toward a successful literary -career.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last came the fateful morning on which he was to -take his examinations. Jim left his little room on State -Street and headed for the university. He wound his way -through the heavily foliaged campus, past the library and -onto the Central Stand itself. Then up long, winding stairs -Jim made his way to the room where Professor Scott was -awaiting his prospective students. At least a dozen other -young men and women were taking the tests with Jim -that morning and they were given two hours to complete -them.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='complete'></a> -<img src='images/i_193.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>James Oliver Curwood At the Age of Seven</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_194.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Street Scene, Owosso, Mich., June, 1940</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_111'></a><img src='images/i_195.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Shiawassee River (“Sparkling Waters”)</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_196.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The James Oliver Curwood Castle Taken from Off John Street,<br />Owosso</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_197.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Boat Landing, Curwood Castle. On The Shiawassee River</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_198.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Just James Oliver Curwood, more than a Million of<br />Whose Books are Owned by Enthusiastic Readers</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_199.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Mr. and Mrs. James Oliver Curwood,<br />in Their Garden in Owosso, Mich.</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_200.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Curwood, Camping in the Yukon</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_201.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Curwood, the Writer, in a Corner of His Gun Room</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_202.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Curwood Before the Cabin which he Built in the British<br />Columbia Mountains, and in which He Wrote “God’s Country”<br />and "The Trail to Happiness”</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_203.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Curwood, The Woodsman, Preparing for a<br />Night in the Woods with Mrs. Curwood</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_204.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>An Unusual, Striking Picture of Curwood</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_205.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Curwood Outfit Going Down the Fraser River</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_206t.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Cabin on the Au Sable (Old Curwood Cabin)</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_206b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Conservation Clubhouse, Six Miles North of Owosso.<br />Curwood donated several Thousand Dollars for Its Construction<br />and the Property Surrounding It</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_207.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>The Home of James Oliver Curwood at 508 William St.,<br />Owosso, Mich.</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_208.jpg' alt='‘Curwood’s' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>Curwood Grave in Oakhill Cemetery, Owosso, Mich.</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_112'></a>The room was silent and still as pencils moved over -the papers. As Jim pondered over them he began to feel -a strange paralysis come over him. Even at that time he -firmly believed with all his heart that none of the teachers -at seemingly far off Owosso and Central School could -have answered a single one of those almost terrifying -questions. It was with a feeling that his scholastic grave -was already dug that Jim ploughed into the series of -questions. He tackled them with all the fury of a wild, untamed -lion. But at the same time the long, silent wilderness -trails beckoning toward Alaska and the great North -came in a vision to him. Was this vision to prove to be -one of those unexplainable destinies in his life? He -wondered.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Young James Oliver Curwood, just slightly past twenty, -sat many long minutes trying to answer the questions. -Evidently Professor Scott must have noticed the sick look -upon his face, for he came over to Jim and told him he -need not hurry. He explained to the young man that he -had plenty of time, that he would accomplish more if he -proceeded slowly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For the entire two hours and up until Professor Scott -called the examination to a halt, Jim sat there writing as -fast and accurately as his arm and brain would permit. -He had been a little slow at first, but as time went on his -memory seemed to return and he remembered more. -When the allotted time was up he handed in a sheaf of -papers that would lead one to believe that Jim Curwood -had written a full length novel.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few anxious and worried days went by before the big -news came telling of the results of the examinations. Jim -Curwood had passed the difficult examinations with “flying -colors,” while over one-fourth of the others had failed. -He was jubilant and overjoyed at his great success. Immediately -<a id='Page_113'></a>he rushed off to the telegraph office to send -back the news to all of Owosso.</p> - -<p class='c010'>James Oliver Curwood plunged deep into college life. -Now, besides being a part of the university he was also a -resident of Ann Arbor. It later became known that it was -not only the studies that interested him but, strange as it -may seem, being a resident of Ann Arbor gave him a soul-satisfying -thrill, a thrill so great and real that for many -years afterward Jim could never quite fully describe it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The weeks that followed were filled with the usual -pranks and escapades that come to all college students, -and Jim was by no means an exception. Being a freshman -was not an altogether happy affair, what with the periods -of “hazing” and “paddling” and peeling of onions that -became parts of his daily existence. But through all this -Jim’s sense of humour never left him and, while he did -not particularly enjoy these “persecutions,” his understanding -of them made them easier to bear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last came the time for Jim to take notice of his financial -standing. He had paid his tuition fees, purchased his -books and all minor colleges fees had been taken care -of. Even his room and board were paid up for the entire -first semester. Still, Jim was running short of cash. So he -set out in search of work. Any job that paid any wages at -all was what Jim Curwood wanted and would take. Luckily -there was a university employment agency on the campus -and Jim lost no time in contacting it. For several days he -practically haunted the agency and at last after a week of -waiting he secured employment at a house that needed -someone to tend the furnace and take out ashes after -school hours. Though the compensation was little it helped -Jim immensely to carry on his college work.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_114'></a>It was not long before a similar position presented itself, -and this together with the first one, netted him the then -magnificent sum of $6.00 weekly. Jim’s education, at least -for the present, looked a little more secure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the first year at Ann Arbor was rapidly drawing to -a close, the final examinations came up. Jim soon began -the ever tiresome task of studying. The light in his room -burned from early dusk until early in the morning. This -was one time when he realized that he must burn the -proverbial “midnight oil.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>After many long, hard hours of intense study, Jim -managed to pass the examinations. His first year at -the University of Michigan had been a success and he was -quite proud.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_115'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER SIX<br /> <br />NEWSPAPER WORK AND EARLY WRITINGS</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>In September, following the completion of Jim Curwood’s -freshman year at Ann Arbor, Professor Scott convinced -him that there was an excellent opportunity in newspaper -work in Ann Arbor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So once more Jim began to write. He wrote stories he -felt people would love to read—the type of stories that -he loved to write. Jim wanted to write about nature, something -which would appeal to the public in a big way, tales -of adventure where the women were clean, pure and brave, -and the men valiant and courageous.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that time on stories of all types flowed from his -pen and his typewriter. He wrote high grade adventure -yarns which were slightly tinged with an air of romance. -Jim even gave detective fiction a try but found that he -was unsuited for it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>His stories were mailed to newspapers all over the middle -west. Detroit, Bay City, Indianapolis, Toledo and many -others were on his mailing list. At first they all came back -with the usual rejection slips. Then out of a clear sky, -checks began arriving. He sold a great many of his stories -to Detroit newspapers and to various other city newspapers. -His monthly earnings now began to total as much -as seventy dollars and were never less than thirty dollars.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s ambition now was burning more fiercely than ever -<a id='Page_116'></a>before. His desire to have millions of people read his -stories became an obsession with him. His stay in Ann -Arbor at the University was now assured. Henceforth Jim -Curwood dropped all other college activities, for his writing -and studies were taking all of his spare time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The little room he occupied on State Street had now -been turned into a regular beehive of activity. The throes -of creative composition were swarming in his adventurous -blood and write he must. Papers were strewn across -the floor and completely covered the space all about his -desk, the top of which was covered entirely with manuscripts, -correspondence and tid-bits of notes. Jim was unceasingly -racking his brain for new plots and new angles -and different settings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Detroit began buying more and more of his stories and -it was all he could do to continue the steady output. He -was producing stories of the great Canadian Northwest, -stories that were so jammed with heart-stirring adventure -that the newspapers to which he sold them were selling -their papers by extra hundreds daily. James O. Curwood’s -stories had selling appeal. People, as well as the editors, -were beginning to wait impatiently for them. Jim was eternally -grateful and thankful, in fact, more thankful than -he had ever been before. He had been writing for the past -twelve years and now at last some degree of success was -coming to him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during this terrific onslaught of writing fury that -Jim strayed farther away from nature than ever before. -He missed it terribly and yearned to get back to it. That -urge was constantly burning within him, the same as was -the desire to become a writer. Fortunately enough he was -writing about the great open spaces, the deep, silent forests, -and the many lakes and streams, and this allayed -<a id='Page_117'></a>his longing somewhat. As often as possible, however, he -would break away from his room long enough to take -brief walks of an evening. Sometimes these walks would -develop into strolls across the rolling ridges and hills and -wanderings into the beautiful glens and forests that lay -nearby. Atop these ridges on the outskirts of town he -could look down upon Ann Arbor as it nestled among the -many silently swaying trees. Even on cold, wintry nights -he would sometimes climb to the tops of these ridges as -the world lay asleep and look down upon the glimmering -lights of the campus and town. Here he could see the -lights twinkling and flickering through the light of steady -downfalls of glittering, gleaming snow. Jim Curwood -loved the falling of the snow. He loved it almost as much -as he did the ever glorious arrival of spring.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All through the cold winter Jim worked feverously on -his studies and on his writing. His mind and nerves were -constantly on edge, so deep in his work was he engrossed. -Still he turned out stories that eventually found a market -and that was what he was searching for.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the arrival of spring, Jim was still engaged in his -free-lance newspaper work. But the proceeds of his writings -were not yet sufficient to assure his staying on at the -University, so he accepted a position offered by Professor -Adams who had undertaken a huge railroad statistical job -for the government and was in need of a few college men -to assist him. Jim was to draw $75.00 per month, with -room furnished. The job was to last all summer long. -As this work was comparatively easy, consisting only of -calculations, Jim enjoyed doing it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>When the fall term opened Jim returned to school with -over $200.00 in his pockets. He now had sufficient funds -to provide himself with a little relaxation and some -<a id='Page_118'></a>luxuries. The year of 1900 was to prove one of the most -enjoyable and changing periods in all his life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Because he was now better off, financially, Jim decided -to take larger quarters, so he rented a two-room apartment -on Jefferson Street. Then he bought a new suit of clothes -which materially changed his appearance. With a pipe and -a mandolin, previously acquired, he became a typical -“college man.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“As a sophomore I devoted only a little attention to -the incoming freshmen. The enthusiasm with which I had -entered into under-class rivalries the preceding autumn -had worn itself out, or rather, had been supplanted by my -interest in newspaper work.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>What with his writing, his difficult studies and the -planning of his work, Jim was truly as busy a man as -there was on the whole of the campus. He spent his -spare time, as little as there was of it, in strolls about -the campus and the wooded sections on the outskirts of -the city. Here he loved to walk along slowly and take in -nature as it actually was. He loved to watch the birds flit -from tree to tree, to see the chipmunks, the squirrels and -the various other creatures of the wild in the throes of -their work and play. They always appeared so industrious -to him. But Jim Curwood did not watch them merely for -the thrill of it all, but because he studied their every move. -Here it was that Jim discovered that he cared for nature -almost selfishly. At times it seemed as if he could not -break away from his wanderings in the forests and along -the lakes long enough to accomplish anything else. The -birds, the trees and the rippling waters entranced the -young man. The many squirrels and rabbits that infested -the places that man did not go held constant fascination -for him.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_119'></a>Jim watched nature and wildlife with gifted eyes. He -would see creatures of God where no other human eyes -could detect them. Jim Curwood was a staunch believer -that everything on the face of the earth was an important -item in the worldly scheme of things.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If I did not believe a tree had a soul I could not believe -in a God. If someone convinced me that the life in a -flower or the heart in a bird were not as important in the -final analysis as those same things in my own body I -could no longer have faith in a hereafter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Those words seal the case of Jim Curwood’s love of -nature and of all living things.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>* * * *</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'>The sophomore year at the University of Michigan came -and went almost as fast as had his previous year as a -freshman, with but one exception. Jim Curwood had begun -to take a keen and glowing interest in the young women -of the campus. Previously he had hardly looked at girls -and at times hardly realized that there were such lovely -creatures about him, save for his childhood sweetheart, -“Whistling” Jeanne. Those memories of Jeanne Fisher, -however, were not haunting him now, for the beautiful -women of the University were taking her place. Jim began -to notice their pretty dresses, their hair-do’s, and their -feminine pulchritude. It was the glory of womanhood and -all it stood for that made Jim happy. He began to realize -more and more that womanhood was probably the most -wonderful of all things on the earth. He began to glorify -them in his stories as he had the creatures of the wild and -all nature about him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Then I began to understand that no matter how successful -a man may be, how much money he may amass, -or how many honors he may acquire, his life is woefully -<a id='Page_120'></a>incomplete unless a woman fully shares it with him. As -the tired-eyed factor at Fond du Lac once said, while he -stood beside the lonely grace under a huge spruce: ‘No -country is God’s Country without a woman.