The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-05-23
CHARLES READE,
The Eminent Novelist-His Life and
Works

The death OF Charles Reade will
cause pang Of regret wherever Eag-
lish fiction is read. Though not in the
very first rank OF nOyelists, he was al
WAYS popular, and, while his books
were ever interesting they were prac-
tically instructive He did much tor
prison reform in "Neyer Too Late 10
Mend" and expo ed the abuse OF pri-
yate lunatic asylums in Hard Cash
even more effectually than did Wilke
Collins in The Woman in White.
Reade had craze for dramatic adap-
tons, but he was never 4 success IN
that line.
He was the son of an English coun-
try gentleman, and was born in 1914.
His social station was enyiable, and ne
had all the advantages OF IN Oxford
education. He began his list Of sue
cessful novels with Peg Wellington,
published in 1888 In the same year
he produced Christie JOhns,one, and
at Is Never Too Late to NJ nd APP
peared in 1856, II Is move. white
Lies" was published in 1851, and
Griffith Gaunt' in 1868. This latter
was and is the most popular Of his
works, but literary judges award the
palm OF superiority to his 'C.oister
and the Hearth, published in 1861.
He has since written Put Yourself
in His Place "A Terrible Iempta-
ton and several other short stories,
which have been deseryedly popular.
He has also wrote several successful
plays, one OF the latest OF which was,
! Drink, - founded on Zola's Il Assom-
moir." Only few days ago General
j. Meredith Reade, his cousin, gave q
New York reporter an interesting &C.
count Of his distinguished relative
method Of working and glimpse Of
his home life He said: He was 3
great reader Of newspapers. Any
thing that struck him as interesting, or
any fact which tended to support one
of his humanitarian theories, was cut
out, pasted in large folio scrap-book,
and carefully indexed. Facts Of any
sort were his hobby. had commits
sion from him once, which took q long
time to fill He wanted complete set
of the Gazette des Tribunaux, or
record of crime in France for years
and years. | got it, but at the expense
OF much time and trouble.
His way Of work IS peculiar. When
he has decided on new work be plots
out the scheme, situations, facts and
characters on three large sheets Of
pas,ebOard. Then he sets to work,
using very large foolscap to write on,
and working rapidly, but with frequcn.
references TO his stJre-hOuse Of facts in
the scraD-bOOks, which are ready at
his hand. He used to live in q little
house in Albert Gate, the window Of
his study looking out over the park.
Some corporation wanted TO get pos
session Of the property, and used al
manner OF means TO get the tenants
out. Reade resisted this, and fought
them for four years, finally winning
the battle. He christened his house on
this account 'NabOth's Vineyard
As said, he wrote in room looking
over the park. In his garden, which
was covered with a wire netting, he
kept some tame deer, for he was pas
sionaiely fond Of dumb animals. He
had dog which looked like a sheep
and thought ike a Christian. Half a
dozen times a day it would jump on
bis table as he was writing, hold out
one paw and patiently wait until It's
master had gravely shaken it and pro-
nounced the formula: How DO YOU dc
sir? You must excuse me to-day, a.
am very busy Then the dog would
jump down and hold commune witt
itself.
: Some time ago his brother induced
him to leave 'Naboths Vineyard, a
that side Of the park is damp and unia
vorab,c to bronchial troubles. After
ward be lived in house next TO Iii
brothers, on the Uybridge road. II
was troubled with bronchitis for year.
He was q fellow OF Magduicn collcg'
Oxford and always kept his fellow
room there. When he had AN attac
OF bronchitis in Loudon he used I
rush down to Oxford, wait there unit
he had recovered and fresh attat
came on, and then back 20 London f
the change to restore him again, al
then the same programme would
gone through.
lie was devoted TO the country, ar
his affection for his old nome "
touching. He knew every soul in Il
village; and not only that, he knew t.
name of every field for miles aroun
and would frequently discuss the orig
of the pastoral nomenclature. !
] even projected a sort Of dictionary
these names with brief accounts
their history. He began an article tc
on the influence Of climate on fam
characteristics, based on the dineren
observable in the portraits of the III
lish and American branches Of G
family in the last five generations.
Charles Rcade was a brilliant CO
I versationalist. He had a pccul
beautiful eye, of u limpid brown, viii
= could on occasion flash fire like ste
He had large share of humor anC
~, can see now the twinkle in that lar
III brown eye as he nears the point Of
funny story.
IN. Q =