Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-16

considered as an American authoress,
though as a matter Of fact she was born
IN Manchester, England, in lS49. In
1865 her parents removed to ibis u
try and settled at Knoxville, Tenn, af-
forwards removing to Newmarket.
They a been in the United States but
two years when the talented daughter
published her first article in a southern
magazine. Five years later a dialect
story entitled ''Surly Tini's Trouble"
appeared in Scribner's Magazine over
her signature and was very well re-
ceived. Before her next pen sketch
appeared the now popular writer hau
married DR.. Luan M. Burnett, of Knox
Vile, and had removed to
Washington. After her removal to the
capital city Scribner's Magazine pub
lished her browning success, That Lass
o. Lowrie's." In the days of her girl
hood Mrs. Burnett had lived in Man
chester, England, which is SO largely
populated by the mill hands in the cot
on factories. She was a careful OBJ
server of the peculiar customs, man
ners and talk of the operatives, and
from sights and scenes in their life
which she witnessed drew the plots of
many of the stories which she has since
written. Thus, in '"That Lass o. Low
rie's" the character of Joan is drawn
from a most beautiful factory girl whom
Mrs. Burnett, as a child, had watched,
as in company with her playmates the
girl had loitered abont the house where
her future ~biographer then resided.
The heroine of ''The Fair Barbarian"is
likewise a creature of real life, and not
of the imagination. The original of
the character was an American girl,
who, while visiting her English rela-
tivaS pomnlntalu 6umh fnunlad than IN,
her unconventional behavior. Little
Lord Fauntleroy" is, in its way, fully as
powerful as its more serious prede-
cessors and speedily obtained wide pop
ularity. Mrs. Burnett has had consid-
cradle trouble in reaping the benefit of
her work, as her stories have usually
been published in serial form and have
been practically published in book form
by INSCRIPTIONS publishers. Her Lass
O. Lowrie's" has been translated in sew
eral languages, has been dramatized
and is exceedingly popular in England.
The name of Frances @. Fisher would
be recognized by bat few of the many
readers of Christian Reds" pretty
stories. But Miss Fisher and christian
Reid" are one and the same person, the
latter being Miss Fishers nom de plume.
The authoress was the daughter of
Colonel Charles T., Fisher, of North
Carolina, who was killed at the battle
of Bull Run, and was born at Salisbury,
N. G. Her first novel, ''Valerle Ayl-
mer," was published in 1870 under the
nom de plume of "Christian Reid" 1t
was thoroughly successful in gaining
public favor and there was much specu-
lation As to the ideltity of the author
or authore5s. SINCE its publication
Miss Fisher has contributed a number
of novels to the literature of the day and
has made an enviable reputation for
herself. Some of her best known books
are Bonnie Kate, - "Hearts of Steel"
R'Mabel Lee" and "Ebb Tide"
Mary Noailless Murfree, or 'Charles
Egbert Craddock,n as she is knn";n in
literature, was the best know authorizes
in the south prior TO the advent in the
literary world OF Miss Amelie Rives.
Her grandfather was an old revolution
airy soldier and was one of the trainers
OF the constitution of North Carolina.
Murfreesboro, N. c., was named after
the old soldier and patriot, ana it was
near the ancestral village that the au-
thoress was born in 1850. The civil war
seriously affected the family's re-
sources, and. a paralytio stroke. made
Miss Murfree a cripple for life, but she
bravely set to work to redeem the
finances of the family and console. her
sell for her aMiction by writing. Most