Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-10-07

pllcu. Co. Ol luAS oHOt OOAoAS ~
burned down was the home of happy
family, who suffered none of the
blights that fell upon poor Silas.
:Of," l said, looking about, chow
could you burn W such home as
this, even on paper?"
II didn't. t." said Mr.. Howells with a
laugh. II only burned an unfinished
house before the family moved in OF
any home been really formed. l am
very comfortable here" continued Mr..
Howells, I" and do not care to 60 out
of town particularly. can sit here
and write without interruptions; my
family are at Sharon. and l join them
frequently for few days."
Then we talked of his books and
other things, and he was amused at a
criticism on ''Silas Laphan" which
had heard and related. 1t was that OF
a young lady who after finishing il
said: well, these people are not bit
like characters in novel; why, they
are just like any of US I've known
just such folks as these always"
In regard to the play written by Mr..
Howells in conjunction with Mark
L " GILL; thdI w DO w udVV OCCA Hho
duced at the Lyceum Theater in New
York, he said: i" The Claimant may
yet be brought out. There was
much to be done to it to
fit it for the stage and the
time never seems to come in which
to attend to it. like best to sit here
by myself and write in my own way.
l enjoy writing here especially" he
said, after pause; lit seems just the
place. like the water; it is restfuL
l was very fond of Venice; perhaps my
life there made me SO fond of a watery
view. At night, when the lights
twinkle all along the river front, one
can quite imagine ones self in Venice,
except for the massive buildings and
palaces at the waters edge. The
boats splash along, and sometimes
parties of Harvard students row by
singing to the accompaniment of a
guitar or mandolin played by one of
their number. The river gives much
that is varied. In the winter there is
skating, and in front of the house
sleighs fly by at furious speed
sometimes. One has plenty of amuse-
ulcHI WdCculnS CncIu.
The ''milldam;' is the famous drive
for all Bostonians during the sleigh
ing carnival, which lasts from six to
eight weeks. On either side of the
street are fine sleighs drawn by several
plumed horses, while in the center the
racing goes on with the occupants OF
the other sleighs and residents along
the course for spectators. Mr. Howells
took me back to the window and
pointed out many places of interest TO
be seen on the other side of the river
the towns of Somervillc, Belmont,
Arlington, and even as far as Lexing-
ton. Bunker Hill monument stood out
boldly against the sky, forming part of
the picture. Il am fond of those tail.
smoking chimneys of the factories"
he said, ''they look like hustle.
civilization and life. They are
not near enough to be in any way
Objectionable. At night they are
like 50 many giant torches" Then l
looked down again in the flower gar
den and noticed it was the only yard in
the long row of houses which contained
any attempt at ornament. On my
mentioning this Mr.. Howells said: Il
lived in Cambridge for some time, then
l moved to Belmont and then here. At
both the former places had extensive
flower beds, and ! didn't like to give
them up: they are. my diversion" l
learned afterward from friend that
these flowers and their cultivation are
pet hobby with Mr.. Howells, that
several times day he is seen out
among them with green tin watering
pot carefully tending them. This
spring he spent nearly a day running
wires up to the top of the fence for
morning-glories to trail upon. Among
the photographs scattered about l no.
ticed one of Mr.. Howells and Mr..
Clemens MARK Twain) taken togeth-
er; also pictures of Mrs. Howells and
their children. Mrs Howells is very
charming and great admirer of her
husbands work. Nothing delights her
more than her friends praise of them.
The eldest child is now almost wom-
an-possibly fifteen years of age. She
is said to be clever with her pen, and
may have inherited much of her
father S talent. Johnnie, about thir-
teen. is bright little fellow. and Mil
dred. aged eleven, is an artist of pre-
cocious cleverness. Not long ago was
published book, entitled "A Little
Girl Among the Old Masters" Mr..
Howells wrote it, but the illustrations
are by little Mildred Her father is
very proud of her, as he may well be.
Getting at last to the great question
OF realism versus romance, Mr.. How
ellis remarked that he thought people
fonder of details in every thing than
formerly; that this is really charac-
teristic of the time in which we live:
we see this in journalism-in every
thing. in fact 1.-The style of literature
is changing" he continued. 1T must
change, as we change; if one depicts
life as it is to-day, it will. of course,
differ from life that existed a century
ago, because the circumstances are
different AS for school each
one OF us writes as he can, in his own
individual style"
''What do you think of the fiction of
the futurc?' l asked.
''Just what l think of the fiction of
the present and the past. he answered.
1T will always be the lives of human
beings, and the nearest it approaches