Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-06

L
| pleasant picture it was. In an easy-moving
| rocking chair sat the writer of more than sew
| enty novels. Her dress was plain, black and
| lusteriess; the cuffs of black velvet. A black
leather belt. with huge gilt buckle, encircled
| her waist, while a long gold chain dropped
| from beneath the white fichu to the watch in
| the belt. from which depends fan. The hands
| are rngless and the thumb ard forefnger of
| the dexter member were literally stained with
ink. more kindly face-intelectual in every
| feature-never smiled welcome at stranger.
| Father Time has failed to wrinkle the forehead
or to distor. feature. so he contented HIM
| self By literally sprinkling gray hairs in the
| hirsute crown Dame Nature makes SO beautiful
| i'll womankind. A sweet, clear voice, never
heard save when there is something to be said
| completes the sketch.
Out on the river-barely stones throw
AWAY little steamer snorted and pulled and
| whistled; row boats moved more slowly and
less noisily over the brown-gray surface.
| Almost Immediately beneath the porch was the
northern end of the Aqueduct bridge and
| every passenger crossing the Potomac on it
| was easily visible. To the south were the hills
| of Arlington. covered with verdure at the
| foot of which. all its dirt and squaor obliter-
| ated by distance. nestled the dark-hued phan-
tom OF Jackson City. Westward was great
glare of departing sunshine that lit up indis-
criminately the towers OF Georgetown Univer-
| sity and the novels which Immediately sur
round that great structure.
so you want me to tell you how write
| novel," said Mrs. Southworth to the reporter.
1t is q difficult thing to explain the workings
| of piece Of mechanism with which no one is
| familiar"
HOW SHE BEGAN.
IL have no method" said Mrs. Southworth;
Il never did have. began without knowing
could write novel; My first effort was story
| for the Washington National Era; it was my
/ ~1ota L.
| Der, but soon found that to be impossible, SO
| had to write second. then a third and q
| fourth. By that time l found l couldn't finish
| it in ten numbers and thus WAS lengthy story
evolved from small beginning; 80 was my
first oyeI-'Retribution'- That was in
ls47, and two years later 'Retribution' was re-
published by the Harpers; the first novel of
which know anything that was ever reprinted
| from newspaper or magazine.
ALL FOUNDED on FACTS
'Do need facts for my plots?" Yes; my
| novels are all founded on facts. To give you a
clear idea of how q novel is evolved from small
| beginnings will tell you about the writing of
| The Hidden Hand. 1t was in the winter of
| 1857 and at the very last of the rear was III
very bad health my sister was dying of con-
| sumption; all my surroundings were depres-
sing to the last degree, and yet, in the midst of
| that. the brightest and gayest of my stories
came to me. happened to see in a New York
| STAGED
that little nlne-year-Old girl, dressed in bows
| clothes and selling newspapers, had been ar
rested. She was homeless and friend
| less and was sent to some asylum
| in Westchester county. That was the
origin OF Capitola. The newspaper item
was a seed which dropped in my mind and
terminated there. When the time came for
| me to write of it had to make an origin for
| Capitola l remembered an incident that had,
| in the days of my childhood, occurred just
across Benning's Bridge. An Old monthly
nurse had been met one night by two masked
| men, who bindfolded her aud took her I'D to a
house. Still bllndfoded, she was conducted to
| a room where few hours later a child was
born to a young woman. Tho nurse re-
| fused to make away with tho child. al
| though brides were offered her. The young
| mother was also obstinate for tho preservation
| of her infant. Finally, the mother being dis
| carded by her family, brought up her child
who was well-known in Washington and did
| well. That was the reality upon which the
birth Of Capitola was founded. Nearly every
adventure of Capitola came from real life. Her
bright rejoinders to Old Hurricane were taken
| from many scenes of the same kind between
nv sister and her old uncle in Mississippi. Her
adventure with Black Donald was taken from
a some what similar adventure, in which figured
a woman OF Maryland and a colOred ruffian
who. in 1912. was the terror of the neighbor-
hood. Her duel and its cause was also founded
on fact: A young girl, brought up among her
Mississippi. She had been misunderstood and
offended by British officer. Her male rela-
tives treated the matter lightly and laughed at
her. whereupon she challenged the officer to a
duel. She met the officer accidentally, as I re-
lated in the story and when she was armed
| A repetition Of her challenge was met with
contempt and she then fired at the officer-not
| with dried peas, as my little heroine did, but
with bullets. He was severely wounded and
sne gave herself up to the authorities. The mag
istrate, however. upon hearing of all the cir
cumstances, discharged her. do not approve
| or defend such conduct rs she was guilty of SO
/ softened and modified it in my little heroine
Capitola's encounter with Lenoir in the woods
and the ruse by which she escaped was also
| taken from the adventure and escape of a
Maryland girl The court-martial, its causes
| and scenes occurred during the Mexican war.
The incident from which il was taken was re-
| lated at uncle's dinner table by Gen. G. P.
"All these separate incidents, from the in
fancy to maturity of my heroine, were like
| beads; l strung them together.
'The character Of Old Hurricane might be
seen in one in ten Of the old planters of Mary
| land or Virginia. Liberal, kindly at heart, but
overbearing and clustering in manner.
PLEASURE IN WRITING.
"Despite the depressing circumstances under
which labored when began that story took
great pleasure in writing it When left the
| sick bed Of my sister, where had been all day,
l frequently sat down at my desk; then care
| and sorrow would leave me; the bright spirit of
Capitola possessed me and I felt bright and
happy myself.
1T was while this story was going through
the New York Ledger and the London Journal
that was invited to England by the publisher
of the London Journal to endeavor to do some
thing toward securing an international copy
right When We reached England we found
Capitola - popular there as in America.
There we're Capitola boats, Capitola race
horses Capitola hAts for ladies and ofhAr Cani.
| tola fads.
WRITING AT MIGHT.
'In those early days Of my authorship
Il A. xio Ia