The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-06
AN INTERVIEW WITH DICKENS
81 the Aston House in ISl2-Mrs,
Dickens Apology.
[Cor. Boston Budget.

Cor. Boston Budget
The first time | met Charles Dickens was
in 1912. when, rs he said himself, he came
here On business and the Yankees chose to
make fools of themselves His business was
to obtain the passage Of an international
copyright law. and failing in that he felt
nothing but bitterness towards the people
who had treated him SO Hospitality. He put
up at thu Aston house, and there | went
armed with letter from James W. Gerard,
the celebrated lawyer, who was a prom ment
member Of the committee who had received
Dickens, and who had paid the great author
much personal attention. | suppose |
may have oyerstepped the bounds of Ell
quette, but / was not aware Of it,
when took with mo Robert H. Elton, who
will be remembered hy old NewY orkers as the
publisher of "Eltons Comic Almanac" the
preceder Of all the funny papers. We were
ushered with much shoddy ceremony up to
Dickens reception room. where fortunately.
as it proved there were very few people
and found pi'h,n,'S l,iling uugrarpfully in
chair with several obs,quious looking citi-
aens standing about him, while Mrs Dickens
was looking ont Of the window onto Broad
way. My fast imp oSSua of the couple was
that Charles was II decided Snob being
dressed as no Am"r,caa gentleuem over
dressed, loaded with iewaIry and that she
was as loud in that particular as woman
as he was as a mem He scanned my letter
through his slsss looked 1T me >upercil
iouSly. AMI Well" cam snappshly from
his mouth, | was ii little taken back but
tried to SAY something, winch something was,
Truth liz at The bodnm Of a we'll Mr.
Dickens
Who's that was hi uiSniling response,
pointing at Elton, vino was n / "A man to Ice
easily taken aback, but looked annoyed.
introduced him Dickens did not respond,
but looked at the letter again through his
glass, and'then said
Its not customary. where | came from
when you have letter of introduction tt
take anybody with you; I don't know how
you do it here
said nothing, and at this moment Mrs
Dickens came to our aid, and, in very lady
like and gentle way, drew Us aside TO the
window, volunteering the remark, Mr..
Dickens isn't very we'll this morning" and
then endeavored to entertain Us by asking
questions for fifteen or twenty minutes, when
we took our leave, Dickens barely noticing
US as we departed
He's hog, growled' Elton, when we got
into the street, and | was not disinchned Il
agree with him.
The next time | saw Charles Dickens was
dozen or more years ago, when he agaiI
came ON business, to read to the Yankees
and as his business was prominently sue
cessful be was more amiable. He put up a
the Westminster hotel, and I was introduced
by his old and especial friend, Arthur Math
ieson, then residing in this city. This time
found Dickens pleasant enough and suffici
emily talkative, but his talk was Charlie
Dickens and nothing but Charles Dickens
He invited us to stay to lunch, which we did
| and during which Dickens talked incessantl,
| about himself and swallowed bumpers o
| champagne until his talk became monoton
Gus and trifle maadlin This, however
| does not take away the fact that he was thu
| greatest writer of fiction that the world ha
| ever produced.