The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1873-10-09

ole outfit. He will bear watchins.-Lar-
renee journal.
The main topic Of talk last Sunday, in
Monticello, was, the poisoning of T. N.
ssilwell's family through eating meat fried |
in an ointment composed of lard and james. |
town weed, eupposing it to be pure lard. |
The family at last accounts were doing we'll.
Eight candidates for sheriff have al
ready made their appearance in johnson
county.
Greeting 81 Wilhie Coslias-Reeepsien
ae the Los0s Clab, New Y0Fk.
From the New York TribuneI
The parlors of the Lotos Clubhouse were
crowded on Saturday night with members Of
the Club and prominent representatives. of
literature, art, and the drama to extend a
welcome to Mr.. Wilkie Collins upon the &C.
casion of his first visit to this country.
Among those present were DR.. Z. II. Chaplin,
MsjCr-General Irwin Mcdowell, John G.
SAKE, Bret Harte, Signor Salvini, John Gil
bert, Dirtrict Attorney B. K. Phelps, Prof
Youmans, Edmund C. Ssedman, r. H.
Stoddard. Ivory Chamberlain, and Hon.
Robert Z. Roosevelt, Charles Bradlaugh, d.
G. Croly, Jerome B. Stillson, Signor Ales-
sandro Salvini, Sienor Campanini, DR.. S.
Sexton, DIR. Charles Inslee Pardee. J. Blair
Scribner, T. Addison Richards, 8. S. Con-
ant, William A. Seaver, Col. Fl. s. Olcott,
T. A. kennett, Jr., and many others. On
the walls Of the Clubhouse was hung fine
display of pictures BY S. s. Clifford, Story,
TAFT, Lsfarge, Bispham, G. II. Miller. W.
H. Beard, s. CoIman, Moron, William Hart,
Wust, Matt. Morgan, DolPh. Burling, Jas.
Thorn, Piquet, Lumley, and Baldwin, most
of whom are members Of the club.
About 10 p. m. Mr.. Collins was presented
to the Club BY the President, Mr.. Whitelaw
Reid, who said:
GENTLEMEN OF THE LOTOs: We have
met, tonight. to greet . visitor from the
other side-of whom nothing is known to ms
but his face. May he give us long and fire.
Quent opportunity for better acquaintance
with that!
am sure there il no member of this Club
80 largely composed Of literary men, art
| ists, and actors-who does not join from the
heart in the cordial welcome to our guest
which you have made it my pleasant duty
to pronounce. [Applause. He has high
title to the regard TO each Of these classes
to that of artists by Inheritance, to that of
literary men and actors BY unsurpassed SER
vice to the professions of both. Thackeray
once closed q charming paper on an Ameri-
can author with the words which we may
ftly take up and apply in turn to our Eng.
lish gnest. at has been his fortunate lot 10
give great happiness and delight to the world,
which thanks him in return with an i'm
mense kindness. respect, affection" lap
plause. And Thackeray's great companion
in the work and fame-our guests name is a
familiar association with his, in America,
| for We had come to prize him as the friend
and literary associate of Charles DicFers
even before We had learned to honor him
yet more for his own sake. He comes to US
as Dickens came-to he the Interpreter of his
own works. Applause.l He will find no
quarter of this continent where they have
not preceded him-[ Applanse nome where
they do not secure for him that sincere and
hearty welcome which il merely the privi-
lege OF the Lotoe to be the frat in America
to extend. Gentlemen, have the pleasure
and the honor to present TO you Mr.. Wilkie
Collins.
REsPONsE OF wILKIE COLLINS.
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN.-
Many years ago-more years than now
quite like to reckon-I was visiting Sorrento,
in the Bay of Naples, with my father,
mother and brothers. as a boy of IL. At
that time of my life. was an Unsuitable
reader of that order OF books for which heavy
people have invented the name of light liter
AZURE. Laughter.l In due course of time
l exhausted the modest resources of the Ii
brary which we had brought to Naples, and
found myself faced with the necessity of
borrowing from the resources of our fellow
travellers, summer residents of Sorrento like
ourselves. Among them was a certain coun.
tryman of yours, very tall, very lean. very
silent, and very melancholy. In what cir
cumstances the melancholy of this gentleman
took its rise am not able to tell you. The
ladies thought it was disappointment in
love. The men attributed it to a
| cause infinitely more serious than
that, mean Indigestion. Whether
he suffered in heart or whether he suffered in
stomach, l took, remember. a boys un-
reasonable fancy to him, passing over dozens
Of other people, apparently far more accept
able than he was. ventured to look up to
the tall American-it was a long way to
look up-and said in a trembling voice,
''Can you lend me a book to read 20 He
looked down to met was long way down
and said 81 have got but two amusing
hooks. One of them is the ''Sorrows OF
Werter," and the other is the Sentimental
Journey" Laughter1 You are heartily
welcome to both Of these books. Take them
home and when yOu have read them, bring
them back and dine with me and tell me
what you think of them" I took them
home and read them and told him what /
thought of them much more freely than
would now. And last, not least, / had an
excellent dinner, crowned with a cake,
which was an epoch in my youthful exist.
ence and which may say lives gratefully
and greasily in my memory to the present
day. Applause.
Now, Mr.. President and gentlemen, ven-
ture to tell you this for one reason. 1t
marks my first experience Of American kind
ness and American hospitality. In many
different ways, this early expression of your
kindness and hospitality has mingled in my
after life, now in England, now in the Con-
tinent, until il has eliminated in this mag
ni6cent reception from the Lotos Club. /
am not only gratifed but touched by the
manner in which you have greeted me, and
the cordially with which the remarks of
your President have been received. ! ven
ture to say that see in this reception some
thing more than a recognition of my humble
labors only. think l zee recognition of
English literature, liberal spontaneous and
sincere, which, think, is an honor to you,
az we'll az an honor to me. In the name of
English literature, beg gratefully 10 thank
you. On my own behalf, l beg to assure
you that I shall not coon forget the encour-
agement you have offered to me at the out
ret of my career in America. Permit me to
remind you that I am now speaking the
language of sincere gratitude, and that is ca
.entially q language of very few words.
rApplause.J
IT vas little singular that the German
noveli-t, Clara Mundt, better known BY her
pseudonym, L. Muehlbach. was first intro
duoed TO American readers within the
bounds of the Southern Confederacy. Her
Joseph ii. was translated by Mobile lady
during the var Of the rebellion. "A the
South was cut of from the Northern book
market, the work had a very extensive sale
and great popularity. 1t. lie perhaps the
most interesting Of her many historical ro-
names. nof from, the al i'll of the writer hrlt