▁ ▁C ule ▁gave ▁this ▁brief ▁account ▁of ▁his ▁early ▁literary ▁career : ▁" I ▁came ▁to ▁take ▁to ▁writing , ▁I ▁believe , ▁because ▁of ▁my ▁ins ati able ▁love ▁of ▁reading , ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁result , ▁also , ▁of ▁my ▁adm iration ▁for ▁everybody ▁who ▁wrote ▁books ▁I ▁liked . ▁I ▁was ▁intended ▁for ▁commercial ▁work , ▁and ▁made ▁one ▁or ▁two ▁attempts ▁in ▁that ▁direction , ▁writing ▁all ▁the ▁while ▁in ▁my ▁le is ure ▁time . ▁My ▁first ▁efforts , ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁six teen ▁or ▁so , ▁were ▁made ▁in ▁the ▁" Liter ary ▁Olympic " ▁of ▁Young ▁Fol k ' s ▁P aper . ▁This ▁was ▁a ▁page ▁where ▁young ▁authors ▁might ▁exercise ▁their ▁energ ies ▁and ▁among ▁my ▁compan ions ▁at ▁that ▁time , ▁but ▁far ▁before ▁me , ▁were ▁two ▁whose ▁names ▁are ▁better ▁known ▁now , ▁Mr ▁R . ▁Murray ▁Gil ch rist ▁and ▁Mr ▁A . ▁J . ▁Ad cock . ▁My ▁first ▁prof itable ▁vent ure ▁was ▁made ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 2 , ▁when ▁Mr ▁Edward ▁Step ▁( now ▁literary ▁advis er ▁to ▁F . ▁War ne ▁and ▁Company ) ▁accepted ▁one ▁of ▁my ▁stories ▁for ▁a ▁boy ' s ▁magazine . ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 4 ▁one ▁of ▁my ▁stories ▁went ▁to ▁Mr ▁Andrew ▁Mel rose , ▁manager ▁of ▁the ▁Sunday ▁School ▁Union ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁through ▁his ▁kind ness ▁of ▁suggestion ▁and ▁encourag ement ▁that ▁most ▁of ▁my ▁work ▁has ▁been ▁done ▁since . ▁In