Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-12-06

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MALF AN BspA Az fapNNxsIDK
"a 4 yisis - WaskfnSfea HSfns,
lGbm ne IEd<pend<St November sith.l j =.
I1halfss hess one day lest weak al Sun-
nyS rosid eD5e II Washington Irving.
saed San hour ought 70 haze been ons q tks
plsssAnteat In ons' slifs = andL - Il was! he
pleasure ssgsn bsssre rsaehing tie doorstep,
sssocisaiosso of ths pssos-fss visit to eunsy-
Theqesiss. srets.q qas oia dssiilnk, ~ish its
old fashioned ssbise. stood a. solemn And sleepy
snong the tsees as II IL bad been built TO per-
sseats old ZIP Van winkle st his nap The
grosnds vers covered with brown and yellow
nink nd rusffing among them, as II pretend
ing % be the frue rsd-brsast that laid the
leaves over the babes in the wood. xsss -
The morning hsd been rainy, and the sftsr-
noon showed only few momentAry openings
Of clear SKY; 90 that l saw sannysids wishost
was something aws-inspiring In the sonbrs
view Of those grand hills with their msny-col-
ored forests, and Of Hendrix Hudson's ancient
river ssill flowing 1t the feet Of the ancient
palisades. .sassi I
Fhe msnsiou Of Sunnyside has been standing
for s.snty.,hIss yssIs; ess whom. first its
the brsnehss Of the old woods, the region Was
far more solitude than now; for st that time
our busy sufhor had secluded himself from
almost everybody bat tone near neighbor; while
be has since unwittingly gathered around him
littls community Of New York merchants,
.s whoss elegant country seats, opening into each
looks like oAs vast and free estate, called on
tie timetables Of the railroad by the honorAry
name Of Irvingtcn. Bat even while In the grow
ING eircie of his many neighbsrs, the gsnial
Old KnicksrbScksr stfll lives In tree retire.
msn1 entertaining his guests within echo dis
almost withoss knowlsdgs,.. ass Sc, 'aIRlt
ss.t ree ass--how che ereaf world tas li sa4s
lSsss 80 - IspraIsing him fsr oa.v 49, 80 -. 2
He withdrew year ago from all literary la
Dor, and is nov speading The close Of bis life
N yeficsarned and iong-needed repogeL-1'SD
Mr.. Irving u not % old1eoking a. one would
expect who knew his age. fancied him a In
the yintsr Of life; found him only In its In
dian summer, He came down stairs md walked
through The hall into the back parior, with 9
ffn sud lively step that might vea have made
one doubt whether he had truly attained his
seventy y-ssssnth. He was suffering from
asthma, and vss mufaed sgsinst the damp air
With Scotch shawl, wrapped like q great
loose sca6 around bis neck, but as be took his
seat In the old arm-chair, and, despite his
hoarsensss and troubled chest, began an mex
psetsd vivacious conversation, he made me al
long past his three score years and ten . Il
Bat what should one talk about who hid
only half An honr with Washington Irving :
lventured the question ~ q Il a asstsss - +
Nov that you have laid aside yoar pen,
which Of your books do you look back npon
He ilsnsdiatsiy replied, az scarcely look
with sstisfaetion upon any; for they do not
seem What they might haze been; often wish
that could have twenty years more, 10 take
them edesn from the she'll, one by one. and
Hs, Lpeks of his daily habit. Of writing. be-
mora. 4 HIS ssual honrs Cor literary work vsrs
morning till noon. But, although he had gen
eroiiy found his mind most Vigorous In the
early part Of the day, be had aIwnys been sub
jeet to moods and caprices, and never cosld
isii, when be took mp the pen, how many hours
would pas before he would hay IL down. 80
-.But, said be, stisss capricioas periods, Of
the beat and glow Of composition, have been
he hsppiest hours Of my life I hsve never
f9and, ia anyt thing outside Of the four xslls Of
my stndy, aay eDjsyment equal TO sitting at
ny writing desk with clean page, new
theme, and mind awake. y -
His literary enaploymsnfs, he remarked, had
always bsea more Ike entertainments than
tASks-l1 So l-rA ssi7a.t1 - suftTsa3 - a91s3
:" SOME writers, % said he, % sppssrs 10 have
been Independents Of moods. SirWalter Scott
for inssane:, bad great power Of writing, and
could work slmost At any time; socould Crabbe,
crsbbe never wrote we'll al remember %
said he, taking breakfast one morning with
Rogers, Moore and Crxbbe;l the conversation
turned on. Lord Byron o poetic moods; Crabbe
said that, however IL might be with Lord By
ron, % for himself he eoald write q vsll one
tine - At another " But, said Iryipg,
yith . twinkIe Of hunor st rscsIiine the incss
dsnf, q orsbbs has written 8 great deal that
bobod = eau read. . s a, 20 = . = III -
He nsntionsd that while living in ihss P.ris be
wsnt long psrfod xifh01f 6sfng AhIs %
write: at doyp ppeetsdly >, ?, said he,
" xith pen and ink, bat could invent nothiag
worth putting On TIE pspsr.@ Al length I told
Iaeniny. thai now, ssssr hong W.T. ing, i had
the mood, aud uosid hold It, and s,ork Il ort
- long e IL wsol4 LAST, unfil had urunx ny
brain dry. 80 began 70 write shortly Sftsr
brsakfsst and eoufinnsd, Without notioina how
The time VAS Passins, ustii Moore cane in
eomplstsly covered the table With freahly wit
ten shssts.s kept the nood almost without
intssrsption Sog 'Ax wssks,'4 s.sss - III
i asksd which of bis books vss the result Of
ht frenzy; he replied q Brscebridge Hal.
ssss ss.sa|ss q yssf ,sss ss.t ss.si.ss
Yet that Has HEitten,n said he, steven
nore rapidly than The othsr.n He then sdded:
when have bssn engaged on continnous
uerk, hays oflen been obiiged to rise in the
middle of the night light my lamp, snd write
IN bour or two q relieve ny mind; and nov
thst write no more am soustfuss compelled
70 get up ~ ~ same vay 70 read ~ : = 49,
soosdmss, also, - the Last IdlsWsll letters
nsntious, b gsfs up 70 shsvs! - st'N 80 q
20 Whsn I was In Spsin,' hs remark a. !.
.sssrshing the eld chronieiss, and ensassd %
the Life of fCoIumbas, I often vrots foSrfSsn o.
ffteen bours out Of the twenty -four % % 3
He sid hal Eksnsysr h had forced kis
niDd psuiuInsay to wegk The pseduss wa
vsrtkiass snd = sinvasisbly threw it awsy snd
bs<ah sssfn; Al6r, !" . be obssrvsd. ssan sssey
osekePssr thst hss beea oaly hannsrsd ont 6
sslao9 god for snythine An anthor's rieRe
dp6p verk q vhsn BE nind Is aeIsw-uksn
he Einaxtnafion b kisdled7 stkcss ere his
prse>ons hsnenfs; lst him uait tn day come;
bat phse -! hsys cons Ist Nm 1aks tks
nost of them. AEeS
0IrsfsFrsd 70 Ms last snd greatest vork k-~-ths
Lfsef Wa<kinE1oo- asked 10 ~ f6le, @
s1lshisg n, say sueb sensation - 0fbboeh b:
sid . have sxpsrieneed over Ne lest sheet ef
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