102 Life and Times of " The Druid" 



It will be found in the next chapter that 

 Henry Dixon's first "copy" was sent to 

 Bell's Life when its writer was a Rugby 

 boy, aged seventeen years, but he began his 

 real literary career first as contributor, and 

 secondly as editor of the Doncaster Gazette, 

 with which " Martingale " had been con- 

 nected for many years. Before long it be- 

 came generally known that " The Druid " 

 was wasting his precious time in writing on 

 sporting topics, and when in addition he ven- 

 tured upon a few verses, it drew down upon 

 him the serious displeasure of his father, 

 whose feelings were akin to those of Frank 

 Osbaldistone's parents in Sir Walter Scott's 

 novel of " Rob Roy," when they found that 

 the son whom they had sent to Bordeaux to 

 familiarise himself with commercial details 

 and study book-keeping by double entry, 

 was gradually assuming the similitude of 



" A clerk condemned his father's soul to cross, 

 Who penned a stanza when he should engross." 



Henry Dixon had been sent to Doncaster 

 to mug at the law, and lo and behold ! he 

 was settling down into a Turf writer. The 

 affection between his father and him knew 



