The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-09-03

! was Written 20 sell.
Boning clasped his hands behind hi
head and looked sorrowfully at oul
mutual friend who had given utteranc'
to this atrocious sentiment Then, sud
denly remembering the, business in
hand, he said: well, as was saying
/ was lucky enough to come across 8
suggestive BIT of East End romance
veritable Whitechapel idyl."
you'll come across plenty OF idlers
Down there-lazy rascals.
II have been studying the East End. =
continued Boning, unheeding the inter
ruption. .'and have got my Coster en-
gagged to"
ITO Costeress, / suppose.
Exactly. Nothing homogeneous about
that, is therep Well, the entrance into
this new relation has inspired him with
q desire to-
"Boning," said my friend serenely.
81 can imagine nothing more calculated
to enlist all mans nobler powers and
put them in action with the object Of
elevating him in the social sphere than
an engagement with a costermonger' Is
daughter. Go on Boning, you've opened
a new field in fiction"
s4Oh, you CAM ridicule me away from
my story. By the way, came across
one of the best examples of the power
Of ridicule last night that it has ever
been my luck to meet You see," he
added, turning to me, '.my theory in
fiction is that it must be true to life.
How is this to be attained? l think by
man writing nothing but what he has
personal experience with. It would be
useless for me to locate . scene in
America for I've never been there.
The works of man who writes of what
he has no personal knowledge are, in
my opinion, valueless. / carry my
theory to what many would consider ex-
tremes. If my hero has to walk from
ST. Pancras station to Chelsea at twelve
O'Clock at night I 60 to the station ct
midnight and take that walk myself ]
note down my experiences, what is said
to me, what incidents occur, and these
I weave into the story. And that re-
minds me, Arthur. did you ever 90 along
Piccadilly at four in the morning, or say
three?''
'.Never sober enough to notice any
thing"
''Well, it's wonderful. Imagine Pic
cadilly crowded-not with carriages
but with great bulky, tOp-heavy market
wagons, and leaden-footed. hulking
brutes of horses, moving slowly as Il
sleep-walking. Londoners don't know
London. London at three in the morn
ing is no more like London at noon than
was the London of Sam johnson. You
must come with me some morning and
see London Bridge at daybreak. Won
derful sight The Pool ike mirror
only hour in the twenty-four it is SO and
the"
Tin the name Of all the prophets,
Boning, what has all this to do with the
power Of ridiculeP'
I'm coming to that Impotence al
ways was weakness Of yours, Arthur.
I was coming home about midnight,
and Just out Of the Seven Dials fellow
accosted me and wanted to sell me
watch! Think of selling me . watch!
Well, / talked with him, and finally on
some excuse he wanted me to go home
with him. We got into room that
was worse than this "
.sNo!!r'
1T was, / assure you. There was no
bench. My gentleman places his back
against the door. levels q pistol Ut my
head and asks me to give him my
purse
Every funny situation, must say"
Funny? Funniest experience I ever
had. Didn't have q brass farthing on
me. / just dropped in the one chair
and roared. He looked nonplussed. and
the moro he looked the more laughed.
He seemed to realize he was making an
ass of himself and he lowered his arm
slowly like one of the railway signals
that 60 up like . flash and come down
gradually. The look on his faco
was 20 comical that roared the
louder, and then the chair gave way
and rolled on tho floor and Law
helpless with laughter. ct last rose
and busted myself OF. / slapped the
dazed rufian on the back and his pistol
clattered on the floor out Of his hand q
/ wished him better luck next time.
That villain was simply stunned by the
power Of ridicule-felt he had made !
fool Of himself, By the way. win you
listen to chapter or two Of my storyps
Certainly. but / wish you would
finish the other one"
That's impossible. You have no
objections, Mr.. -, don't know that
/ quite caught your namef''
mo matter. ! warned him Hen
stand il"
The part Of the story be read to rs
was really exoellcnt-as good bit Of
fiction. in fact had over heard, and
&r. Boning read it we'll.
A. went down the stairs Isaid to nv
friend:
THAT story win make him famous.' -
NO Il won't"
Don't you think It goode / Thought
4 exceedingly fine. !"
He never writes any thing but what
u good. He b man Of undouhted
genius but he mover finishes any thing.
That y the trouble. He has never in,
ished story in his IiDs. and be he's b.
gan hundreds"
Perhaps he Win finish this one. He
6eome very snthnsiastic about II
ny kiend hook his hsad.
rhe day bs6ors I 10 Lendon / hlp,