The Portland daily press., 1884-12-20
fENTERED AS sECONDa
tCLASs MAIL MATTERS
Concerning Maine Authors.
Hitaroru WorIdN


"Hope Harvey" the Portland Mel
transcripts contributor of didactic sketches,
is young, unmarried woman, aud resides
at her birthplace, farm in the town of
Garland, Penobscot county, Maine She
has been in too delicate health since girl
hood, and too much needed in domestic
ways, to venture far from home, either per-
sonally or as a writer; and hence has trav-
eled but little, and contributed to but few
journals outside her own State. She has
the appearance of "smart'' young woman,
in the New England sense of that expression;
bright, earnest, purpOse-full face, round
aud plump; erect head, and hair falling in
curls upon her shoulders. She has q sister,
older than herself, who, though less strik-
ing in literary style, is terse, forclble wri-
ter and contributes to N agazines for women
as ''Charity Snow" ''Hope Harvey's'' real
name is Susan Oak Curtis.
Edgar W. ("Bilp') Nye tells us that he
was born in Skowhegan, Me-, in the sum-
mer of 1850, but went West with his pa
rents at the age of two. He says he assist
ed his father in fighting prairie fires, wolves
and rattlesnakes for twenty years; yet he is
neither wild nor wooly, neither hilarious
nor hairy, but very human in appearance,
and so gentle in his manners that after he
has been fed little girl not more than sew
enteen years old can lead him all over the
menagerie. He fitted for the practice of
law, and practiced short time, but for the
last six years has been industriousy writing
humor. He was in charge of the Laramie
City, w. t., Boomerang, which has become
widely known through his paragraphs, about
four years-his only editorial engagement;
he is now living on the interest" of his
writings, at Hudson, Wis, and contribut-
ing to two or three well known papers. He
belongs to the lighter order of newspaper
humOrists; his writings smack strongly of
the 'breadth' and soil of Western jokery.
He is probably the most purely humorous
writer now paragraphng. He is always sin
character" and finds it very hard to stop
grinning
The State of Maine has been the home of
SO very many marked literary characters
men and women Of genius as we'll as of
practical and brilliant talent-that we are
getting to take it as matter of course that
the line shall continue unbroken. Latterly,
the leadership among Maine Itt6rGters has
been taken by women. Among these later
stars we have the author of One Summer,
the author of Deephaven, Mary Agnes
Thicker, Frances l.. Mace, Mary Thacher
Higginson, Ella Maude Moore, Rebecca Per-
ley Reed, Anna Boynton Averill, Susan o.
Curtis, and Kate L. Vannah. Miss Vannah
is the latest conner and is probably the most
versatile. She was born at her present home
10 Gardiner, on the Kennebec River, twenty
seven years ago. Her full name is Letitia
Catharine Vannah. She is an ''only child"
and has never married. She has written in
prose and verse continuously since grlhood;
has issued book of poems and has nearly
completed prose work of some continuity;
has written regular Washington correspon-
dence for Eastern newspapers, and contrib
HteG sketches to Boston, Washington and
Portland weeklies, and to Roman Catholic
monthlles. Music, however, has been the
ruling power and pleasure of her life. She
has composed numerous songs ("Three
Roses" "Come, for the Sun is Going
Down." and an 80 Salutaris' are her noted
compositions). and has become mistress of
the piano. organ, violin, and harp Her ac-
complshments, indeed, have extended to
equestrianism. Those familiar with her
verses know how strikingy dramatic some
OF them are, and what peculiar power they
all possess to move the reader. In the SON.
net, her skill in dramatic incident or concep-
tion is signal. An illustration of this ap-
pears in the current Travellers Record.
While in no degree initiative, many of her
poems on love remind one of Alice Yelling
ton Rollins's. Miss Vannah intends visiting
Washington this winter, as usual, on her
newspaper mission, if she is able to leave
Gardiner; just now, however, she is under a
stress of domestic illness and trouble, and,
should she go to Washington, will not leave
until late in the season.