Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-25

immense circulation, it was Obliged
to print two weeks before date of
publication, while the smaller papers
could wait until the last moment and
then get the story to their smaller
number Of readers
And how did you test the mat
ter ?
I'm this way. When | went to
England L left with Mr.. Bonner the
manuscript of 0rville De Vile and
it was published simultaneously in the
Ledger and Court journal. After
reaching England | rewrote the latter
half Of the book, and it came out in
the journal, copyright secured. also
sent it to Mr., Bonner. Two papers in
America were reprinting the story
each week. Just as they began pub
fishing those chapters written in Eng
land, we served an injunction on them,
stopped the sale of two editions, and
prohibited the sale by booksellers.
They sued us for damages, and it
went into chaneery and kept me in
England three years. | could, Of
course, have come away by giving
bonds for my return, but it would
have neoessitated the tedious and ex-
pensive voyage for myself and my
children, so | stayed"
And the suitP"
"Was finally decided against us at
the last moment"
You must have met many pleasant
people?
II knew Lady Byron intimately.
She was my most intimate friend, and
a most estimable woman. Mrs. Stowe
gave me a letter of introduction to
her."
please give us a vignette of Lady
Byron"
"a full-length portrait, if you wish,
some other time. | also knew James
Martineau, who, with his wife, | met
in their London parsonage. A tall,
spare man, with a plain, but strong
face, much like the portraits of his
sister. Of this sister, by the way. he
was at that time quite solicitous. Har-
riet Martineau had just published her
celebrated Letters and her brother,
who had reviewed them severely,
much distressed by their tone of in
fidelity, said he would like to give me
a letter of introduction to her, but
hat his sister was indisposed in mind
as well as in body. | did not meet
her. | saw Arthur Helps, but not Of
ten he was a busy man. And | have
pleasant recollections of Charles King
sley. | knew John Howard Payne,
and | remember his saying one day
that the author Of Home, Sweet
Home never had had a home since
his boyhood. He told me how one
day in Berlin he heard a woman sing
ing that song, his song, and how he
was wandering there homeless. In
all the principal cities of Europe, and
in all languages, he had listened to it.
He lies buried at Algiers now. He
was an old man then, tall, and fair,
with clear blue eyes and silver hair
and beard"
"Whatnovels didyOu write in Eng
land?"
"'0rville de Vile Rose Elmer
aud Allworth Abbey"
"And in writing a novel what is
your method Of work p
81 write almost continuously. /
live in it; it is almost with difficulty
that | take my attention away from
my story to other things. Sometimes,
however, there are days and weeks
when l cannot write, and | have also
my fortunate moods"
In the pleasant library, three sides
Of which were walls of books, Mrs.
Southworth produced from a drawer
| petite books, in fine print, the Ger
man, French and Spanish translations
From the publication of her first
story proof sheets have always been in
demand for translation.
When did you come home from
England?" asked the reporter.
I'm 1862. We had started fol
home, and one morning as my daughter
and / sat at the breakfast table al
MacGregor's Hotel, Stirling, we took
up the Times and read Russells sen.
sational head lines of the fall of Sum.
ter. | could not believe it. TO me
as to most Americans abroad, the wal
seemed strangely unreal and impossi.
bic. 1t will soon be over, we thought,
until we came home, just after The
second battle of Bull Run, and, help.
ing to care for wounded soldiers in the
hospitals, met it face to face. 1t was
real enough then"
And what did English people
think ?"
That depended entirely on wheth
er they were liberal OF not. A certain
class Of English always were certain
to express great interest in the anti
slavery movement, and hoped for tn,
abolition Of slavery. The Duchess 0
Sutherland, whom | visited in London
was much interested in that. One da,
at Brighton, just before leaving Eng
land, we we're at a little dinner part.
where we're four gentlemen belongin.
to English newspapers. The Take,
turned on American politics, and the.
declared hat within so many days tn
coast would be blockaded, and the in
%solent Republic brought to its knees
III was the only American there
What I | said, will you conquer u
a third time? After having so com
pletely conquered us in the Revolution
and exterminated us in 1872, are yol
going TO annihilate us again ?
you must have seen many change
in Washington p
Yes | remember when the Tibe
~-so-called after the capitol was bull
a deep rayine, running down t
the river when Pennsylvania ayenu
was a mud road with poor and narrov
brick sidewalks, and a two-story hOus
was a building Of great pretension.
have witnessed many social changes a
well. And indeed. as / said before.