REMINISCENCES OF A SPORTING JOURNALIST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 115, 12 June 1909, Page 4

REMINISCENCES OF A SPORTING JOURNALIST.

Sa'OIMES TOLD BY '.\IK. NAT CIOI'LD.I Kit's not all bad, (lonld. You will pvobaJily write, something deeeiy. before you'd*. l.o't .nic prat out toioii.that n little lielt.ii' i~i>olling ami cra-iderably | law .bloodshed vould improve it. ion may rotia.in it. Now >.o on wil'h your work; Unit mirs.l he dm!.'.'' T!ic with.' was "ShodUy" Williams, Oiiip of tlhc misters at a Southport sc'lwol, who fad ramg'lnt young Mat fiould w.filling a Wood-curdling iliuJiia wliaen. ho slioiiiftf'h'a.ve ibeca doinur liw lessons'. Ami his prophecy wan. <iu.Me t-ourec't. f!ou.d did write soniMlhimg decent; so niiie'h so, ill fuel, tlhia't over five, .million copies of his novels lit! ve been sold—those compact yellow Sua>ks 'wllric.li are so h:\w\y for reading while travelling. A».l what is more astoiiiii*itog wlil'l. pciSisip.s, is the fact taint Mr. (lould Hum written seventyfive novels in eighte™ yeans—just over •foun' si yeair—ln addition, to mimm-oiis short stories aaid mnwi-ipapcr tia'liclcs. And yet it was quite by accident that )ra became u novelist. BIS FIRST NOVEL.

'He was editing Hiki Bat.hurst Times In Au-'liraliti when lie received a. communicit'oui from *.• 'Sydney Hefere:i a.skiiig Him to write a story Of six or seven (.lupins. .Mr. (iould a<w-pt«l Hie task. "I sat down ait my taMo," he says, n his itctertv'-iiig .rcmloiscem-cs, "The Magic of Spcirt." "without .line least idea of Uihat, 1 'h'.ih going to wri-le about, except that it »as to be a, racing sto-y. After h'eo'ilating a f' 1 "' nwmitcs, 1 eomnienral .soim-tav !n tic .following strain: •NV.odv kiiirw exactly who or what Jack Marston wnis.' and 'I am quite sure I did not sv'lii'ii 1 iikhU" him my first Vro. But it. was a good -start, .for it n-ave me the ideu. of permitting Jack Marston to work out his own. life a.s the novel progressed: and he did it successfully, .so ".fan- ari Use. public were conci'i'nr.'d." .So lEViiiV'taka'bly, ind'oeil, tihat that first novel. nftenvaVils jvnJVished in book form under the ti't'c of "A Double EWilli," niii'dr the. replvbitiom of Nat ("lould as a. imvcli-it—a reputation which stands unrivalled th'e world ove.i'. \0 PUOEESSION AT TWENTY.

Cwriously enough it was purely by c-hi-.ii'.l c that Mr. iioiuM found -his way into tihp world n? journalism. He 't-rii-il office wick and wan'chouse work, drifted ilirto farnOng, wttl at twenty was triorou.glh'l.y downhearted mint discontented at Wis failure in life, lie was' living in Manchester wii'jh Ife mother alt .tilio time, and one morning sUposVvil lii'in tow he would like to become a journalist, at the same tim« showing him an, ivdvcirlisciiiont wH'vh stilled Hint a pupil wa.s required Viv Ohc editor a.iv.l part-proprietor of an oM-establishod -weekly paper. "A good opportunity to lea,™ Press work bliorougiMv." Gould thought he- nugiht as' W <'ll try journalism as ainvihiirg eke, and a reply to tte advertisement was sent. An answer Mine from Mr. Cornelius Brown, cditlor and part-ivroprietor of the Newark Advertiser. Notts. "An Inllorview followed, ain'd ilihp satisfaction being niutu.i. 1 , vunus Gould entrt-ed upon his duties'as a reporter. Eor six yrats he worked on thiw .paper, a.nd then, the restless -spirit sowing 'Mm. lie sailed for Australia, where lie quickly built up a reputation as ii relkiiile journalist and :i,-.i:!linrity on, sport. lie wrote 'his Tumf artiiies oven' the furniture o'f "Ve-rax." and many were liii's sroo/ps anil successful speculations. On our lycnsJon a frieivl m-ked Iran l" divide up £3()_on the raves, and Mr. Gould actually backed even- winner in six races.

