Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-10-12
NOTES AND QUERIES.


some confessions of this Notary, or some hints
rather, that he is big with the yet crude mate
rails of a book. To be possessed of an ides
involves the some time expression of that ides
or if not its expression, the hurtful results
of suppression and repression,-like the
drowning of ones young loves, the nipping Of
ones poetical fancies in the bud, or prema-
ture weaving from the maternal fount. Ii
has been given out in these Ms and Q's that
their editor had been wrestling with the en-
bryonate idea of work on Toads, the same
to be, in subtle way, something satirical-a
feeble reflection of the sort of thing drifted at
in Carlyles Sartor Resartus. Also, there have
been other hints of bookish things in the essay
line, fancies evolved from contemplation of
the near surroundings which enfold this In
quisitor something dimly limiting at men S
habits and women's propensities; treatise
on the frailties, foibles and framework OF
possible human society, in fact. Now who
knows what all this uneasiness of mind may
not bring forth. If spider may weave his
curious structure out of his own physical re-
sources why may not professional scribbler
finally gather together of his scraps and
sketches and compound mixture which shall
not only have flavor of its own but find a
place among things readable and literary-like!
Thackeray, the Master, wrote Vanity Fair
and styled it a Novel without a Hero. He
left his fascinated readers to find out that it
was novel with very emphatic heroine in
the person of Becky Sharp. 1t is the best as
sortment of abstract gossip in the world. But
mind the width of his field He had all Eng
land, as seen through the million eyes of all
London, to CLEAN from. Now suppose that
when these heterogeneous fancies and vague
gimpses and hitherto unsystematised scraps
and notions find themselves crystalizing, they
should assume the odd colors and fantastic
shapes of Society Novel, with deep, dark
hints, tortuous intrigues, far reaching matri-
monial plans, neighborhood rivalries, family |
jealousies, scrambles for first places, aspira-
cesses and reverses, ups and downs, plans per-
fected and plans frustrated, skeletons in |
closets, etcetera and so on, suppose this |
tumble Annotator should evolve such piece |
of composition work as that, what would come
of it 2 Would it "take,' we wonder2 Suppose
such a work were issued bearing the title of
The Inexorable Aunt, or the female Avuncu-
lar Relative with the Napoleonic head and the
Luciferean Ambition would there be any
uncharitable eyes ready to see likeness to
somebody in the very title2 Or suppose this
vet uniformed project were to assume the
shape of The Man and his Destiny-the man
being wealthy heir and his Destiny being
keen, weasle-eyed young woman with liking
to his dollars and an appetite to handle the
same-a faint reflection of Becky Sharp, in
fact. As one followed the fortunes of this
Young man and saw him led on and on toward
the social maelstrom which should fetch him
up at length, would there be any observant
faculties which should detect the objects por-
trayed and VOW their knowledge of the ''sit-
ters." When Dickens lmned his genre pic
ture of The Cheeryble Brothers he took his =,
models from actual London life his Wilkins
is a caricature of his father, while
he himself is David Copperfeld. A real no.
bleman sat for Thackerays Marquis of Steyne;
Disraei took the Marquis of Butte for the lay
igure of his Lothian; and Charles Lever q
OWNS up that his Father LOTUS, his Mickey u
Free aud many of his other characters are
lrawn from life. Then why not this Aunt, 1
his Man and his Destiny, or this What You
4ike-why might they not be the result of
ONE crude sketching, some amateur portray
Is, some utilizing of the raw materials which Sc
lie on ones every side2 Let US imagine our $,
title city the centering place of SO much of al
ocial Importance as naturally finds lodgment fc
n Capital town. 1t is quite in the ordinary Il
rider of things that this community should al
ave its factions and it's heads of factions, it's
ivalries and its feuds, it's prosperous ventures n,
nd its disastrous reverses. And it is not an IT
unnatural conception or assumption that 81
here should be an acknowledged place of So m
ial prominence in such community dear to o,
he female heart, besought on the female A
kirmish- line, striven for, longed for, now to
on, now lost, now falling into queen-like r
ands, now sceptered by incompetency and sb
fensiveness. Woven in and out among the W
arp and wool of this fabric might here and no
lere be seen the colors of local politics, the ~,
ID stains of ambition, the green tints of jeal We