The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-12-06

found secret. And little later he wrote Seven Tales of My Native Land," which his sister says contained much more ot his peculiar genius than "Fansh .we." but they never found publisher, and he burned them. He was now entered upon that period of seclusion in the haunted chamber at Salem, from which he cc- casionally sent forth short allegorical tale into the world, obtaining some recog- milton, but yet remaining, as he said him. self, "the obscurest man of letters in America" As evidence that he was not entirely unappreciated we have letter from s. G. Goodrich offering him $35 for i" The Gentle Boy," and speaking ot the uncommon merit of his tales. s. Gaylord Clark wrote of The Fountain of Youth D: |" have rarely read anything which delighted me more."
 During this period of his life, when his short stories were much read and ad- mired, but his name almost unknown, he received many encouraging letters from Horatio Bridge, his old college friend, urging him to collect his anonymous children into a book and put his name on the title page. There is an amusing epstle from Jonathan Cilley, twelve years after being graduated, in regard to an old college wager of barrel of Madeira to be given the man unmarried at the end ot that period. He says: "Now, in- deed, you are writer of great repute and soon to be the author of book. did not mistake your vein in that particu- lar if 1 did in the matrimonial. Damn that barrel of old Madeira; who cares if have lost it If ouly you and Frank Pierce, and Joe Drummer, and Sam Boyd, and Bridge, and Bill Hale were together with me, we would have regular drunk, as my chum in college used to call it, on that same barrel of wine. What sort of book have you written, Hath hope and pray it is nothing Ike the damned ranting stuff of ohm Neal which you while at Brunswick relished so highly"
 Horatio Bridge about the same time writes: "I doubt whether you ever get your wine from Cilley. His inquiring of you whether he had really lost the bet is suspicious. And so Frank Pierce is elected senator. There is an instance of what man can do for himself by try i" With no very remarkable talents, l AC oS tAC ohC OI Shltty-iOuL, nllS OnC OI the highest stations in the nation. He is a good fellow, and rejoice at his suc- cess"
 When Hawthorne was about thirty-four years of age an incident, ludicrous and yet serious in its results, occurred, detailed narrative of which is given in the biogra- phy. Among the best circles of Salem was young and accomplished coquette, here called Mary, who, hearing through a gentleman of his handsome and mys- terious friend the young author, Ma thanial Hawthorne, determined to add him to the list of her victims. By we'll planned devices she gained his confi- dence, and at length as test of his sincerity "presented him with the start ling information that his friend Louis had been guilty of an attempt to practise the basest treachery upon her; and she passionately adjured Hawthorne to cham pion her cause" The result was that he challenged Louis to fight duel. The latter, however, was cognizant of Mary's deceitfulness and frankly explained it all to Hawthorne as the selfish arti6ce of a couquette. The affair was soon happily ended, but one of its indirect conse- quences was deplorable. His friend and classmate, Jonathan Cilley, was chal- lenged by Graves, an impetuous Ken tuckian, and hesitated to accept until some one said, eff Hawthorne was so ready to fight duel without stopping to ask questions, you certainly need not hesitate" Hawthorne was esteemed as model of honor, and Cilley accepted the challenge, and, as is well known, was killed. When Hawthorne was told of the indirect part he played in the tragedy, his remorse was great and he could not shake it of. It inspired one of his most sombre short stories, in which he dis cussed the problem whether the soul may contract the stains of guilt from deeds that have been resolved upon, but which physically have never had ex- istence
 There is an idyllic chapter in the bio. graphy on Hawthorne's courtship. It is we'll kpown that the lady who became his wife was Miss Sophia Peabody, the sister of Miss Elizabeth P. Peabody, so eminent as an educator. The latter tells of Hawthorne's first meeting with her sister: "As said My sister, Sophia he rose and looked at her intently. He did not realize how intently. As we went on talking, she would frequently inter- pose remark in her low, sweet voice. Every time she did so, he would look at her again with the same piercing, indraw- ing gaze. was struck with it, and thought, What if he should fall in love with her r" The biographer adds that Mrs. Hawthorne, in telling her children many years afterwards of these first meetings, used to say that his presence from the very beginning exercised so strong magnetic attraction upon her that instinctively, and in self-defense as it were, she drew back and repelled him. By degrees, however, her resistance was overcome, and in the end she realized that they had loved each other at first sight" The rest of the love story is