The straw of a strange tip for th" l Unrolii Tfa.mli.cap is amongst Mr. Gould's eariv racing remiiii-ceiice,-'. "It was at the' Clinton Anns, On Newark." he says, "ami, coins uintaow to see someone ■foiin'l a, pi'ece of stray p«F'' fluttering about the passa.se. I .ph'ked it up and there was Ruchuuan on it. 7 found out it wns a, piece oif a letter, and HV.it it was oulsido the door off «• very wcilknmvn and astute eom.uiissYon agent. ' took the. Mat and backed Iterlianan. and Ira wow in a snowstorm, or sonicthl'wg very like it." THE SECRET TRIAL.

How some tricksters overreached Ihemsch'os is told in a. chapter on raring in Austnili'a. '.llhe.ro wa.s a rumor about a. great trial, WhicHi wa.s to take plate wry curly over a certain, course.

"Sonne' cut*, individuals went <low:i ovenw'glit and got inilo tJie grand stand. They hat .-wir.l'l'V wMiskiiys witili them and 0 pick of ca.rds. lly Ihe dim light, of a <uud:'e they pJayed all -.light. Towau'ds mnniuig first <ni<» dozed oil' and then another, until thfv were all asleep. Their 'were .-aroused by the sound of horses, galloping, and, much to their disgust and amazement, saw four horses pass the linisllriug-pOst. The trial had taken place, a.ird they were uone the

FREI7 ARCHER'S GEXEROS'ITY. Mr. Gould has known everybialy who was airvliodv in the racing world, both her:' and "down umlcr." sin:-e tin- Seventies, ami his chat'tv descriptions of famous jockeys and Tmrf celebrities form a very intfrel-iin.g feature, of "The Magic of Sp'orl." Coiiwming 'the redoubtable Fred Afther—"how mncli he gave away will trevcr he known," savs I'l.v ;iovelist —M,r. Could tells a- slo'.ry illus'trating his generous disposition.

"I recoilh'ft on 'One oeenwoiiv a brokendon old fellow, hOio hud boon racing for years, sail t« 1110. 'lf it hail n't boon for him,' pointing to Archer, 'l'd tare been di'ad before niMv.' I asked how llii'i- would have happened. 'I was awful lii'd. and 1 met him as lie was coining; off the lleahll one .morning. Ho pulled ii]>. looke'd at me, and a-keil i'f I felt ill. I it'nM him. lie rode on. An. lionr or two later n letter came round for mo, n.ud in it 'was :i, ton-pound note. 'Flint just put mo on my legs', and I rested a lilt. He's a good 'un, is Fred—a good

"MCCKA'SAH." "•"ftait well-known, ■gentleman rider. Mr. Fot'hergiiLJloiwl'iiiids. once figured in an amu-dircr Tire King of Holland sent 'for him to get up 'the races at the 1100.

'■On the. ov« of the meeting he dined at a .baiif|uet given by the King. lie «n.! ik'.vl a fat liaron of uncertain nationiil.'tv. »'h:> nijiinttijired a dignified silen:-e un'f'il t'lie wiwe ibega.m to circulate, whim he iii-riMl to Mr. Rowlands and said, poin:poii!-ly, T link, sa.r, your name is Rowlands V Assent w:W given, ami the llaixni went oil: 'Pray, sa.r. any relation to tie great lluckasa.li?' alluding to Rowland's Macassar Oil; anil the Baron pronounced Muckasallii as though it was some important title probably be thought it 'was." Referem-e Ins silroady been made to Mr. Gerald's nvorinnus output of work.' and it is an n Am't.-fliinig fart t t;.:vl none of it fas been done with the aid of a typewriter or from dictation. "I him' written 'ail my work." snvs Mr. Gould, "and T drive ifver Iwudeil a publish,.r a ity-pow.ittoii. manuscript. (h:.- e I wrote a complete novel in I'dM-lc'i da.v--. Iml I have no <lc.sme to repeat tlie ta.-k.''■- | Tit-Ms. I