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such a turning。 Thereupon he would begin a process of omitting one by one those details which he had been at such pains to recall； and after each omission he would ask himself； ‘Does the picture remain？' If it did not； he restored the detail which he had just omitted； and experimented with the sacrifice of some other； and so on； and so on； until after Herculean labor there remained for the reader one of those swiftly flashed ice…clear pictures （complete in every detail） with which his tales and romances are so delightfully and continuously adorned。
〃But it is quarter to eleven； and this being a time of holiday； R。 H。 D。 emerges from his workroom happy to think that he has placed one hundred and seven words between himself and the wolf who hangs about every writer's door。 He isn't satisfied with those hundred and seven words。 He never was in the least satisfied with anything that he wrote； but he has searched his mind and his conscience and he believes that under the circumstances they are the very best that he can do。 Anyway； they can stand in their present order untilafter lunch。
〃A sign of his youth was the fact that to the day of his death he had denied himself the luxury and slothfulness of habits。 I have never seen him smoke automatically as most men do。 He had too much respect for his own powers of enjoyment and for the sensibilities； perhaps； of the best Havana tobacco。 At a time of his own deliberate choosing； often after many hours of hankering and renunciation； he smoked his cigar。 He smoked it with delight； with a sense of being rewarded； and he used all the smoke there was in it。
〃He dearly loved the best food； the best champagne； and the best Scotch whiskey。 But these things were friends to him； and not enemies。 He had toward food and drink the continental attitude； namely； that quality is far more important than quantity； and he got his exhilaration from the fact that he was drinking champagne and not from the champagne。 Perhaps I shall do well to say that on questions of right and wrong he had a will of iron。 All his life he moved resolutely in whichever direction his conscience pointed； and although that ever present and never obtrusive conscience of his made mistakes of judgment now and then； as must all consciences； I think it can never once have tricked him into any action that was impure or unclean。 Some critics maintain that the heroes and heroines of his books are impossibly pure and innocent young people。 R。 H。 D。 never called upon his characters for any trait of virtue； or renunciation； or self…mastery of which his own life could not furnish examples。〃
In June of 1912 Richard reported the Republican convention at Chicago。 Shortly after this； on July 8； he married at Greenwich； Connecticut； Miss Elizabeth Genevieve McEvoy； known on the stage as Bessie McCoy； with whom he had first become acquainted in 1908 after the estrangement from his wife。
Richard and his wife made their home at Crossroads； where he devoted most of his working hours to the writing of short stories。 In August of that year my brother； accompanied by his wife； returned to Chicago to report the Progressive convention。 During the year 1913 he wrote and produced the farce 〃Who's Who；〃 of which William Collier was the star； and in the fall of the same year spent a month in Cuba； with Augustus Thomas； where they produced a film version of 〃Soldiers of Fortune。〃 In referring to this trip； Thomas wrote at the time of Richard's death：
〃In 1914 a motion…picture company arranged to make a feature film of the play； and Dick and I went with their outfit to Santiago de Cuba； where； twenty years earlier； he had found the inspiration for his story and out of which city and its environs he had fashioned his supposititious republic of Olancho。 On that trip he was the idol of the company。 With the men in the smoking…room of the steamer there were the numberless playful stories； in the rough； of the experiences on all five continents and seven seas that were the backgrounds of his published tales。
〃At Santiago； if an official was to be persuaded to consent to some unprecedented seizure of the streets； or a diplomat invoked for the assistance of the Army or the Navy； it was the experience and good judgment of Dick Davis that controlled the task。 In the field there were his helpful suggestions of work and make up to the actors； and on the boat and train and in hotel and camp the lady members met in him an easy courtesy and understanding at once fraternal and impersonal。
〃The element that he could not put into the account and which is particularly pertinent to this page； is the author of ‘Soldiers of Fortune' as he revealed himself to me both with intention and unconsciously in the presence of the familiar scenes。
〃For three weeks； with the exception of one or two occasions when some local dignitary captured the revisiting lion； he and I spent our evenings together at a cafe table overlooking ‘The Great Square；' which he sketches so deftly in its atmosphere when Clay and the Langhams and Stuart dine there。 At one end of the plaza the President's band was playing native waltzes that came throbbing through the trees and beating softly above the rustling skirts and clinking spurs of the senoritas and officers sweeping by in two opposite circles around the edges of the tessellated pavements。 Above the palms around the square arose the dim； white facade of the Cathedral； with the bronze statue of Anduella the liberator of Olancho； who answered with his upraised arm and cocked hat the cheers of an imaginary populace。
〃Twenty years had gone by since Dick had received the impression that wrote those lines； and now sometimes after dinner half a long cigar would burn out as he mused over the picture and the dreams that had gone between。 From one long silence he said： ‘I think I'll come back here this winter and bring Mrs。 Davis with mestay a couple of months。' What a fine compliment to a wife to have the thought of her and that plan emerge from that deep and romantic background。
〃The picture people began their film with a showing of the ‘mountains which jutted out into the ocean and suggested roughly the five knuckles of a giant's hand clenched and lying flat upon the surface of the water。' That formation of the sea wall is just outside of Santiago。 ‘The waves tunnelled their way easily enough until they ran up against those five mountains and then they had to fall back。' How natural for one of us to be unimpressed by such a feature of the landscape and yet how characteristic of Dick Davis to see the elemental fight that it recorded and get the hint for the whole of the engineering struggle that is so much of his book。
〃We went over those mountains together； where two decades before he had planted his banner of romance。 We visited the mines and the railroads and everywhere found some superintendent or foreman or engineer who remembered Davis。 He had guessed at nothing。 Everywhere he had overlaid the facts with adventure and with beauty； but he had been on sure footing all the time。 His prototype of MacWilliams was dead。 Together we visited the wooden cross with which the miners had marked his grave。
CHAPTER XIX VERA CRUZ AND THE GREAT WAR
Late in April； 1914； when war between the United States and Mexico seemed inevitable Richard once more left the peace and content of Crossroads and started for Vera Cruz； arriving there on April 29。 He had arranged to act as correspondent for a syndicate of newspapers； and as he had for long been opposed to the administration's policy of 〃watchful waiting〃 was greatly disappointed on his arrival at the border to learn of the President's plan of mediation。 He wrote to his wife：
CRUZ； April 24； 1914。 DEAREST ONE：
We left today at 5。30。 It was a splendid scene； except for the children crying； and the wives of the officers and enlisted men trying not to cry。 I got a stateroom to myself。 With the electric fan on and the airport open； it is about as cool as a blast furnace。 But I was given a seat on the left of General Funston； who is commanding this brigade； and the other officers at the table are all good fellows。 As long as I was going； I certainly had luck in getting away as sharply as I did。 One day's delay would have made me miss this transport； which will be the first to land troops。
April 25th。
A dreadnaught joined us today； the Louisiana。 I wirelessed the Admiral asking permission to send a press despatch via his battleship； and he was polite in reply； but firm。 He said 〃No。〃 There are four transports and three torpedo boats and the battleship。 We go very slowly； because we must keep up with one of the troop ships with broken engines。 At night it is very pretty seeing the ships in line； and the torpedo boats winking their signals at each other。 I am writing all the time or reading up things about the army I forget and getting the new dope。 Also I am brushing up my Spanish。 Jack London is on board； and three other correspondents； two of whom I have met on other trips； and one 〃cub〃 correspondent。 He was sitting beside London and me busily turning out copy； and I asked him what he found to write about。 He said； 〃Well； maybe I see