One very active friend, who had guarantied me fifty himself, had but three names to his list; and another, who said I might set him down for a hundred, had not been able to do any thing, and, moreover, declined taking the paper himself, on the plea that he already took more magazines and newspapers than he could read or afford to pay for.  Others gave as a reason for the little they had done, the want of a specimen number, and encouraged me with the assurance, that as soon as the paper appeared, there would be a perfect rush of subscribers.

In due time, the first number appeared, and a very attractive sheet it was—­in my eyes.  I took the first copy that came from the press, and, sitting down in my office, looked it over with a feeling of paternal pride, never before or since experienced.  A more beautiful object, or rather one that it gave me more delight to view, had never been presented to my vision.  If doubt had come in to disturb me, it all vanished now.  To see the “Gazette and Reflex” would be enough.  The two hundred “good names” on my list were felt to be ample for a start.  Each copy circulated among those would bring from one to a dozen new subscribers.  I regretted exceedingly that the type of the first form of the paper had been distributed.  Had this not been the case, I would have ordered an additional thousand to be added to the three thousand with which I commenced my enterprise.

Saturday was the regular publication day of the paper, but I issued it on the preceding Wednesday.  That is, served it to my two hundred subscribers and had it distributed to the daily press.  With what eagerness did I look over the papers on Thursday morning, to see the glowing notices of my beautiful “Gazette and Reflex.”  I opened the first one that came to hand, glanced down column after column, but not a word about me or mine was there!  A keener sense of disappointment I have never experienced.  I took up another, and the first words that met my eyes were: 

“We have received the first number of a new weekly paper started in this city, entitled the ‘Literary Gazette and Weekly Reflex.’  It is neat, and appears to be conducted with ability.  It will, no doubt, receive a good share of patronage.”

I threw aside the paper with an angry exclamation, and forthwith set the editor down as a jealous churl.  In one or two other newspapers I found more extended and better notices; but they all fell so far short of the real merits of my bantling, that I was sadly vexed and disheartened.  To have my advent announced so coldly and ungraciously, hurt me exceedingly.  Still, I expected the mere announcement to bring a crowd of subscribers to my office; but, alas! only three presented themselves during the day.  Generously enough, they paid down for the paper in advance, thus giving me six dollars, the first income from my new enterprise and the earnest of thousands that were soon to begin pouring in like a never-failing stream.