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>One afternoon early in the fall of the year, Jim was on -one of his evening strolls down a byway along the very -edge of the Huron River as it made its way out of Ann -Arbor. It was during the course of this walk that Jim -Curwood chanced upon one of the most beautiful creatures -of womanhood that he had ever seen. About a mile -down this path along the Huron from whence one turns -off to follow the course of the river, Jim found her. The -path was called then, as it still remains, “Schoolgirl Glen.” -Jim had long come to consider this particular spot as his -own, and upon discovering the intruder, beautiful as she -was, he resented it somewhat. He had grown to love the -bigness and glory of the solitude here. From this spot a -man’s eyes could roam for countless miles and see nothing -but the beauty and glory of nature.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As Jim came upon the young lady she turned about, -smiled, and spoke to him. Then he smiled, too. Smiled as -he had never smiled before. It was not as a matter of -politeness that a smile came to his face then, but because -he felt like smiling at that particular moment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All about them were massive pines, spruces and willows -and many varieties of shrubs and bushes. Jim later often -referred to the spot as one of the most beautiful that he -knew of.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At first he was backward and shy, but when his newly-found -companion began talking about nature and the very -things that Jim Curwood loved so well, almost immediately -his backwardness vanished and he found himself in -a veritable “Garden of Eden.” Jim could hardly believe -<a id='Page_121'></a>that there could possibly be two people in the same world -who viewed things so nearly alike.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For many hours they talked of the beauties of nature, -of the wilderness and of their own love of wildlife. -They spoke of what they thought should be done in -order to preserve our natural resources. Jim found himself -liking this new youthful companion who loved nature as -he did. This meeting between the two was the beginning -of a serious romance, which resulted in their marriage on -January 15, 1900, exactly six months later.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From that time on Jim found that he had to work much -harder than ever before in order to make ends meet. He -drove himself in his story writing, hardly relaxing or letting -up. Story after story and article after article he would -grind out in an effort to make a decent living. In fact, -Jim was all but driving himself to the very limit. When -asked why he was working so hard, he would reply:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why not? I have something to work for now!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>About this time the <i>Gray Goose Magazine</i> began accepting -Jim’s stories more regularly. Various other magazines, -both slicks and pulps, began taking an interest in -his work. What with all of his newspaper free-lancing -and his magazine work, Jim was finally managing to make -both of the proverbial ends meet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last when the school year ended and the glorious -summer of 1900 began, Jim and his lovely wife began -making new plans. So promptly and without much deliberation, -they headed for the Big Marsh country. The call -of adventure was strong in Jim’s blood once again. He -was coming back to nature and the life he loved so dearly, -only this time he was not alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The summer was wonderfully and educationally spent -by just the two of them. They were constantly on the move -<a id='Page_122'></a>as they journeyed from one beauteous spot to another, -making sure they missed nothing. They were taking in all -the wonderous sights that were available in the Big Marsh -country. They loved the great open spaces where one -could breathe clean, fresh air and where all the creatures -of the wild were at home, playing, working and making -ready for the coming of winter. That particular summer -of 1900 was one of the most enjoyable that James Oliver -Curwood had ever spent.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Once again September rolled around and with it went -Jim Curwood to become a member of the junior class -at the University. But Jim did not complete his junior year, -for Pat Baker, a great newspaperman, wired Jim that he -had a job for him and he should come to Detroit at once. -So, with his wife and all their baggage, Jim withdrew -from the University of Michigan and headed for Detroit -... “land of opportunity.” This move was to change the -entire course of James Oliver Curwood’s life.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_123'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER SEVEN<br /> <br />WITH THE DETROIT NEWS-TRIBUNE</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Detroit, the land of opportunity for Jim Curwood. This -was the lone thought that raced through the young writer’s -mind as the train sped toward the great city. In fact, that -was the only thing he could think about. Here he would -have the opportunity of writing for some 465,000 individuals -every day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Two days passed after their arrival in Detroit before -Jim at last went to see Pat Baker. During that time Jim -had once again sat down to another improvised desk, in -newly-found quarters, and had begun two new stories. He -was not actually writing them now, but only making general -outlines which he carefully filed away for future use. -Some of his work, however, was awaiting completion and -these Jim promptly finished and mailed out to various -magazine and newspaper publishers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s meeting with Pat Baker was short and to the point. -He was put on the pay-roll and assigned to work forthwith.</p> - -<p class='c010'>George Snow, editor of the Sunday edition of the <i>News</i>, -asked Jim to write some “feature stuff” for him and -Jim promptly complied. Snow complained, however, that -Jim’s plots had been written and rewritten a thousand and -one times. He wanted to give the readers something new, -<a id='Page_124'></a>something with a snap in it. This peeved Jim a great deal -and for four successive days he pouted and thought it over -seriously. Then he came to the conclusion that if George -Snow and Pat Baker wanted something different and unusual, -they would most certainly get it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim began wracking his brains for a story with an unusual -angle and twist to it. Eventually such a story -came to him, and he began receiving larger assignments -from the Detroit <i>News-Tribune</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>From the very beginning of Jim’s newspaper career with -the Detroit paper he had had to start out on small items -of interest in order to learn the ropes. That procedure was -as usual then as it is now on all newspapers of major -importance. Despite the fact that it was one of the customs -governing the publication of the <i>News-Tribune</i>, Jim Curwood -disliked it very much when he found that he had -to cover funerals, fires and auto accidents to start with. -All of these were well handled and he received due credit -for them. But all the praise and glory Pat Baker could -heap upon his shoulders could not make Jim happy, for -he was dissatisfied. He even had to handle “obits” and -state deaths in the very beginning, and to a writer of any -ability at all, this practically is an insult. However, Jim -took it like a man and kept his chin high and went on.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Coincident with handling his newspaper work, Jim was -writing his own stories and sending them out. He now -was writing with the blood of a true adventurer surging -through his veins ... he was inspired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the most disheartening factor of all was that -Jim’s salary on the paper was only $8.00 a week. This was -not nearly enough for two people to live on.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fortunately enough, George Snow frequently asked Jim -for a feature story for the Sunday edition. Payment for -<a id='Page_125'></a>this, together with his regular salary, helped immensely.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Pat Baker assigned Jim early one morning to accompany -Stewart, another reporter, into Canada, just across the river -from Detroit, and cover a “hanging.” Jim went and covered -the execution, but nearly fainted when the trap was -sprung on the gallows. “To add insult to injury,” Baker -then only used twenty lines of what Jim had written. All -this led Jim Curwood to believe that he was not worth -eight cents a week, let alone $8.00, as a reporter. But he -finally got over the shock of the execution and the fact -that only twenty lines of all he had written had been used, -and went back to the steady grind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s “big chance” finally came. He was ordered to -watch police headquarters for “something big.” Here he -would have an opportunity for a “scoop.” For days upon -end he practically haunted the Detroit Police Headquarters. -True enough, there were many stories that could have -been written about the various arrests and charges, but -that was not what Jim was looking for. He wanted something -big. After several days had elapsed it came. When -the story broke, he thought it had amazing possibilities, -so he immediately wrote it up and shot it into the office. -The entire staff handled it as if it was almost “too hot to -handle.” George Snow, Pat Baker and all the so-called -“big shots” patted the young reporter on the back and -told him that he was really one of them now, that it was -a job well done. Baker even went so far as to grant the -raise in salary that Jim had so thoughtfully asked for. Jim -now felt as if he were firmly established with the Detroit -<i>News-Tribune</i> and he was indeed proud and happy. He -was highly elated at his future possibilities and was feeling -very confident of himself now. He was handling “Big -Time” news. He was a real reporter of the first school.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_126'></a>The next morning, however, the “payoff” came. When -Jim arrived at the office he discovered that there was a -most unusual conference going on in Baker’s office. It -was a conference of editors. Several minutes after Jim -had sat down to his desk, the men in Baker’s office filed -out and as they did so they all looked straight at Jim. Why -were they all looking so hard at him, was the thought -that entered his excited mind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seemed that everyone in the office was down on him, -and to save his soul he could not figure out just why. All -those stares were bothering Jim and interfering with his -work. Upon asking for an explanation he discovered that -he had not heard the culprit’s name correctly and it appeared -in the newspaper as if one of Detroit’s most highly -respected citizens had been “horsewhipped.” This, Jim -slowly began to realize, was the beginning of the end for -him and his newspaper career. He had made a mistake -and he would have to pay for it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>That day Jim Curwood was fired from his job and all -his back pay was withheld from him. It was all due to the -fact that he had not checked a name in the city directory -and thus it had appeared that one of Detroit’s most illustrious -citizens had been the object of a common “horsewhipping.” -It was the end of his short but eventful career -with the <i>News-Tribune</i>. It was then that Jim Curwood -found out just how hard it was to find work in Detroit in -those days. Being undaunted, however, Jim kept right on -with his writing and was determined that despite the -losing of his job he wasn’t whipped yet. Unfortunately, -Jim was able to sell very few of his stories and very soon -both he and his wife began to look underfed and their -clothing began to appear rather shabby.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At long last the struggling young author received another -<a id='Page_127'></a>break of good fortune. He chanced upon Alfred -Russell, then one of Michigan’s greatest lawyers, who -promptly offered him a job with a pharmaceutical company. -It was named the Parke-Davis Company and was -located on Jefferson Avenue. Jim’s salary to begin with -would be $50.00 per month and a chance for a raise -if he worked hard enough and showed enough improvement. -So Jim Curwood turned to making “pills.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was indeed most fortunate that the young man knew -that this was not his type of work and he grew discontented -with it on each passing day. Nevertheless, he had -a wife to support and to make a living for the both of -them. So he was making pills. He wanted to write, but this -moulding of so-called medicine was constantly interfering.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seemed to Jim that all his plans, his hopes and his -aspirations, all his fondest dreams and optimistic outlooks -on life had all come to an abrupt end. Would he have -to go through life as a “pillmaker,” was a constant query -in his active and alert mind. He shuddered at the thought.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One day, as he was hard at work, a fellow employee -told Jim that there was a man living very near the company -who claimed to be a baron, a man whose ancestry -dated back several hundred years in the old country. Jim -later found out that this man was actually working right -there in the factory, as a common laborer. In those days -it was great news to find one of noble heritage, let alone -one who worked at common labor. So, Jim promptly made -it a point to see and talk to the man, gain his well wishes -and get his permission to have a story concerning him -published. Jim carefully gathered the material he needed -and at once wrote it up and mailed it to the Detroit <i>News-Tribune</i>.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Being quite capable of seeing far enough in front of -<a id='Page_128'></a>their noses, the editors of the paper not only bought the -story but put Jim back on the payroll. This time, however, -it was on a much more important job, for Jim was made a -special writer on the Sunday edition of the <i>News-Tribune</i> -at a salary of $18.00 every week.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Besides the promotion, Jim now had his own private -office, tastefully furnished, on the second floor of the -older section of the building. Jim plunged joyfully into his -new assignments. This was not a job for him; it was a -labor of love.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In a comparatively short time Jim was turning out one -and two-page features that were promptly published. -He was now working seven days each week and many -times he even worked late into the night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Time was passing rather rapidly for Jim now and inside -of two years after returning to the <i>News-Tribune</i>, his -salary had been increased to $25.00. It was during this -time that the first of Jim’s two daughters was born and -there was not to be found a happier man on the face of -the earth than James Oliver Curwood. He had a fine wife, -he loved the work which he was doing, and he actually -possessed a wonderful baby daughter named Carlotta.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many things were now entering into Jim Curwood’s life -and his writing output was also bothering him considerably. -He was striving to do more than he had been doing -in the past, but just how he was going to go about this he -did not know. His time was more than just rationed and -he had to use it sparingly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim at last decided that he would do away with all of -his pleasure-filled hours and devote what time he could -at the office as well as those out of the office to purely -creative work and nothing else. He would, furthermore, -branch out farther and with more scope than he had ever -<a id='Page_129'></a>imagined. So he began a series of slick-paper magazine -stories and immediately sold the first one, “The Captain -of the Christopher Duggan,” to the <i>Munsey</i> magazine. -He was paid $75.00 for this story, the most he had ever -received for any story before. Jim Curwood now thought -seriously of quitting his newspaper work and devoting -himself exclusively to his literary efforts. But when the -<i>News-Tribune</i> raised his salary to $28.00, he decided to -forego his dreams until a more propitious time. This -decision probably saved the genius of James Oliver Curwood -from certain disaster. For as yet he was not fully -prepared to enter the great field of literature entirely upon -his own, even though he did not realize it then.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At the <i>News-Tribune</i> Jim was under the constant tutelage -of Annesley Burrowes, who saw to it that the young -writer’s burning spark was never extinguished and that -his imagination was always afire with creative efforts. -Burrowes believed strongly in young James Curwood’s -chances of rising to truly great heights in the field of -newspaper writing and in the fictional world. Time has -shown that Mr. Burrowes’ intuition was correct and accurate.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after Jim received his raise in salary, Mr. Burrowes -resigned his post at the <i>News-Tribune</i>, due to an -eye ailment, and with his going Jim took his place. He now -was getting $30.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I am sure that I only partly filled the position.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This remark Jim Curwood made in his own modest -manner.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Through the years beginning with 1902 up to and including -1905 the rapidly rising young author published -quite a number of articles and short stories, among which -<a id='Page_130'></a>were: “Pills,” which ran in <i>Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly</i>; -another <i>Munsey</i> story, and Jim’s first juvenile serial was -published in <i>The American Boy</i>. In 1905 Jim vacationed -in the wilds, whereby he obtained the basis for a number -of articles which appeared in <i>Outing</i>, <i>Outlook</i>, <i>Woman’s -Home Companion</i>, <i>Cosmopolitan</i>, and others. It was also -during this hectic period that Jim edited a banker’s publication -which was called “<i>Dollars and Sense</i>.