Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-12-10

eittiuS III tu6 RAIN, MaCTOu0 o6K00 mo 70
dismount with him. followed by long
flight Of stairs to an upper story, and was
ushered into an uncarpeted and bleak.
looking room, with deal table, two or
three chairs and few books, small boy
and Mr.. Dickens for the contents. was
only struck at first with one thing land 1
made memorandum of it that evening In
the strongest instance had seen Of Eng.
lish obsequiuess to employers), the de.
gree to which the poor author was over
powered with the honor of his publishers
visit! remember saying, to myself as I
sat down on rickety chair, "My good
fellow, if you were 10 America with that
one face and your ready quill, you would
have no need to be condescended to BY a
publisher" Dickens was dressed very
much as he has since described Dick Swiv.
eiler-mixxs the swell look His hair was
cropped close to his head, his clothes scant,
though jauntily cut; and after changing q
ragged Office coat for shabby blue, he stood
by the door, collarless and buttoned up,
! the very personidcation I thought Of q
close sailor to the wind"
PIcKwfCK NOT AT FIRST SUCCESSFUL.
Mr.. James Grant says: For the first
fvc months Of its existence Mr.. Dickens
first serial, the Pickwick Papers," was a
signal failure, Notwithstanding the fact that
Charles Tilt, at that time a publisher of
considerable emiuence, made extraordinary
exertions. out of friendship for Messrs.
Chapman & Hall, to insure it success. He
sent out, on what he called sale or return,
to all parts of the provinces, no fewer than
fifteen hundred copies of each of tho first
five parts. This gave the Pickwick Pa.
pers" very extensive publicity, yet Mr.
Tits only result was the average sale of
| fifty copies Of each Of the FIVE parts. "A
certain number of copies sold, Of course,
through other channels, but, commercially,
the publication was decided failure. The
question was debated by the publishers
whether they ought not to discontinue the
publication Of the serial. But just while
the matter was the consideration, Sam.
Weller, who had been introduced in the
previous number, began to attract great
attention and to call forth much admiration.
The press was all but unanimous in prais.
ing Samivel as an entirely original charac-
have created; and all Of sudden, in con.
sequence of Samivel's popularity, the
Pickwick Papers" rose to an uuhcard Of
popularity"
MRS. DICKENS.
When he was still editor of BenAy's
Miscellany, and enjoying fruitage of fame,
with liberal share Of the substantial re-
suit which, in his case, so quickly fell into
his lap, Charles Dickens was 'Benedick
the marrisd man. The lady of his choice
was daughter of Mr.. George Hogarth. a
Scottish lawyer who had the rare good for
tune of having been the friend and adviser
Of the two greatest writers of prose fiction
his native and his adopted land had pro-
duced-Walter SCOTT and Charles Dickens.
He was born in Scotland, in tho far-off
time, when the Great Unknown was a
puny child; was q writer of the Signet,
before the present century began acted
as Scott's confidential adviser, lawyer and
friend, in the terrible year 1926, when the
compound failure Of his Edinburg and
London publishers caused the ruin Of the
Lord of Abbotsford; afterwards became
Charles Dickens father.in.la and died at
very advanced age, only a few months
ago. His sister was married to Mr.. James
Ballantyne, the printer, SCOTS lifelong
friend, aud on their death, feeling that the
ties which connected him with Scotland
were weakened, almost severed, he went
to London, where, his practical and theo-
retical knowledge Of music being great, he
wrote several excellent works on the sub
ject. '4
"The original preface to The Pickwick
Papers contained this paragraph The
following pages have been written from
time to time, almost as the periodical oc.
casion arose. Having been written for the
most part in the society of very dear
friend who is now no more, they are con-
nected in the authors miud At once with
the happiest period Of his life and with its
saddest and most severe afaiction.'
"This refers to melancholy event.
Mr.. Dickens was sitting after dinner with
his wife, her two sisters, Mr.. John Foster
aud Daniel Maclise, the artist, Miss Fanny
Hogarth, who was older than her sister
Georgina, was engaged to Maclise. The
whole party were on the point Of going to
tho theatre, to see Macready perform. Sud-
denly Miss Fanny Hogarth fell back in her
chair. and died, almost instantly, Of heart
disease. This heavy and unexpected blow
had such an effect upon Dickens that the
publication Of the serial which he was
then writing was suspended for a month,
public notice being given that this was
caused by q severe domestic afaiotion,
which had totally prostrated tho author
for time"
THE ORIGINAL OF SAM WELLER.
"I believe that Old Weller was drawn
from an original, who used to work q
stage-coach between London aud Ports.
mouth, aud had brother on the same line.
They passed by each other every day for
many years without any opportunity Of OK.
changing Words mutual smile and
knowing elevation Of tho whip elbow BE-