I had long since abandoned all thought of writing as a career.

My honest intention in writing that article was to earn ten dollars.

And that was the limit of my intention.
It would help to tide me along until I got steady employment.

Had a vacancy occurred in the post office at that time, I should have jumped at it.
But the vacancy did not occur, nor did a steady job; and I employed the time between odd jobs with writing a twenty-one-thousand-word serial for the "Youth's Companion." I turned it out and typed it in seven days.

I fancy that was what was the matter with it, for it came back.
It took some time for it to go and come, and in the meantime I tried my hand at short stories.