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the appearance of these numerous articles and -fiction works, Hewitt Hanson Howland, editor of a magazine -published by Bobbs-Merrill in Indianapolis, began to -take notice of the rising writer’s works and asked him to -do a series of articles on the Great Lakes for his magazine. -Jim also was contributing nature sketches to <i>Leslie’s -Weekly</i>. Of this group he published more than one hundred -articles.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Having now been on the staff of special writers of the -<i>News-Tribune</i> for three years, Jim Curwood was really -beginning to feel like a veteran “news-hawk.” It was in -his third year as a special writer that Jim’s wife presented -him with his second daughter, who was named Viola. -Now he was the father of two fine girls. Jim was gloriously -happy, of that there was little doubt, but for some -apparently unknown reason, his wife was not. Perhaps it -was because he had excluded her from his real life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the birth of her second child Mrs. Curwood began -to seem rather discontented and nervous. In fact she -seemed dissatisfied with her life with Jim Curwood altogether. -Why, Jim was never able fully to find out, except -for the fact that the life of a writer was too confining for -her. Had she stopped to realize that her husband was on -his way to the top of the ladder and would eventually -reach that goal, the marriage might have lasted.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_131'></a>Following his successful contacts with <i>Munsey’s</i> and -other famous magazines, Jim was made one of the “bigshots” -of the Detroit paper and served in that capacity -until 1907. He had been writing continuously for fourteen -years, sticking everlastingly to his chosen profession. He -deserved success much more than the average writers of -the time.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As fast as the so-called “big breaks” would come to -Jim Curwood, he would turn out better articles and stories -than ever before. With each successive sale it seemed certain -that his writing actually was of a high order. Evidently -scores of various publications thought as much, for -Jim was receiving requests for his stories from papers -and magazines throughout the United States and Canada. -His work was in great demand at this time as it so continued -to be for many years to pass.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In 1906 Jim Curwood began writing two novels. This -was his very first attempt at book length work and though -somewhat hesitant at first, Jim fought his way through -valiantly. The first was entitled “The Wolf Hunters,” a -tale of the Hudson Bay country, and the second one was -“The Courage of Captain Plum.” The latter was an adventurous -yarn of the Mormon settlements on Beaver -Island in Lake Michigan.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Late in 1907, the year of Jim’s 29th birthday, he completed -both “The Wolf Hunters” and “The Courage of -Captain Plum,” and sent them both off to the Bobbs-Merrill -Company in Indianapolis. Many anxious weeks -passed during which time Jim waited with prayerful hopes -as he continued his newspaper work. Then one day a letter -came with the wonderful news that both his manuscripts -had been accepted for publication, and that “The Courage -of Captain Plum” was so well liked that he was being -<a id='Page_132'></a>offered a contract for one book yearly for the next five -years. Jim’s books were to sell for one dollar and a half of -which he was to receive a ten per cent royalty. To say that -the young man was jubilant and happy would be putting -it mildly. Jim very nearly tore up the city room of the -Detroit <i>News-Tribune</i> when he had read the letter from -the Indianapolis publishers. Both books were published -in 1908.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now more than ever Jim Curwood realized how swell -Pat Baker, George Snow and Annesley Burrowes, as well -as the entire staff of the paper, had been to him in affording -him the great opportunities that he had had. What -they did for him were enshrined as memories deep within -his tender, loving heart. For they had provided the chance -for Jim to get his name before the reading public and thus -enabled his works to be read.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Within a few days after receiving the notice that his two -book-length manuscripts had been accepted, James Oliver -Curwood handed in his resignation to the Detroit <i>News-Tribune</i> -as assistant editor, and began to plan and devote -his life wholly to literary work. Thus, the <i>News-Tribune</i> -lost one of its finest writers. Jim was a natural born -newspaperman and with his resignation the paper suffered -a great loss.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Upon his leaving the Detroit paper, Jim wrote to his -brother Ed, who still was in Ohio and invited him on a -long vacation trip into the wilderness. Ed accepted and -the two brothers enjoyed one of the grandest adventures -of their lives in the country surrounding Hudson’s Bay.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_133'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER EIGHT<br /> <br />GOD’S COUNTRY</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>With the acceptance of his first two novels in 1907 Jim -Curwood definitely proved that he knew what he was doing -and that he was on the right road to success. Even then, -as the young author received official word of the forthcoming -publication of his first two works, he was drafting -plans for the writing of three other pieces of fiction work. -These were only the forerunners of many others which -followed and which established James Oliver Curwood as -one of the foremost authorities on the Canadian Northwest.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s first book, “The Wolf Hunters,” was somewhat of -a juvenile story centering about the Hudson Bay wilds. -Although starting it had been rather hard for him, Jim -soon developed it into an easy task, and so, fired with still -greater ambition, he wrote a second novel, “The Courage -of Captain Plum.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Writing book-length novels was new to Jim, but it was -work which was both interesting and good. He was always -out of bed by five in the morning and by six o’clock he -could be found fast at work. Jim would write steadily until -noon and many times long past noon. There were many -occasions when his wife would have to call him several -times before he would leave his desk, so engrossed was -he in his writing.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_134'></a>For over a year he pounded his typewriter. He never -rewrote any of his work, believing that once a story -was written it could never be rewritten quite so good. -Of course, he did take time to correct his grammar and -punctuation, but that was as far as he went.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during this period of incessant writing that Jim’s -home life began to suffer a severe blow, for he had been -neglecting his family. Jim began to notice a great change -in his wife.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Yet, while he felt that something was wrong in his -household, it never dawned upon him that not only was -he driving himself to the limit, but he also was driving his -wife’s patience to the very end. For it was very little that -she saw of him, and even when she was with him, it -seemed as if his mind was always on the waiting typewriter -and paper, and not upon her or their children. In -two years the great blow fell. Early in 1908 the inevitable -result came ... divorce.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Some time after the divorce had been granted, Jim -remarked:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“As we grow older we all learn that it is better to let -the dead past bury its dead in peace.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the acceptance and publication of his first two -book-length novels by the Bobbs-Merrill Company Jim -began the long drive for publicity that is so vitally important -to an author. Realizing that in order to become -famous he must get his name before the reading public, -Jim induced more than one newspaper to print his success -story. Perhaps the best one was that which appeared in -the Detroit <i>News-Tribune</i>. Even the <i>Argus</i>, back in Owosso, -gave him a great write-up, and Jim Curwood at last -knew that he was really on his way to a colorful and -glorious career.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_135'></a>Slowly but surely the little city of Owosso began to -claim James Oliver Curwood as its own native son. In -fact, the writer’s name was upon every tongue. Even those -who at one time had felt that they were much too good to -speak to Jim Curwood, now regarded him as a close friend. -Even those who had never seen him boasted of having -grown up together. Such talk as this was going on in and -around Owosso and in other parts of the state. All were -eager to make claim upon one whom they had once -shunned and laughed at.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At long last Jim decided that he wanted and needed a -vacation very badly, so he wired his brother Ed, down in -Ohio, to come up and join him for a trip into the wilds.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim lost no time in getting ready, and soon the two -brothers started on their long trek into the wilds of northern -Canada. Traveling aboard the Grand Trunk railways, -they received free transportation because Jim was well -known by officials and was well liked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The trip was to be a long one. They were headed for -the Athabaska Landing territory and possibly farther up -to the edge of the Great Slave country that abounds with -all sorts of North American wildlife, which for the most -part, roam about at will.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim and Ed took to canoes many times, thoroughly enjoying -their fight in the roaring rapids of the swift, turbulent -northern streams.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On their walks in the forests Jim stopped many times -to listen to the sounds of wildlife all about them. High -above in the towering pine trees came the ever welcomed -songs of the birds. Over on a ridge could be heard the -calls of foxes. Somewhere in the heart of the forests came -the sounds of mink, the hoot of owls, and the roar of the -grizzly bear.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_136'></a><img src='images/i_135.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>J.C. WEBER</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_138'></a>Along the banks of the roaring stream, the Marten, the -mink and the weasel could be heard as they slipped down -to the water’s edge for a drink of cooling water. All of -these sounds and noises of the twilight and early nightfall -James Oliver Curwood studied and loved. He loved nature -and wildlife with a savage love, and hated those who -dared to disrupt their silent, peaceful and happy abodes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood fought for those animals throughout all -his life and was even waging a valiant battle for them up -until the time he died. Ed marvelled at his younger brother’s -devotion for wildlife, and he, too, grew to love the -wilderness and all it stood for with an undying love during -the first trip of theirs together into “God’s Country.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>For three months the two brothers stayed away from -civilization, taking in all the wonders of nature. Jim took -countless photographs of wildlife during this trip, and -these, together with others he took over a period of years -he made into one of the largest and finest collections of -its kind in the world.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the publication of Jim’s first two books and the -release of numerous articles and short stories in various -magazines, all of which were based upon settings in -Canada, the Canadian Government offered the now somewhat -famous James Oliver Curwood the sum of $1800.00 -a year with all his expenses if he would explore the distant -wilds of the Dominion and use all he saw as a basis for -material in his future writings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This plan was primarily to induce tourists and vacationists -into the picturesque provinces. It also was to be used -in an effort to bring settlers into the wilderness to cultivate -the soil and provide the citizens of the Dominion -with an abundance of wheat and other fine crops. Jim was -to write all he saw and was interested in for publication -<a id='Page_139'></a>in any form he chose. Jim accepted the offer almost immediately. -It was toward the latter part of 1908.</p> - -<p class='c010'>An exploration trip such as this had long been -somewhat of a “far-fetched dream” of Jim’s, and now at -last that dream was becoming a reality.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Plans were soon under way and he began conferring -with government officials. The Canadian officials complied -with Jim’s every request and within four short and -eventful weeks, Jim Curwood was completely ready for -his long journey into the wilderness.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Back in 1902, while employed at the <i>News-Tribune</i> in -Detroit, Jim had become acquainted with M. V. MacInness. -MacInness was then representing the Canadian Immigration -Department in Detroit whose offices were located on -Jefferson Avenue. He was affectionately known to all who -knew him as just “Mac,” and Jim was one of his very -best friends.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He was rather portly and always in jovial humor. He -never tired of painting vivid word pictures for me of his -beloved Canada, more particularly the vast panorama of -unexplored wilderness toward the north and west. His -mind was filled with information concerning that magnificent -expanse of territory and he never lost an opportunity -to introduce me to important Canadians who came to his -office. I met many Dominion immigration officials, members -of Parliament, Hudson Bay Company officials, officers -of the Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific, members of the -Royal Northwest Mounted Police, and scores of others -whose interests were in the vast areas of the Canadian -Northland.”</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_140'></a><img src='images/i_139.jpg' alt='Pine forest' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>J.C. WEBER</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_142'></a>It was MacInness of the Canadian Government who now -handed Jim Curwood the necessary papers for the trip into -the northern wilds and at the same time wished him all -the luck in the world. “Dear old Mac” passed away a -short time after Jim returned from his trip. Jim always -liked to speak of M. V. MacInness after his passing in a -heart-felt, reverent voice.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There has been an empty place in my heart since he -died, and whenever I go up into that great Northland I -know Mac’s spirit is there, for it was God’s Country to -him just as surely as it always will be to me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last, after all preparations had been made, Jim -started out on the first of the many exploration trips which -he was to make into the wilds of the Canadian Northwest -in years to come. He went first to the vast, beautiful -wilderness of the Peace River Country, over to the sweeping, -towering mountains to the westward, then to the great -reaches and solitary plains of the Arctic to the Athabaska -and the Mackenzie. From there he traveled down to the -uninhabited forests and timberlands about the mighty -Hudson’s Bay. These forests later became a ruling passion -and a dominant force in Jim’s life. He wanted “the uneducated -people of civilization” to love them just as he -loved them. Upon his return he pleaded with the populace -to conserve and protect the virgin forests and all the wild -life that inhabited them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It is my ambition to take my readers with me into the -heart of nature,” Jim Curwood once said and there is little -doubt but that he did. Indeed, Jim took more than seven -million of his readers into the heart of that nature and -wilderness. This same devout love he held for the “great -outdoors” later led Jim to start the great conservation -movement in the State of Michigan. He led the onslaught -against the “game hogs” unmercifully, broadening his -crusade throughout the country.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_143'></a>It was during these trips into the wilds of Canada that -he decided to make his home in Owosso. So in the little -town in central Michigan where he had been born and -raised Jim finally settled down. His father had quit the -cobbling shop and Jim supported him, as he had faithfully -promised.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Within three weeks after his return to Owosso, Lou -Allison invited Jim Curwood to a chicken-pie supper which -was to be held at the Congregational Church. Here he met -a very charming and beautiful young lady named Ethel -Greenwood. Jim did not recognize her at first, but at a -later date remembered her as being in school at the same -time he was, two or three grades below him. He especially -remembered her sparkling eyes, and he found that they -had not changed with the passing of years. Jim always -liked to think of her as the little schoolgirl of several years -back. Those sparkling eyes made a great impression upon -him at once. Later on during the church supper Jim and -Miss Greenwood found themselves alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As they talked, Miss Greenwood told Jim that she had -read of his expeditions into the far North and she appeared -to be genuinely interested in his travels and in -his work. It was then that he decided that he should become -better acquainted with the young lady. As time passed -by Jim Curwood found himself thinking a lot of this new -and very interesting personality. As a matter of fact he -was beginning to believe that she would make an ideal -companion for him on the many trails of the wild on which -he planned to travel. Her eyes were like shining stars that -sparkled both day and night, and her personality was -pleasing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then it dawned upon the thirty-three year old writer -that he must be falling madly in love with Miss Greenwood. -<a id='Page_144'></a>Of this he was convinced after meeting her again. -Their interests were mutual. She too loved the wilderness -country and all of God’s wonderful Nature. She loved to -hear the murmurs of the streams, the chirping of the birds -and the chattering of the squirrels just as he did. This -interest which she expressed and showed in his work set -Jim Curwood to thinking very seriously.