The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-05-15
/ GO TO SEE JOHN ESTEN COOKE
-arf Bre. Buoo1sr wurrIx, NJ. pa ~

Captain Cooke-not the one who
went three times round the world and
got killed for ,hisf pains-buta a better
inap--for the Yoyager never wrote a
novel in his life, while the mani speak
of has written a ton of novels didn't !
see 40 odd pound of manuscript in, a
chair in his room?l-Captain Cooke,
late of Gen. Jeb. Stuart's staff, lives
near Millwood IL Clarke County, Va.
and l determined to go to. see him. as
witness these lines t,fg y roGf yeiI
But first to digress, or else this article
will not be long enough to please, Oh!
nv eve. the publishers. To digress
then, after the manner of magazine
writers. sit5 a .s. -.ls4,. ..ss..
NV Acquaintance with authors is limi-
ted. Reason why? Because. in the
first place, haven't had the chance to
become acquainted with them. Reason
why! Because tried hard, once or
twice, to be an author myselfand failed !,
ah hideously, egad! Reason enough,
isn't 1T? .r.#
lhe first author l ever saw was an
authoress or female author. lsaw her
at the Springs. Thther she had come
for the benefit of nebody's health bu:
her own. She was upwards of six feet
high. and presented me the appearance
of q preternatural parsnip. with sad,
mildly-yiolet nose and corkscrew,
straw-colored curls. Moreover she was
bony. She wrote poetry, and her name
was--l have forgotten what her name
was. suppose she read much Of her
own poetry; hence her impaired health.
1t was a chalybeate Spring she attend
cd, but, whether the iron penetrated her
soul did not remain to see and proba-
bly shall never, alas know. Her ex-
preston was as gentle as her plan and
elevation would admit of. L trust SIN
cerely that she is married, happy, Stout
er, shorter and less parsnippy. DOCS
When was.a student of medicine In
Philadelphia, i boarded at the Markoe
House, and there saw II. T. Tucker
man. He seemed a silent man, with a
heavy moustache. They told me his
| father was rich. Wherefore / do not
blame him for being an author, though
! he musflhaye lost. in writing, a good
deal of time which mighG have been
| given earnestly to billiards and brandy
toddr. Yet as aforesaid, 1 do not blame
him. Perhaps he blames himself. Who
Ycan.tell? | saw him afterwards at New
port. But neither In Philadelphia nor
lat Newport did he appear to see me-
Srrange man! IknOw am small, but
II kape been seen with the naked eye
across table. You sat opposite me,
Mr. Tuckerman, and just want to
know now why you didu't see me! I'll
tell you why. Because 1 never wrote
n book. Next thing, you'll say you
didn't see this article. Well say It,
You may say it twice, IL you want to.
The next author saw was Duganne.
How the deuce L came to see him, is
ouestion. can't answer it. Perhaps
he crossec the field of my vision. Ii
was in New York, ID or 10 years ago
khat saw him and spent the best part
Of day with him at his lodgings =
Fhink we dined together. Won't be
certain. for homo eddr rer,na and tenpu:
stiaces even dinners. All remember
distinctly is this: Duganne translated
oti,un cun..diqnitate. 'soh pshaw come dis
nv 'taters;1 Which though funny, ant
an evidence of funaduiterated genius
What do yo,s think of it? Since tha
Hateful day, I have never seen Dugannc
have suffered, but have borne my suf
Iferings like man. hope his poetry
llcontinres- to please him. trust he Il
lirich. If nc Is, 7 will thank him to sent
me one hundred dollars on clear
i pIate. If he is not rich, I'll take thu
| money and he may Keep the plate. Fol
i [ do not wisn to be exacting.
-'rhc fourth author Isaw was J ohm X
| Thompson. He came to our town e
attend wedding, Was .groomsman, !
| | mistake not. He was elegantly dress
ed, had an intellectual face,.a .splendi,
beard and wore pumps. Knowing nm
to be An author, / followed him furtive
ly into the supper room, and observe'
with dismay that he ate only two slice
of tongue and slipped a glass OF sherry
Whereas j. B. {not my friend Jane
Buchanan) and myself devoured a tur
key between us, drank two bottles
champagne, stole two more, carriei
them home with us and drank then
there. "Two slices of tongue and q sil
of sherry, and at wedding!" we cried
as we stared at each other III vacuou
agony of jncomprehenslon, ana deter
mined never, never! to be authors;
The fifth author saw was the suoJec
of this sketch. Happening to be il
Richmond in the year - eXpresSe
n desire to see the author OF the "Vir
ginia Comedians" whose name wa
then in every mouth. BAD LOT Tn
mouths but worse lor the name /; ~, =
at once offered to crafty me: In
"young and growing" author taberna
cied then in very small room on III
street, not far from my hotel, the a
merican, and II am free to say" or,
you prefer it, ''frank to confess" that
felt a knock -kneed sense OF awe stea
: under me as l took off my hat to tn
great man in his little room. The grea
, man-such he was really to me ther
and suchhe will be to you, Reader,
he is not now-received me very grs
i. ciously, and | went away much pleaset
$ but with the secret purpose otwrltllI
L | n nnvel one dav IL couldn't give MOI