A Hazard of New Fortunes — Volume 4

In a bustling Boston office, a modest literary venture called Every Other Week has just begun to gather praise, and its restless manager, Fulkerson, is already scheming a celebration. He summons the publisher, Dryfoos, and the editor, March, to pitch a lavish dinner that would turn a modest triumph into a headline‑making spectacle. Their conversation crackles with the clash of personalities: the cautious Dryfoos, the hesitant March, and the unabashedly ambitious Fulkerson, who sees publicity as the lifeblood of his fledgling periodical.

Fulkerson’s plan is both grand and oddly specific—an extravagant banquet for a hundred prominent guests, designed to cement the magazine’s reputation and silence any whispers of financial insecurity. He argues that linking the publication to the publisher’s own storied past will capture the public’s imagination, while the others weigh the risks of such a bold display. The scene sets a vivid portrait of early‑20th‑century literary ambition, where ideas, ego, and the promise of fame swirl together over the prospect of a single, unforgettable dinner.