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was not very long before Jim and Ethel Greenwood -were married. The ceremony took place in the old home -on John Street, at six o’clock in the morning. It was quiet -and simple. By seven of the same morning the bride and -groom were on board a train headed for the wilderness -and God’s Country.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim and his wife were as happy as any couple could ever -hope to be. Together they fought and loved the wilds. -Side by side they worked and built their cabin deep within -the heart of the forests surrounding Hudson’s Bay. That -autumn Jim began cutting his supply of wood for the -winter and storing up provisions. Even though they worked -hard in preparation for the long, hard and cold winter, -they were gloriously happy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fall soon came and with it the turning of the leaves, -the strangely different sounds of the rivers and the mating -calls of the wild. Still Jim Curwood worked frantically -for the oncoming of winter, for he knew what winters in -the north were like, and he did not intend being caught -shorthanded. Cord-wood was cut and still more provisions -were added to their mounting larder. The cabin was made -more secure and warm. The cold months were but a short -way off, for the leaves were rapidly beginning to fall.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Already the bears had gone into hibernation. The chattering -squirrels were providing themselves with their winter’s -supply of nuts and the birds had all returned to the -<a id='Page_145'></a>south with the exception of the few families which always -remained behind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was during this long winter that Jim began work on -his third novel, “Steele of the Royal Mounted.” What with -his regular routine work and with his writing added, -James Oliver Curwood had a rather full and busy winter. -His writing took nearly three quarters of his day. The rest -of the time was given over to his wife, some reading and -other activities.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I had found a wife who was proud of the work by -which I earned my living, who looked fearlessly into the -future with me, splendidly caring for my little daughters; -a mother who later gave me my son, James, the last blessing -to our family, now almost ready to go to college.” -Indeed he was happy and content.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As the snows blew and the winds howled about the -tiny cabin far off in the Canadian wilds, Jim’s log fire -would burn cheerfully as he and his wife would sit in -front of it and read or talk. Darkness would arrive around -three in the afternoon and sometimes before that.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood continued work on his new novel up until -the beginning of spring. It was then that he proudly announced -to his wife that “Steele of the Royal Mounted” -was completed. Not only was he happy over the completion -of the book, but because of his wife’s happiness. -He was happy, also, over the joy and love Ethel had for -his two daughters. She cared for them and loved them just -as if they were of her own flesh and blood. They were a -part of Jim and that in itself explains her new-found happiness. -Jim once said that the winter spent in the cabin -around Hudson’s Bay was one of the most supreme winters -of their lives.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<a id='Page_146'></a><img src='images/i_145.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><i>J.C. WEBER</i></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_148'></a>Spring was at last upon them, and the buds were beginning -to pop out on the trees. Green patches of grass -were beginning to show here and there. Bushes were -already taking on their various colors and some of the -animals and creatures of the natural and untouched country -had come out of hibernation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Towards the close of spring Jim and Ethel returned to -Owosso. Here Jim definitely established himself at home. -He built a large, fine house, a brick structure of two stories. -This house still stands. Surrounding it on all four sides is -a large and spacious yard that extends for many yards -around the mansion. Thousands of dollars went into its -construction and today the house remains as it was years -ago, except that its beauty has increased.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood did not remain in Owosso as long as he -had expected. For he now had the money to travel to and -from his beloved wilderness at his own choosing. Jim went -back into the forests and wilds at least once a year, often -spending five to six months at a time. Usually Mrs. Curwood -accompanied him, but on a few of his exploration -and writing trips, she did not go. Each year when he returned -to upper Canada, he went back with all the happiness -and love one man can possibly have for any one -particular spot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps there is one basic reason why Jim built the fine -home in Owosso just where he did. It has been established -that on the spot where his home is located, one of the large -camps of the Chippawayan Indians once stood.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In 1909 Ethel Greenwood Curwood bore her first child -for Jim, a son. The youngster was named James Oliver -Curwood II. With the arrival of his baby son, Jim Curwood -became the proudest father in the entire city of -Owosso. For now he had a son to carry on his name, a -<a id='Page_149'></a>son who would prove himself a great man and who would -follow in his father’s footsteps. James Oliver Curwood II -was the only child Mrs. Curwood bore.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As soon as the baby had grown somewhat the family -began to spend a great many months far from civilization -in the timber country. The two girls and the baby boy -were growing quite rapidly and becoming very healthy by -their constant play and travel in the fresh, cool air.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ethel and the children grew to love the strange and -unusual people, the “Nomads of the North” who were -their only friends away from civilization. Of course Jim -had loved them for many years, but he wanted his wife -and their offspring to regard them in much the same -manner as he did.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hundreds of miles from civilization the Curwood family -would bury themselves in God’s Country. James Oliver -Curwood’s feet have trod many unknown trails throughout -the north. The stars, the heavens and the virgin forests -came to be a living part of all of them. All the things -which Jim had dreamed of as a boy were at last coming -true.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim had roamed through the boundless prairies, the -highest mountains, fought his way through deep Canadian -snows and sub-zero temperatures all along the northern -plains. He was now enjoying himself more than he ever -dared dream.</p> - -<p class='c010'>James Oliver Curwood actually lived each story that he -wrote.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He began to realize that the long and arduous struggle -that he had had to go through to reach success had been -worth it. He had fought and battled as few other men -ever have in order to reach that pinnacle of success and -<a id='Page_150'></a>fame that he desired. Fortunately enough, Jim was possessed -of the spirit of everlasting perseverance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>About this time came the release of “Steele of the Royal -Mounted.” At the outset its sales were rather disappointing -as were the sales of “The Wolf Hunters.” -Eventually, however, after the slow progress that his books -had been making, they began to sell and sell fast. In fact -his first three books sold as few others had ever sold before. -Up to that year, 1911, James Oliver Curwood had three -novels and one book of non-fiction to his credit: “The -Wolf Hunters,” “The Courage of Captain Plum,” the -book of non-fiction, “The Great Lakes,” and the sequel -to “The Wolf Hunters,” “The Gold Hunters.” “The -Danger Trail” was the last of Jim’s books for the year -1910. In 1911 Jim published two more works of fiction, -namely: “Steele of the Royal Mounted” and “The Honor -of the Big Snows.” Realizing that he now had a firm -foothold on the ladder of success, Jim Curwood was -prompted to write something of non-fiction that would -fully express himself and his beliefs.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last came that opportunity in the volume “God’s -Country—The Trail to Happiness.” This book is the -strangest that Curwood ever produced and one of the most -wonderful messages of hope ever addressed to mankind. -It was a rather small volume and the price was far below -the usual price of Curwood books. “God’s Country—The -Trail to Happiness” sold for $1.25.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Philip Steele of the Royal Mounted” had, of course, -been released in 1910, along with “The Honor of the Big -Snows,” which was written the same year. This made a -total of two novels and one volume of non-fiction for 1911, -which was indeed a great output of words for that length -of time. In 1912 Jim Curwood’s output was limited to one -<a id='Page_151'></a>novel. This one was entitled, “The Flower of the North,” -a saga of the wilderness country that was chock full -of red-blooded adventure and romance. 1913 saw the -arrival of another novel, “Isobel.” In 1914 Curwood -wrote probably the greatest work of his entire career. -That was when he turned out “Kazan,” which sold 500,000 -copies. This story ranks with “The Call of the Wild,” -and “White Fang,” by the famous Jack London. “Kazan” -is the story of a wolf dog of the far north. The dog is -three-quarters husky and one-quarter wolf strain. Kazan -is torn between his wild mate and the man whom he loves -most dearly. The story is so excellently woven about the -dog and so wonderfully told that many thousands of -people have reread it many times.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Although some of the so-called critics did not give -this particular book as high a rating as Jack London’s -“The Call of the Wild,” it is the belief of millions that -“Kazan” is equally as good and as thrilling as Mr. -London’s famous book.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the publication of “Kazan” Jim and his family -headed back to the north country. This time, however, -they did not go back to the old cabin, but to a new one -that Jim had built in the British Columbia mountains some -months before. Here among the picturesque mountains of -towering spruce and pine, James Oliver Curwood penned -“God’s Country and the Woman,” a story so well written -that it immediately sold better than one hundred thousand -copies. The woman in the story was none other than his -own dear wife, Ethel. Jim once said that he loved this -country devoutly, but it was not God’s Country unless there -was a woman. “No country is God’s Country without a -woman.” This was in 1915.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_152'></a>The United States had already declared war on Germany -when Jim completed “God’s Country and the Woman.” -So he immediately returned to Owosso with his family to -see if he could help his country. A great deal of time -passed before Jim was eventually assigned to anything. -Then, in 1917-1918 he was officially designated as a World -War Correspondent. During the time he received this -information and the time that he was to have sailed, -something intervened and Jim did not get a chance to go -to France. The government felt that since he had three -children Mr. Curwood should remain behind. He was -given an assignment to do propaganda. He wanted -to go along with the rest of the boys and help protect -our country’s liberty and freedom. Instead, however, he -was forced to remain behind, and from his magazine -articles flowed many words of truth and wisdom during -those hectic months of war. Jim termed the war “the -thrill of man killing man.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>In another article came this statement: “The momentary -pangs of the war could be compensated for in time by -the benefits it would confer spiritually.” During the -course of the war, however, Jim not only penned magazine -articles, but he also turned out such novels of major -rank as “The Hunted Woman,” in 1916, and the sequel to -“Kazan,” “Baree, Son of Kazan,” which was published in -1917.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the world’s first great tragedy, Jim’s books began -selling faster than they had before the war. Still, despite -the fast sales of his books, some critics were very harsh -toward him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In 1910, James Oliver Curwood made one great mistake -of his life. He started playing the stock market. Jim -invested a sizeable sum of money and immediately realized -<a id='Page_153'></a>a profit of over $100.00. This encouraged him to further -speculation, and in a short space of time he lost all -his savings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Now there remained but one thing for him to do. So, -with his wife, Jim left for the wilderness once again. From -his countless number of friends Jim borrowed the necessary -money for expenses.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This time, the Curwoods went deeper into the wilds of -upper Canada than they had ever gone before, and buried -themselves completely away from civilization. Here Jim -Curwood picked up his implement of trade and commenced -writing another one of his famous novels. He had -no idea of what he was going to write, except that he had -to write something which would sell.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Buried deep in the beautiful wilderness of the Canadian -Northwest, where lakes and streams run deep and the -forests are thick and quiet, from Jim’s pen came the wonderful, -romantic adventure story of “The Honor of the -Big Snows,” the story of little Melisse and Jan Thoreau, -a book which was, in time, hailed as another great Curwood -masterpiece. Again Jim had money and again with -the arrival of spring, Jim and Ethel left the wilderness and -headed back to civilization. He was cured of gambling.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly before the release of “The Honor of the Big -Snows,” Jim’s contract with the Bobbs-Merrill Company -expired. Immediately, Harper and Brothers brought out -his works which included “Flower of the North,” published -in 1912.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After some time with Harper, Jim Curwood began to -grow desperate and returned to Bobbs-Merrill. Upon -renewing partnership with the Indianapolis firm, “Kazan” -appeared. He had taken this fine story to Bobbs-Merrill -hoping that it would become as popular and famous as -<a id='Page_154'></a>“The Call of the Wild.” However, the critics denied Jim -this honor in their many reviews of “Kazan.” Despite the -reviews the book later sold in great quantities, particularly -in England and later in the cheaper American editions.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“By the time ‘Kazan’ was written I had made five trips -into the wilderness about Hudson Bay. Thrice had I -gone into the Arctic and spent a winter with the Esquimaux. -I had crossed the great Barrens four times and -explored the unknown regions of British Columbia and the -Yukon country.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Regardless of the critics’ adverse criticism, “Kazan” -enjoyed an immense sale, and continued to do so for many -years afterward. This book is rated by all Curwood admirers -as one of his best, regardless of the opinion of the -literary critics. The partnership with Bobbs-Merrill continued -until the latter part of 1914, when Jim left to join -Doubleday, Page and Company of New York City (now -Doubleday, Doran and Company).</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s first book under the new imprint was “God’s -Country and the Woman.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It seemed at that time that James Oliver Curwood had -reached his prime and the top rung of the ladder of success. -Immediately after the publication of “God’s Country -and the Woman,” Jim wrote “The Hunted Woman,” in -1916, and a year later the grand animal story, “The Grizzly -King.” The latter was the story of Thor, one of the -largest grizzlies ever known to mankind in all the wilds -of British Columbia. Over 300,000 out of all the millions -of Curwood fans chose “The Grizzly King” as Jim’s outstanding -book on wildlife and nature. Also, in the same -year Jim wrote the sequel to “Kazan,” “Baree, Son of -Kazan.” This novel of wilderness dogs did not quite reach -<a id='Page_155'></a>the high standard that “Kazan” did, but it was excellently -written and vividly told.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All sales on his books, which now totaled fifteen, were -slowly but surely increasing. It was during these years -that James Oliver Curwood came to fully understand that -peace, love, health and faith may be found in the presence -of Nature and of God’s lowly creatures. He began to -realize more than ever how small and insignificant we -human beings are as compared to the mighty nature that -surrounds us. In James Oliver Curwood’s last work he -brought out the latter fact....</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I have often wished that some power might rise to -show us how little and insignificant we are. Only then, -I think, could the thorns and brambles be taken from the -paths to that peace and contentment which we would find -if we were not blinded by our own importance. We are -the supreme egotists and monopolists of creation. Our -conceit and self-importance are at times blasphemous. We -are human peacocks, puffed up, inflated, hushed in the -conviction that everything in the universe is made for us. -We look down in supercilious lordship on all other life -in creation.