I didn't know the first thing about the newspaper game, but I was confident I'd get ten dollars for my article.
But I didn't.

The first San Francisco newspaper to which I mailed it never acknowledged receipt of the manuscript, but held on to it.

The longer it held on to it the more certain I was that the thing was accepted.
And here is the funny thing.

Some are born to fortune, and some have fortune thrust upon them.

But in my case I was clubbed into fortune, and bitter necessity wielded the club.