A Midnight Fantasy

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) was an American poet, novelist, traveler, and editor. His father’s death in 1849 compelled Aldrich to abandon the idea of college and he entered his uncle’s business office in New York at age 16 in 1852. Here he soon became a constant contributor to the newspapers and magazines. From 1856 to 1859 he was on the staff of the Home Journal and during the Civil War was editor of the New York Illustrated News. Meanwhile Aldrich had written much, both in prose and vers