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood came to know that a dead stump of a -tree still has life and a soul. He voiced his opinion many -times on that.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If I did not believe a tree had a soul I could not believe -in a God. If someone convinced me that the life in a -flower or the heart in a bird were not as important in the -final analysis as these same things in my own body I -would no longer have faith in a hereafter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This thought was reflected somewhat in his following -book, “The Courage of Marge O’Doone,” released in 1918.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_156'></a>Only two more of James Oliver Curwood’s books were -to be handled by Doubleday, Page and Company. These -were “The Golden Snare” and “Nomads of the North.” -The latter novel of animal life Jim Curwood thoroughly -enjoyed writing much more than any of his novels depicting -North American wildlife. “The Golden Snare” was -made into a motion picture of the silent film days with -Lewis Stone playing the lead role. “Nomads of the -North” was the last of the James Oliver Curwood books -to appear from the presses of Doubleday, Page and Company, -for in that year of 1919 a greater opportunity presented -itself for the much wider distribution of Jim’s -novels. So he parted from his good friends at Garden -City with deep regret in his heart and he always cherished -the memory of their association.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood left the Doubleday organization and -went to the Cosmopolitan Book Corporation in 1919. The -first book written by the diverse hand of James Oliver -Curwood for that firm was, without a doubt, his greatest -and finest work. “The River’s End” was the first of his -novels that sold more than one hundred thousand copies -of the first edition. Modern advertising arrangements ran -up the advance sales on this book alone to one hundred -thousand copies. It later sold while it was still new to -the reading public, and the first edition had been exhausted -to over three hundred thousand. Since the time of its -publication, twenty-four years ago, “The River’s End” -has sold many hundreds of thousands of copies, and many -new editions have had to be printed. Sergeant Derwent -Conniston and John Keith, the two principal characters -of “The River’s End,” have now become immortal, as has -the entire story. Many motion picture adaptations of it -have been shown. The latest version was filmed and released -<a id='Page_157'></a>in 1941, with Dennis Morgan in the starring role -of Sergeant Conniston.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Very quickly after the release of “The River’s End” -came “The Valley of Silent Men” in 1920. The advance -sale on “The Valley of Silent Men” ran to better than -105,000 copies. Today more than five million people have -read this famous work of fiction. It is the story of the -Three River Country long before the railroads came. Jim -traveled more than three thousand miles down the mighty -Saskatchewan before he wrote the great novel, “The -River’s End.” If he had not gone with the “Wild River -Brigades” of God’s Country down those fabled streams -that flow north, the millions of readers who enjoyed James -Oliver Curwood’s writings, and those who still enjoy them -today, would never have had the opportunity of reading -the powerful novel, “The Valley of Silent Men.” Jim -Curwood always lived the stories he wrote.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In all of Curwood’s stories he portrayed great souls -and strong men who wage their battles of life, death and -love in the open spaces. There is little wonder why he -had the great and loyal following that he at one time -possessed and still retains today. He was truly a master -in his particular field.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The sales on “The Valley of Silent Men” grew into -much larger numbers than the book, “The River’s End,” -as far as advance sales were concerned. The totals on the -advance sale of “The Valley of Silent Men” were 105,000 -copies, and “The River’s End” ran up to 100,000. These -two stirring dramas of the Canadian Northwest alone -brought out the true genius of James Oliver Curwood. -At long last the world was beginning to sit up and take -notice. The flowering genius of Jim Curwood was at last -beginning to bloom. Owosso townspeople were claiming -<a id='Page_158'></a>him now more than ever before as their native son. Not -only they, but thousands upon thousands of others were -hailing James Oliver Curwood as the greatest writer to -appear on the literary horizon since the days of Charles -Dickens and Anton Tchekov.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly following the release of “The Valley of Silent -Men,” Jim again headed into the land of tall timber. -During this stay in the backwoods Jim worked on various -jobs. He did a share of sledge driving for he delighted -in seeing the wonderful huskies and malamutes of the big -snows work. He also studied at great length the characters -of the people of the far North.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Six months later Jim returned to his home town and -with him came a series of short stories that he had written -during his stay in the beautiful northwest. These were -now edited and compiled into the volume of short stories -published by the Cosmopolitan Book Corporation under -the title of “Back to God’s Country.” This was in 1920.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many of the stories which appeared in this collection -were actually lived and experienced by Jim Curwood in -those six months back in the “far-reaches.” Among them -were: “The Mouse,” “Peter God,” “The Honor of Her -People,” “The Strength of Men,” and “His First Penitent.” -“The Honor of the Big Snows,” Jim’s novel of little -Melesse and Jan, originated from the short story, “The -Honor of Her People.” Many of these stories appeared -in such publications as <i>Good Housekeeping</i>, <i>Outing</i>, -<i>American Magazine</i>, and many others.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The title story, “Back to God’s Country,” was later -filmed and made into a great motion picture. With -the arrival of this collection of short stories on the market, -it was immediately hailed and heralded as one of the finest -collections of short stories of its type ever published.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_159'></a>In 1921, sixteen years after Jim Curwood started out on -his prolific writing career, came still two more exciting and -well-written novels of rugged adventure: “The Golden -Snare” and “The Flaming Forest.” The latter was praised -highly for it was a magnificent story, a story so well told -that it sold nearly 100,000 copies before it was actually -released, thus nearly putting it on an equal with “The -Valley of Silent Men” and “The River’s End.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Teddy” Roosevelt praised “The Flaming Forest” with -these words:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I have read with great interest Mr. Curwood’s book, -‘The Flaming Forest.’ It is excellent. It is good, clean -adventure in the open spaces.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The Flaming Forest” was the third and last of Jim’s -tense novels about the Three River Country. The first -two had sold better than 100,000 copies in the advance -sale. This would have been flattery to the majority of -authors, but to Jim Curwood, who lived in the vivid and -exciting northwoods life of which he wrote, it was just a -fighting challenge.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The advertisement of Jim Curwood’s book, “The -Country Beyond,” read something like this:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“2,000,000 people have bought his books. He is no -one book author. Every one of his novels has outsold its -predecessors.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the publication of “The Country Beyond” Jim -Curwood had reached his 44th birthday and was still considered -young in his profession. His books themselves -contained youth and what it stood for and fought valiantly -for. People rushed to the bookstores when they learned -a new James Oliver Curwood novel was coming off the -presses. They actually went in droves to get a single copy -of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th editions. Incidentally, -<a id='Page_160'></a>most of his books ran into more than five editions, for -many printings had to be made in order to supply the great -demand for his writings, and printings still continue to be -made to this day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Three months elapsed before the ever prolific pen of -James Oliver Curwood brought forth another first-rate -novel entitled “The Golden Snare.” Although “The -Golden Snare” did not enjoy the major sales of his other -works, it still was listed among the “best sellers” of its day.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the little volume “God’s Country—The Trail to -Happiness,” James Oliver Curwood did a magnificent job -of non-fiction. In this book Jim tells of his conversion -from a “killer of wildlife,” to “a savior of wildlife.” He -openly confesses his sins about his former treatment of -the wild creatures that roam our forests, as no other man -of his fame, ability or popularity has ever done before or -probably ever will do again.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“God’s Country—The Trail to Happiness” is a series -of four essays, none of which was written to please those -people who believe that the organized church is an institution -of importance in our national life in every respect. -The four essays were entitled: “My Secret of Happiness,” -“I Became a Killer,” “My Brotherhood,” and “The Road -of Faith.” The little book by itself is nothing else save -a summary of the religion of a nature loving and God -fearing man. It has often been called the strangest thing -James Oliver Curwood ever wrote and at the same time -a most wonderful message to all mankind. At the age -of 44, James Oliver Curwood was already at his goal, for -he had to his credit a total of twenty novels and two works -of non-fiction, fourteen of which were on the “best seller” -lists, with the remainder selling much better than the -average fiction book.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_161'></a>Early in 1922, Jim constructed his town studio which he -named Curwood Castle, because it was an exact replica -of the old Norman fortress. The Castle itself stands on -the edge of the Shiawassee river and within twenty feet -of the old home just off John Street. Frequently Jim was -prompted to burn the old home place, or else tear it down -and add those grounds to the ones of the Castle. But -because there were too many memories embedded within -the walls of the old house Jim was reluctant to destroy it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Castle is surrounded on three of its four sides by a -great sweeping expanse of beautiful green lawns, which -are kept beautifully trimmed and immaculately clean. At -the front, leading in from John street, is a long, winding -concrete walk which leads to the only entrance to Curwood -Castle. No one is allowed inside the studio at all. It is -kept up and maintained by Mrs. Curwood and once each -week a housekeeper thoroughly cleans the studio from top -to bottom.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Overlooking the Shiawassee is the tower study which -James Oliver Curwood loved so well. It is the room and -study from whence many of his writings were created. -The tower study has windows extending around it in -circular fashion and from all directions Jim could look out -upon the peaceful little town of Owosso and the lazy -sweeping river. Down the river, a short distance from the -Castle, lies a small island. Here the tall, weeping willows -gently bend their heads down to the water’s edge and -sway in the gentle breeze. Here the birds of a thousand -different varieties gather and sing. This was one of the -spots which Jim was entirely devoted to.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the old home next to the Castle remain all those -wonderful Curwood memories of not so long ago. There -stands the second-hand Caligraph typewriter and improvised -<a id='Page_162'></a>desk his parents provided for Jim when he was yet -only a budding author. In his room the walls still hold -the old magazine and newspaper pictures that Jim had cut -out as a boy and had pasted and pinned up.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Long after Curwood Castle had been constructed and -in use, Jim Curwood used to go back to the old bedroom-study -to finish many of his articles and stories. Here he -recaptured the inspiration that drove him onward when -he felt that he was going stale. But James Oliver Curwood -never went stale in his writing, for he kept constantly -at it both day and night and led a full and happy -life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many, many times Jim would leave his town studio in -Owosso for his northern Michigan studio along the banks -of the Au Sable, where it is quiet and peaceful. Jim’s -northern studio, in the thick forests of northern Michigan, -was built as a hunting lodge far away from mankind and -the noises of the city. It was indeed a beautiful spot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Not very far from the only entrance to the Castle there -stands a large, stately tree. It was under this masterpiece -of nature that James Oliver Curwood once sat and talked -by the hours with his many friends. Here beneath this old -oak Jim used to sit with prospectors from the wilds of -Alaska and northern Canada who had come to visit him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim would carefully listen to these men of the north -and have enough material to weave a wonderful adventure -story. Time and again he would invite the swarthy, -weatherbeaten men of the gold fields down to spend days -and weeks with him so that they might spin yarns for him -and thus provide him with material for future stories. It -was not only that he wanted stories from them, but he also -wanted to see their faces again and hear them talk.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_163'></a>Many were the nights when several of them would -gather at the Castle after a long journey and sit before a -great open fire, swapping yarns and smoking huge cigars -and strong pipes. All this Jim Curwood enjoyed to the -fullest extent. He loved to have his old friends around -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many residents of Owosso and of other parts of the -country have told that regardless of how famous James -Oliver Curwood ever grew to be, he always remained -“Jim” to everyone. He might be walking down the street -or be riding in an automobile and still he would throw up -his hand to those people he knew and even speak to those -who were strangers. He considered everyone a human -being and felt that all men and women should act as -“brother humans,” and not try to appear superior. Jim’s -usual reply to anyone who spoke to him was this:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hello, there, Bill! What’s new?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>James Oliver Curwood, the famous man that he was, -loved his home town of Owosso with an undying love. -It had persecuted him, laughed at him, scorned him, but -still he loved it. Of Owosso he would say to his friends -in New York:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Come out and see, I think it is the nicest place in the -world. I was born there and I hope to die there. Of -course my love for it does not make me blind to its defects. -We have our poor, pathetic smart set, our misguided flappers -and a wee bit of the salt and pepper of life ... and -we make coffins for half the world. I tell you these things -because it would take too long to tell you all the good -things about my home town. I think the nicest thing is -that we’re not afraid to let the geese go barefoot around -about where we live. Come out and see.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_164'></a>A good many people have done that very thing and -many who came to see have remained behind and have -made their homes in Owosso or nearby. Such is Owosso, -the town where James Oliver Curwood was born and died—one -of the nicest, most beautiful little towns to be found -anywhere on the North American continent. There is no -wonder Jim loved it as he did.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Today the lodge that once belonged to Jim is no more -in Curwood hands. In the fall of 1939 Mrs. Curwood -sold it to a buyer who wanted it very much. Fortunately -enough it was sold to a great lover of James Oliver -Curwood stories as well as a great admirer of Jim himself—a -man who promised to keep it as it always was.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Today in Owosso, at 508 Williams Street, stands the -home of Mr. and Mrs. James Oliver Curwood, where Mrs. -Curwood still resides. The house is a very large, majestically -built domicile standing on the very spot on which -the former tribes of the Chippawayan Indians camped. -Jim chose this site for that reason alone. The home could -more readily be called a mansion, it is so large and beautiful, -with spacious gardens surrounding it. It is just a -few hundred yards from Curwood Castle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood was without much doubt the greatest and -foremost naturalist of his time. He loved nature so sincerely -and lived in such intimate communion with it, that, -as he once put it so naively:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I have become a bit estranged from a large part of -the rest of humanity.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Any and all times are good times to seek nature in all -of her wondrous glory, and that was precisely what he -believed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood believed that even a twig from off a tree, -or a blade of grass have souls. Souls that are every bit -<a id='Page_165'></a>as important as the vital organs and souls of human -beings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>James Oliver Curwood’s God was nature. The same -nature that he so wonderfully preaches about in all his -writings. He vividly tells of nature, the reasons, the idea -of nature and just why we must protect and conserve it. -Jim’s books and writings go straight to the hearts of his -readers for he was a common man even when his fame had -been assured. His readers knew that. Everyone knew -him as Jim ... just Jim.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of his common hobbies was raising radishes and -onions. Jim once said concerning these two vegetables -that he delighted in raising:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I can beat anyone in Shiawassee county raising onions. -I mean green onions, the kind you eat with bread and -butter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Even about his own home somewhere in the back Jim -always had an onion patch along with some fine and -assorted radishes. He loved to work in the rich, black -earth.</p> - -<p class='c010'>No matter where Jim might happen to be, whether on -the stream in a birchbark canoe, in the forest, or in his -studios or gardens, his mind was constantly upon the subject -of nature. In fact Jim devoted much of his life to -the helping of nature and the consistent fighting of “game -hogs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>True enough, Jim Curwood did not know all the scientific -names for the trees, toads, shrubs and so forth, but he -could tell you all about them; all about their life from -birth to death. Jim practically knew the day a certain -plant or flower would die, so intent had been his study.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_166'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER NINE<br /> <br />HIS BROTHERHOOD</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>After long years of successfully hunting and selfishly killing -game, James Oliver Curwood had at last ceased, and -suddenly launched a campaign by which he hoped to stop -“game hogs” from taking wild life from the forests.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This campaign was also an attempt to stop “ordinary -hunters for the time being, until the game had ample time -to replenish itself.” He founded the first conservation -movement in the state of Michigan and remained as its -head for several years.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim pleaded through his books and his articles for the -public to stop the slaughtering of innocent, wild and untamed -animals, to preserve the natural resources and not -to dynamite the streams in which fish abounded.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Slowly the public began to take heed, but not quite -soon enough, for already a number of species had been -all but destroyed. Many of those species of animals -and birds that were killed off then, have not been able -to recreate themselves even to this day. Jim realized that -this was not fair to either wildlife or mankind. “It must -stop and it shall stop.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>On January 1, 1927, Jim Curwood was made chairman -of the “Game, Fish and Wildlife Committee of the Conservation -Department of the State of Michigan,” and later -was in charge of the activities of the entire conservation -<a id='Page_167'></a>commission. He was held in high regard and esteem by -many thousands of people who firmly believed and were -convinced that he was doing something fine and worthwhile. -Others hated Jim with a vengeance. They believed, -as there are so many who do today, that James Oliver -Curwood, and the so called conservationists, were meddling -into other people’s business. Likewise Jim hated the -“game hog” who was attempting to destroy the very -thing which God had intended to live and to make the -world more beautiful for mankind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Since James Oliver Curwood was born and raised within -the heart of the timber country, and lived most of his life -in it, he could respect and love it more readily and naturally -than people of large metropolitan cities. As a boy -he had gone into the deep forests unescorted many times -when it was known to be dangerous. Often he did not -even carry a rifle for protection, for even as a small boy -he believed in a mutual feeling between animals and men. -Jim believed that he could make friends with the animals -and make those creatures understand him. He did just -that. Many of Jim’s friends who have been fortunate -enough to accompany him on one of his trips into the -wilds, still describe how they saw him make friends with -the most fierce of all North American animals—the -Grizzly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Because of his wanderings and explorations throughout -the whole of the Dominion of Canada, Jim developed -what he chose to call a “Creed of the Wild!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“To hunt and fish is the first great law of nature. Everything -‘hunts and fishes,’ from man to the weakest of the -creatures and things which he destroys. It is ordained that -the ashes of destruction shall give birth to life, and that -in killing, if it is within the immutable bounds prescribed -<a id='Page_168'></a>by nature, there is rejuvenation; but to adventure beyond -those limitations, until killing becomes a lust, is to invite -destruction of the balance of those laws of nature which -makes existence possible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I believe that many generations, if not centuries, will -pass before man arrives at a point where he will view -all manifestations of life as so nearly akin to his own that -he will cease to slaughter for pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This alone was Jim Curwood’s “Creed of the Wild,” as -well as his creed of life. He loved everything and hated -nothing save the “game hogs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>When Jim Curwood assumed his position on the conservation -commission on January 1, 1927, he immediately -set to work to make adjustments. For one thing he immediately -began clamping down on the capturing of certain -species of birds. In some cases he closed the season long -before it was to have officially closed, or else set the bag -limit very low. Many people objected to this as they did -not understand the real purpose behind it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim took several trips around the state, entirely on his -own initiative, and issued “official communiques” with -great abandon regarding the closing of seasons on certain -types of wildlife. The conservation commission felt that -he was not justified in these actions and believed that he -was causing the commission undue trouble. As a matter -of fact one of the members of the original commission -had this to say of Jim:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He took a trip around the state, entirely on his own, -issuing official communiques with great abandon, and -getting the department into hot water. I recall particularly -the decidedly vexing problem of an open season on -birds (perhaps deer, but I’m pretty sure it was birds). -Curwood said that his survey had shown beyond the shadow -<a id='Page_169'></a>of a doubt that the birds were scarce and therefore the -season should be closed. I believe he gave newspaper -interviews declaring the season closed in certain sections.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood’s policy of riding roughshod over the -statutes and his fellow commissioners, plus the fact that he -had his great reputation as an out-of-doors expert to live -up to, was becoming very serious and embarrassing, or so -certain members of the conservation commission felt, for -what he believed in he fought for, regardless of how the -rest of the commission felt or thought. So intent was he -upon his ideas of conservation that he had to have his -way in everything which was undertaken. And as another -fellow commissioner once said of Jim:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If I were to write a chapter on Curwood’s activities as -a member of the commission it would be in the section of -the book devoted to wild life, sub-classification, ‘stormy -petrel.’ I recall that he simply had to have his own way, -and so perhaps if one were to look him up in the index -it would be in the list of fauna, under lone wolf.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Despite the fact that some so-called conservation experts -felt that Jim Curwood was radical in his ideas, and -beliefs concerning conservation movements, he proved -conclusively that he was right in most of his ideas at some -time or other.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jim was almost exclusively interested in protecting -wild life from man, shorter or no, seasons; reduced bag -limits, banning of spears, etc., were items for which he -would fight. He had an academic interest in fire, a sentimental -leaning toward the planting of trees, no time for -research or land acquisition. Jim was just too starry-eyed -for the others to get.” So spoke another fellow member -of the original commission on which Curwood served and -directed during 1927.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_170'></a>Because of his short term on the conservation commission -it was impossible for him to carry out many of his -ideas. Had not the mighty hand of the Great Reaper -struck, the conservation movements today would be much -stronger and more firm than they are. He was the first -and in reality the last man to start such a movement which -carried over such a widespread field.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During this time with the Department of Conservation -of the State of Michigan, Curwood was made a head of -the Izaak Walton League. This is the largest organization -on the conservation of natural resources in the world -today. During a stormy meeting held in Chicago Jim -almost resigned. At that meeting Jim drafted a plan -whereby thousands and thousands of animals might be -spared from the hunters’ guns. He was promptly informed -that this plan would not work and could not possibly -materialize. He arose and spoke with bated breath as he -informed the large gathering that despite what they -thought, the plan would and could be used effectively. He -further stated that either the plan would be put into -operation immediately or else his resignation would be -forthcoming.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many members of the Izaak Walton League could not -as yet understand Jim and hesitated to vote. Eventually -Jim Curwood had his way and his plan was put into operation. -It worked better than even he had anticipated.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Today Jim Curwood stands as a typical example of -righteousness in the halls of the State Conservation Department -of Michigan. Even though many have felt that -his work for the preservation of our natural resources was -in vain, his work alone speaks for itself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“One’s work is the voice that is heard most clearly and -is most enduring.” Jim proved his belief that “it is the -<a id='Page_171'></a>work that counts” only too well. His experience and -intimate knowledge of the outdoors were his guides on -all matters.</p> - -<hr class='c012' /> - -<p class='c010'>The first book to appear from Jim’s pen after the completion -of Curwood Castle, was the widely read novel, -“The Alaskan.” This book had an exceptionally large -advance sale.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the early spring of 1924, two short years after his -studio had been constructed, Jim and Ethel returned from -another one of his famous expeditions into the North. -It was then that Jim released to his publishers his newest -work entitled “A Gentleman of Courage,” a book which -brought him still more widespread fame and glory. -People were growing more and more each day to love -this writer of the wilderness. He wrote undeniably about -a land that seemed so wonderful and far off, and yet in -reality so very close. Prompted by Jim’s writings many -people have journeyed into the Dominion of Canada to -make their homes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The following year Jim published the first of his historical -novels, “The Ancient Highway,” the locale being -around old Quebec and its plains. Many critics praised -this new type of work Jim had put out, but as he often -remarked:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A novelist of romance and adventure can never become -a successful historian.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim spoke those words, but it doubtless did not occur -to him at the time that he was probably the greatest of -all romantic historians on the Dominion of Canada. -Through his novels of romance and history he painted a -picture of the Canadian Northlands not only as they used -to be years ago but as they really are today.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_172'></a>James Oliver Curwood was both a novelist and a historian -even if he did not believe himself to be a recorder -of both ancient and modern history. It was said of “The -Ancient Highway” that this story of modern Quebec takes -you down the old world highway of romance, while woodland -beauty brings nature near in that communion which -Curwood lovers find a healing and tonic force. “The -Ancient Highway” is truly a fine piece of historical work -and deserved the praise which it received.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was about this time that Lewis Galantiere reported -that James Oliver Curwood was by all odds the most popular -of American writers among the French people. -Where it once had been Jack London and Upton Sinclair -it now was Curwood. Edith Wharton had attempted to -establish herself as our literary ambassadress to France, -but she had failed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In England, Germany, Denmark, Norway and numerous -other countries, Jim Curwood had built for himself a -great reputation and his fame among the various peoples -of the world was definitely assured.</p> -<div class='chapter'> - <a id='Page_173'></a> - <h2 class='c007'>CHAPTER TEN<br /> <br />TRAIL’S END</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Unlike most authors of Jim Curwood’s day, thousands -of people annually came to visit him and to see the fair -city of Owosso, they came to meet him from all parts of -the country, and to ask him countless, rather foolish questions. -Being the well-bred, cultured man that he was, Jim -complied by answering each question and replying to each -letter written to him, to the very best of his ability.</p> - -<p class='c010'>During the morning hours, no one was allowed to see -him or to interrupt his writing schedule in the slightest -manner. For he had his daily writing stint of five hundred -words to write and it must all be thoroughly checked. -Jim never wrote more than five hundred words a day, for -he felt that writing beyond that limit would tend to make -his work slighty. In the afternoon, however, his duties -were more numerous. The first part of the afternoon was -devoted to the dictating of letters and to all general business -that might be at hand. Then and only then would -those people who wished to see him and ask him questions -be admitted to his private study.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of Jim’s greatest enjoyments was in the many letters -he received daily from small children; letters that asked -about only those things which small children could possibly -want to know. He loved every one of those -scrawled letters, for it not only showed him that people -<a id='Page_174'></a>were reading his books, but that even small children loved -his stories of his beloved northland.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many were the times that great numbers of small children -from Owosso would come and visit with the man -from God’s Country. On these visits, Jim always saw to it -that there was a treat for them on hand. He would take -each in turn upon his knee and always managed to tell -wonderful stories. Many residents of Owosso of the -present time were among that group. They like to recall -those days when they had the honor of sitting upon the -knee of one of America’s most famous writers. The citizens -of Owosso loved him immensely. For his undying -love for humanity and his unquenchable love for all nature -had indeed made Jim Curwood a patient, kindly and loving -personality.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many of the questions that Jim received in his morning -mail ranged from the “ridiculous to the sublime.” “How -shall I begin on my writing career?” “How do I construct -or build a plot?” “Ought I to go to college for four years?” -“How much education is needed to become a successful -writer?” These and countless more just like them were -Jim’s daily plight. Perhaps the most frequent question -found in those letters was: “Will you sell my story for -me?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many are the times that Jim’s laughter echoed throughout -the walls of Curwood Castle as he pored over the -amusing letters.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the principal reasons Jim Curwood received so -many letters was the desire for the author’s signature. But -there were those who, Jim realized, were struggling up -that long, hard and difficult trail over which he had traveled, -and so to these he always sent forth some kind and -<a id='Page_175'></a>encouraging words. For the young man who is embarking -upon a literary career, Jim’s advice was always this:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hard work and steady work for years, with a fixed -purpose is most important.” He also said that an author -trains himself for his life’s work just as a farmer learns -to use the plough or hoe, or in the same manner that a -surgeon studies to use his scalpel.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Most authors are but ordinary men and women who -have trained themselves to earn a livelihood with the pen.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Perhaps the wisest and most important advice that -James Oliver Curwood ever gave anyone was the importance -of good physical condition at all times.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s advice to a young writer with plenty of ambition -was to get plenty of sleep and always to arise early. By -this he meant about four-thirty or five o’clock in the morning. -Then to snap through a vigorous limbering-up exercise, -followed by two or three glasses of good, cold water. -The latter is a truly important factor. What with going to -bed early and rising early of a morning along with the -many different type exercises, James Oliver Curwood often -voiced his opinion that he himself would live to be one hundred -years old.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“After a bath, which includes the use of cold water, I -have a breakfast which consists of half a bowl of bran -with creamy milk. Dinner is at noon. There are many -excellent reasons why a heavy meal should not be eaten -at night. My dinner is largely composed of vegetables, -though not infrequently we have fish or fowl. Meat once -a week is quite enough for a man who wants a long life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“After breakfast I walk vigorously for ten minutes, -and as I have eaten lightly I do not thus disturb my digestive -tract. I walk rapidly, for slow walking is no exercise -at all, and am at my studio by half-past seven, vibrantly -<a id='Page_176'></a>alive and eager to get to work for the sheer pleasure of it. -My brain is clear and my body healthy because I have -started the day right by taking the opportunity which -Nature intended all men should have.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The very first thing which he always did upon arriving -at his studio of a morning was to have a fifteen-minute -conference with his secretary, during which he gave out -his daily instructions and explained just what was most -important for her to do during the course of the day. Then -into the tower study he went where he immediately disconnected -the telephone and locked the door. This was -a precaution he used so that he would not be disturbed. -Here Jim buried himself until eleven-thirty in the morning. -Under no consideration could anybody get in to see -him unless it was the most urgent business which could -not possibly wait. All morning hours were devoted entirely -to his writing and he disliked very much being disturbed -during those hours.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Once inside his study, Jim always looked over the previous -day’s correspondence, checked it and then carefully -filed it away. Upon completing this he would pick up his -notes and yesterday’s planning for today’s work and study -it carefully for several minutes. Then he would clear his -desk of all unnecessary materials and begin the work -which did not let up until four-thirty in the afternoon, -except for a brief lunch period.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Some days Jim’s work would come easily, clearly and -distinctly; but on other days he would feverishly wrack -his brain in order to drag forth words one by one.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For the most part, the majority of authors hurriedly -write the first draft of their story, check it thoroughly and -then carefully write the second draft. Finally the third -and final draft is written and then the yarn is ready for -<a id='Page_177'></a>the publisher. Such a procedure was against Jim Curwood’s -policy, for he did not believe in writing a story too -hurriedly, checking it and later revising it. He was a -slow, deliberate worker and never averaged more than -five hundred words per day, or only two full-sized manuscript -pages. He slowly and methodically built every -sentence and every paragraph as he went along. He never -returned to rebuild that which he had already constructed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I build every line and page of my manuscript to the -best of my ability, with the result that I am a very slow -worker, as compared with many. I average only about -five hundred words per day. Often I have spent an entire -forenoon on one paragraph of a dozen lines. I stay -with a difficult passage until it is done satisfactorily. I -never put off until to-morrow what I find hard today, for -to-morrow rarely brings the needed skill.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>At noontime Jim would always lay off from his work -for a half an hour. This always afforded him ample time -to look over his gardens, which consisted mainly of onions -and radishes. The raising of onions and radishes was his -hobby and one of which he was indeed proud. He always -took particular pride in his ability to raise the finest of -these vegetables in the surrounding territory.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Promptly at four-thirty of an afternoon, Jim was up -and away from the studio, unless he had a story which he -felt must be completed, or else some important business -matter that must have his personal attention. And when -he did leave his studio, he immediately looked for recreation, -which as a whole was not very hard to find. He was -very fond of a brisk walk, a swim, golf, or a horseback -ride. His two favorite sports, however, above all others, -were horseback-riding and handball. On many of his trips -into the wilds he would take along a few horseshoes and -<a id='Page_178'></a>a handball outfit to help keep trim as well as to provide -relaxation. Jim played handball with a vengeance and -could never quite get enough of it. Regardless of what -sport he participated in, he always played hard, industriously -and squarely. As it was with his writing, Jim -never knew quite when to call a halt to his recreational -activities.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As twilight would begin to break forth Jim always liked -to sit out on the terrace that he loved so well or else take -a long walk or a drive in his auto. Twilight would -lengthen into dusk and unless he had something else more -important to do he would spend the evening with his wife -and children before retiring. But Jim did not retire to -rest and to sleep as most men do. Instead he went to bed -to think and meditate and ponder over his problems.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On one particular occasion, Ray Long visited Jim at his -home in Owosso. The two men sat up late one night in -order to develop a plot for the new novel Jim had in mind. -It had to be something different from anything previously -written, and so for many hours Ray and Jim studied -earnestly and tirelessly over the possibilities. The new -work Jim had in mind was to be entitled “Nomads of -the North.” Mr. Long eventually suggested a situation -that appealed to Jim’s vivid imagination and so together -the two of them developed their idea for all it was worth. -That night both men went to bed elated and highly satisfied -over the prospects of the new story. Mr. Long later -explained how surprised he was the next morning when -Jim appeared at the breakfast table and informed him -that the plot would not do. Obviously he had gone to -bed the night before and had laid awake for most of -the night turning the plot and situation over and over -in his mind. Then at last he had come to the conclusion -<a id='Page_179'></a>that the animals involved would not be likely to do the -things that he had planned for them to do.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The very popular and famous Ray Long, who published -numerous James Oliver Curwood stories serially in his -magazine, once spoke of Jim:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“James Oliver Curwood is a writing man because he -has something to say, and he writes only of those things -which he knows best. His novels are set in the far North -region of Canada because he not only knows but actually -loves that country.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>That Curwood’s God is Nature and that in his books -he preaches constantly the beauty and glory of his creed -the reading public quite generally knows. He is a writing -man because he has something important to talk about.</p> - -<p class='c010'>James Oliver Curwood loved the North as few men -have ever loved a country in which they have not been -registered citizens. Even long before he was employed -by the Canadian government as an exploratory writer on -the Northlands, Jim had already grown to love that land, -for many trips already lay behind him. He knew many of -the Mounties, he had trapped and prospected in the Yukon -and in and around Hudson’s Bay; he knew his North as -few men ever could know it. But the element which made -him so popular was that he loved the country about which -he wrote. Ray Long, then editor of <i>Redbook Magazine</i>, -knew the author quite well and told many wonderful -things about him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“When Jim Curwood described the coming of spring -in the northern mountains, he saw and wrote of beauty -which brought a lump to my throat. He wrote melodrama, -yes; there was action and vigor and at times brutality -in his stories; he was far from being the greatest -psychologist who ever wrote: but he was sincere, he loved -<a id='Page_180'></a>nature, he made you love nature. And that’s not a bad -epitaph for a writer, is it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>For two full years Curwood was an employee of the -Dominion and it was during those years that he gathered -much of the material about which he has written. Also, -during that time, Jim lived among the Eskimos and the -Indians. Few people, if any, realize that the trips before -and after his government contract had expired were entirely -at his own expense, so sincere was he about that -which he wrote. Many were the times that Jim formed -his own expeditions and went farther north than most -men have ever dared penetrate, save those internationally -famous explorers who have reached and discovered the -North Pole.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He has actually been up as far as the Arctic sea -and has oft times gone out upon it in search of adventure -and material for his stories. He has braved every -type of danger and adventure practically known to mankind, -as far as the North goes, to bring back thrill-packed -stories for the world at large to enjoy. A. J. Donovan, -of Owosso, who was a school-mate of Jim’s, often said this -of him in later life:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Jim passed on just when he was doing his home town, -his state and his country the most good.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By that Mr. Donovan meant that Jim Curwood’s work -in conservation was at last being heeded and that wild life -was beginning to be conserved. He also had in mind that -Jim was doing his people more good by his inspirational -and courageous writings than few men of his time have -ever done.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Many, many times Jim had openly declared that he -simply could not write in his fine, new home.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I just cannot write in my own home. Something is -<a id='Page_181'></a>missing there that gives me the inspiration that I do so -need.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim’s home is one of the most beautiful and stately -ones in all of Owosso. But because he was a wilderness -man, a true disciple of the wilds, and because -of the Indian blood flowing in his veins, he found it -difficult to write inside four walls. He found it difficult -even to do so inside the walls of Curwood Castle, his own -especially-built writing studio. His great-grandmother -was a full blooded Mohawk Indian princess, and his famous -ancestor, Captain Frederick A. Marrayat, was a -great seaman and world renowned novelist. It is therefore -easy to see how the adventure blood must have been -surging through Jim’s veins.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim loved the great open spaces where all was silent and -peaceful so much, that when he was away from it for a -long period of time, he was quite hard to get along with. -That was one of the reasons for building his Castle so he -could decorate it to his own satisfaction and still feel the -tang of the wilds about him. That was why he built it -along the shores of the Shiawassee, “Sparkling Waters.” -It had that ancient and wild look about it that gave him -inspiration.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim lived and died an outdoorsman, believing in “the -fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” -for all creatures of the wilderness. And so during -his climb to the top rung of the ladder of success he had -acquired several thousands of acres of forest land in -northern Michigan, just a short way from the little city -of Roscommon. There in the very center of “his own -wilderness,” Jim Curwood built himself what was almost a -baronial castle done in logs. Each log was from a tree -which he had selected himself, making sure that his “out-of-the-way -<a id='Page_182'></a>retreat” was constructed with the finest the -forests had to offer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Although situated along the banks of the Au Sable -River and just a short way from the town of Roscommon, -Jim would not consider having a telephone in his cabin. -Although within that same distance there were electric -light wires, Jim absolutely refused to have them in his -wilderness home. He insisted upon keeping his lodge absolutely -primitive, and that is exactly what he did.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The place cost him many thousands of dollars, but he -would have no modern plumbing of any sort installed. -He maintained that it was possible “to be luxuriously -primitive—or primitively luxurious,” and in the end it -cost him his life.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Here in this “stag hiding place” were some of Jim’s -very best friends. Namely, they were the mink, the wildcat, -the marten, squirrel and many other creatures of the -wilds. It was here at the cabin in upper Michigan and the -place in the upper part of Canada that Jim had a most -contented peace, and could note wildlife at its very best.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Bruce Otto, the noted timber country guide, made many -trips with Jim Curwood and helped him build several of -his cabins which are scattered all over the wilds of the -Canadian Northlands, ranging from the mountains of -British Columbia to the wilds surrounding Hudson’s Bay. -Those two men have lived entirely off the land for months -at a time, securing whatever food was necessary when the -time arrived. It was on journeys as these that Jim secured -material for such great novels of the North as “River’s -End,” “The Valley of Silent Men,” and “The Flaming -Forest.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I traveled three thousand miles up and down the -mighty Saskatchewan before I wrote ‘The River’s End,’ -<a id='Page_183'></a>and if I had not gone down the Athabaska, the Slave -and the Mackenzie with the ‘Wild river brigades,’ of -God’s Country, I could never have written ‘The Valley of -Silent Men.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood actually lived with those wonderful characters -of his books. He has lived with the strong men and -brave women from such books as “God’s Country and the -Woman,” “The Honor of the Big Snows,” “Kazan” and -many others.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In Jim Curwood’s home are twenty-seven guns of all -types and calibers. Each of them has seen much service, -and all of them have notches cut into them recording the -number of kills made. The entire place, from attic to basement, -is filled with pelts and mounted heads. These trophies, -denoting the days when he was known as a great -hunter, are regarded as martyrs. For, from that day when -the “great light appeared,” Jim Curwood ceased being -the hunter, the trapper, the destroyer of nature and wild -life. For, in what he terms his religion, Jim believed that -the wild creatures understood him and believed in him -as their friend. This understanding and belief was eventually -written into the volume entitled “God’s Country—The -Trail to Happiness.” This was James Oliver Curwood’s -worldly confession as a “killer.” At the time and -for years after, Jim vowed that he was far more happier -writing this particular book than any others he had ever -penned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Nature is my religion; and my desire, my ambition, the -great goal I wish to achieve, is to take my readers with -me into the heart of this nature. I love it and I feel that -they must love it—if only I can get the two acquainted!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>In his article, “James Oliver Curwood and His Far -<a id='Page_184'></a>North,” Ray Long gave forth his ideas concerning Jim’s -fame:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“My belief in Curwood’s accuracy was based on my -knowledge of the man and on my scant knowledge of -wild animal life gained on short vacations. To have a -man like Thomas Linklader confirm him meant more to -me than the confirmation from a dozen Stepanssons, for -Thomas really knew his woods. Jim took me one day to -the scene of a caribou battle, and from the footprints in -the gravel by the shore of a stream reconstructed the entire -fight. He could tell me with greater accuracy than any -man I ever met in the North, just where we would find -any particular kind of fish. He absolutely knew what he -was talking about.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I returned to my desk with still greater faith in Curwood, -and from then on published practically everything -he wrote. I think I enjoy as much as he possibly can, the -announcement that 105,000 copies of his latest novel, -‘The Valley of Silent Men,’ were sold before publication. -For Curwood had come into his own. He had won a vast -audience among novel readers as he long ago won a great -number of magazine readers.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This in itself shows the faith that millions of people -had in Jim Curwood. All who could purchased his books, -for they knew that what he wrote was accurate, authentic -and realistic. They knew that he had practically lived the -stories about which he wrote. That accounts for the great -pre-publication sales of over two dozen or so of his novels.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On many occasions Jim was asked just what a writer -should write about, and he always came forth with this -reply:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Authors should write only about those people, things -and places which they know. This should be self-evident; -<a id='Page_185'></a>yet nearly every one of them has almost a fatalistic passion -to do otherwise. If you live in a picturesque country village, -don’t write about the city. On the other hand, if -your life is in the city, don’t try to write of the characters -and settings you know little or nothing about. There is -no sufficient reason why a Michigan author should write -of Arizona. Nor is there any excuse for a young woman -who lives in a lovely cove by the sea with a world of rich -material about her, to write of what is happening at Newport -or Palm Beach. Stick to truth when you write fiction—truth -as to details, habits, and settings—even though -the story be wholly imaginary. No other books have a -chance to live.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Those few lines explain why Curwood’s works have -been “best sellers,” and are still in great use today. He -possessed that “certain something” that all writers of -fiction pray for—that vivid imagination and forseeable -power behind them to keep driving constantly forward. -Jim had the courage to fight almost insurmountable odds -and consequently he came through. What Jim Curwood -started he usually finished. Some advice which came directly -from his lips should be well to heed:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Only those who are quite prepared to labor long and -hard for little pay, and without assurance of fame, should -undertake to write for a living. A few earn large sums—but -only a few. The great majority eke out a bare existence, -living in anticipation of the great good fortune that -is just around the corner.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim Curwood wrote for ten long years before he was -ever able to place and sell a story; at the end of that -tenth year, Jim sold his first one for $5.00. $5.00 for ten -years of work! He merely overcame those fits of despondency -that attacked him through the hundreds and hundreds -<a id='Page_186'></a>of rejection slips that came to him. Jim learned to -believe what each one said. He kept at his work tirelessly -throughout those ten long years.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the arrival of 1926, the public saw the last of -Jim’s historical novels and the last book length work -which he ever wrote. This one was entitled “The Black -Hunter.” Its sale was widespread.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Following the publication of “The Black Hunter” Curwood -devoted himself to shorter forms of fiction and -several articles on the preservation of natural resources. -During this period Jim came closer to God in his love of -nature than ever before. His life thus far was a success. -Upon many occasions while relaxing in his studio, he -would unconsciously pick up his pen and write his feelings -about God and mankind. A few of these memorable -writings have been preserved:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The Great Master has opened to me the book wherein -is written the secret of a joyful life—a secret which he -never intended to be hidden, but which has been concealed -for untold years because men will not read what is spread -upon the pages of the wonderful book, or having read, -will not believe. Their eyes are hidden so that they do -not see the glory of living and their ears do not hear the -myriad sounds which blend in life’s immortal melody.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I have found the great understanding heart of Nature, -and the thrill of its discovery has set the blood coursing -faster in my veins. I have learned to understand the voice -of Nature, and in doing so have obtained health, developed -faith, and partaken of the glory of living. In that -voice there is inspiration, and it whispers to me the hope -that all shall soon understand.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Jim lived a life wherein he had found the true joy of -living and consequently his habits were of the best type. -<a id='Page_187'></a>Believing strongly that there is good in every man and -woman, he wrote and created his characters in much the -same manner:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The world is filled with strong and good men, and -with women who are beautiful and virtuous, people who -are the equals or superiors of those who live in the pages -of my books. It is about such folks that I choose to write.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I thank God that in only one of my books, and that -an early one, have I approached what would have evidently -pleased that critic. Why should I not write of wholesome -men and women, of clean actions, of just and upright -conduct? Why should I not recount tales of people who -cherished ideals? Why should I refrain from telling of -the things to which we all aspire?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I see no good reason why I should take a woman of -the streets and glorify her, though once, when I was a -boy, one of them gave me a glimpse of as unselfish a -devotion to the finer things in life as I have ever known in -any woman. There are too many good women whom I -may glorify and clothe with ideals. Why should I make -my women ugly in character or in appearance when we all -love beauty? We always choose the most beautiful flowers -of the entire garden for the bed chambers of our guests.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why shouldn’t I punish the bad people in my books -and make a record that happiness came eventually to those -who deserved it? Some critics may say, ‘people are not -like that and things don’t come out that way,’ but my -experience has been to the contrary. Happiness does come -to those who deserve it. Eventually their ears do catch -the immortal melody of life, as Melisse heard the music -of her people; and they often learn to appreciate it long -before they pass on to another existence.”</p> - -<hr class='c012' /> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_188'></a>Although from the beautiful Au Sable River less than -one hundred yards away Jim could have had water delivered -into the cabin by the very simple process of having an -electric pump, only a handpump in the kitchen was permitted -to be installed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The isolated place of beauty cost him thousands and -thousands of dollars, but he would not have in it any -modern plumbing.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Due to the absence of a few modern conveniences Jim -was bitten by a poisonous spider, and even though he had -often boasted that he intended to live to be at least one -hundred years old, and had so arranged his life that under -ordinary conditions he might have lived to be that age, -a spider upset his life’s plans.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Shortly after the insect had bitten him Jim left for his -home in Owosso seeking medical attention. This was on -August 8, 1927. The physicians were strangely puzzled -by the malady which plagued Owosso’s favorite son. -He was seriously ill with an unusual and seemingly -unknown disease. The newspapers throughout the country -carried stories of Jim’s condition and almost immediately -specialists from everywhere rushed to his aid, if aid were -possible. All the efforts of the doctors and specialists -who rushed to the bedside of James Oliver Curwood in -those early days of August, 1927, were futile. He was -given a blood transfusion by his daughter, Mrs. Carlotta -Jirus, of Detroit, but this, too, was of no avail ... on -August 13, with his wife, Ethel, his son, James, his two -daughters, Carlotta and Viola, his brother, Ed, and his -two sisters, Amy and Cora, at his bedside, James Oliver -Curwood, writer, conservationist, exponent and lover of -Nature, passed away.</p> - -<p class='c010'><a id='Page_189'></a>The Detroit <i>Free Press</i> ran this story on August 14, -1927.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>CURWOOD’S FUNERAL SET FOR TOMORROW</div> - <div>AFTERNOON</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='small'>Author to be buried in Owosso beside</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>graves of father and mother.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Owosso, Mich., Aug. 14—A.P.—Funeral services for James -Oliver Curwood, author and noted conservationist, who died -late last night after a week’s illness of a general infection, will -be conducted at the residence at 2:30 o’clock by the Rev. J. -Twyson Jones, of the First Congregational Church.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Interment will be in Oakhill Cemetery where his father and -mother are buried. Pallbearers had not been selected today, but -in compliance with the author’s wish, will be Owosso residents.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>BLOOD GIVING FAILS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Death came to the writer of stories of the Northlands at his -home, “Curwood Castle,” here, after a desperate battle against -the infection that steadily sapped his strength. In an effort to -stay the ravages of the infection, a daughter, Mrs. Antonio P. -Jirus, of Detroit, gave of her blood in a transfusion operation.</p> - -<p class='c013'>After rallying somewhat, the author weakened again rapidly -and his physicians announced that his death was a matter of -hours only.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Curwood was born in Owosso on June 12, 1878, the son of -James Moran and Abigail (Griffen) Curwood, and spent his -boyhood near Vermillion, Ohio, his family later returning to -Owosso. He attended the University of Michigan. He spent the -greater part of his life at his birthplace.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>FIRST NOVEL IN 1908</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“The Courage of Captain Plum,” his first novel, was written -in 1908, after he had spent seven years in newspaper work.</p> - -<p class='c013'>From then on the books flowed from his pen. There followed -“The Wolf Hunters,” 1908; “The Great Lakes,” and “The -Gold Hunters,” in 1909; “The Danger Trail,” in 1910; “The -Honor of the Big Snows,” and “Philip Steele of the Royal -Mounted,” written in 1911.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Others of his novels included “Kazan,” 1914; “Nomads of -the North,” 1919; “The Valley of Silent Men,” 1920; and -“The Flaming Forest,” in 1921, and his latest “The Black -<a id='Page_190'></a>Hunter.” Writing was in Curwood’s blood. On his father’s side, -he was descended from Captain Marrayat, the novelist.</p> - -<p class='c013'>A zealous crusader for conservation of natural resources, -Curwood was considered an authority on the Canadian northland, -and was the only American ever employed by the Canadian -government as an exploratory and descriptive writer.</p> - -<p class='c013'>His championship of conservation in the fullest sense often -brought him into conflict, and in several meetings, national and -state, he stirred a storm of controversy.</p> - -<p class='c013'>In 1926 he abruptly resigned as a director of the Izaak Walton -League in a stormy meeting in Chicago. At a meeting held in -Owosso, he opposed policies of John Baird, then Michigan -director of conservation, so heatedly that the state conservationists -formed factions to which they held strongly for several years.</p> - -<p class='c013'>With the conclusion of the term of office of Baird, and the -election of Governor Fred W. Green, Curwood was appointed to -the new conservation commission. Frequently at meetings he -protested against what he termed the lethargy of the other -members.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Besides his keen interest in conservation, Curwood was deeply -interested in civic enterprises in his home city, contributing -liberally to such undertakings.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Two daughters are children of Curwood’s first marriage. -A son, James Oliver Curwood II, and his second wife, who was -Miss Ethel Greenwood, Owosso teacher, also survive.</p> -<p class='c010'>On that fateful thirteenth day of August, 1927, the -news was flashed to the entire world that one of the greatest -of all outdoor fiction writers was dead. James Oliver -Curwood, beloved teller of tales of the beautiful Canadian -Northwest, had passed away. It was an unexpected blow -which the entire world mourned and bitterly regretted. -For, in losing Jim Curwood, no longer could the great -tradition of the mighty northlands be upheld.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Even the Crees, the Chippawayans and the Shiwashes -Indian tribes of the far reaches of the north mourned the -loss of the “great white father,” who to them was “Jeems.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The old sourdoughs along the wilderness trails also -<a id='Page_191'></a>felt the loss of Jim’s cheerful presence. The old men -of the north whom Jim had invited down to his Castle -on many occasions from the distant reaches felt the hurt -of losing Jim Curwood probably more than anyone -else, save that of his own immediate family.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The following epitaph appeared along with James -Oliver Curwood’s last article, his last work. It was entitled -“Thou Shalt Not Kill,” and was written and completed -but a few days before he was stricken. The foreword -to this article was written by the editor of <i>American -Magazine</i> in the December, 1927, issue, exactly four -months after Jim’s passing. Of all the articles he had -ever written, this last one, his last and final plea for wild -life, affected the public most of all. It was truly his last -stand, and a glorious ending it was:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“James Oliver Curwood is dead. One of the most popular -fiction writers of his generation, one of the most -ardent and courageous lovers of outdoor life, he leaves -millions of devoted admirers to mourn him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Only a month before his death, Mr. Curwood sent me -this telegram:</p> - -<p class='c010'>‘Am working on an article for you which I have wanted -to write for five years, and I think it is the best thing I have -ever done. Shall have copy ready to mail you within week. -Good wishes.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But it was nearly a fortnight before the article reached -us, for the author was already in the primary stages of his -fatal malady.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Almost at the beginning of this, his last article, Mr. -Curwood wrote:</p> - -<p class='c010'>‘When I am ready to enter this most glorious of adventures, -the mystery and privilege of death, I shall need no -greater comforts in the first abysmal moments of its -<a id='Page_192'></a>presence than these things—the grass, the flowers, the -beautiful dove on her nest, the voice of the birds, the -rippling song of water, the inspiration and courage of the -trees.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Before that message could be put into type the hand -that had written it lay in eternal rest.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“These pages hold Mr. Curwood’s final plea for the -preservation of our wildlife, a movement in which he was -a veritable crusader. He hated game hogs, with an -undying hatred, because he loved nature with an undying -love. Here you will find, simply and sincerely expressed, -his creed of the wild.</p> - -<div class='c002'><i>The Editor”</i></div> - -<p class='c010'>Two days after his death, on the fifteenth of August, -James Oliver Curwood was laid to rest in the quiet, -peaceful little cemetery of Oak Hill, in Owosso.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The Detroit <i>Free Press</i> recorded the ceremony:—</div> - <div class='c000'>CURWOOD RITES HELD IN OWOSSO</div> - <div class='c000'><span class='small'>Simplicity marks services for noted</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>author; business at standstill.</span></div> - <div class='c000'>SPECIAL TO FREE PRESS</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Owosso, Mich., Aug. 16—With Governor Fred W. Green, the -state conservation director and several members of the conservation -commission acting as honorary pallbearers, James Oliver -Curwood, author and conservationist, was laid to rest here this -afternoon following funeral services at his home.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Burial took place in Oak Hill Cemetery, beside the graves of -his parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Moran Curwood.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The rites were marked by simplicity.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The home of the author was filled with intimate friends while -hundreds stood about the spacious grounds and streets adjacent -to the residence. State Police led the funeral cortege. Members -of the Shiawassee Conservation Association, of which Mr. Curwood -was a director, attended in a body, as did members of -Owosso Lodge No. 81, F. & A. M., which the author had -recently joined.</p> - -<p class='c013'><a id='Page_193'></a>Dr. J. Twyson Jones, pastor of the First Congregational -Church, and an intimate friend of the author, in the funeral -sermon, eulogized Curwood as “a man who has written his own -eulogy on the imperishable scroll of undying fame.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>The pastor said Curwood’s three hobbies were writing, conservation -and social betterment, declaring that “the passive and -selfish politician” did not command Curwood’s respect. Dr. Jones -also paid the writer tribute for the many things he had done -for Owosso, the town of his birth.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Following the services, the massive copper casket was carried -to the waiting hearse through a line formed by the Masons.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The cortege moved through the streets lined with sorrowing -fellow townsmen of the author, to the cemetery where, after a -brief service, the body of Owosso’s most distinguished son was -interred.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Business activities throughout the city were suspended during -the services.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c007'>Transcriber’s Note</h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'>Variations in hyphenation and compound words have been -preserved.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of James Oliver Curwood, Disciple of the -Wilds, by Hobart Donald Swiggett - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD *** - -***** This file should be named 53834-h.htm or 53834-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/8/3/53834/ - -Produced by Roger Frank, readbueno and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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