Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-09-19
LITERARY CHIT C1AE

ThN manuscripts of Pope's Iliad" and
odyssey" are in the British Museum
Nearly all the likes are written on tho
back of letters from eminent men.
Robert Louis Stevenson, few years
ago, found it very difficult to get any Of
his stories accepted by the magazines.
Now he can not write them fast enough.
His health is delicate, but his imagina-
ton vivid and romantic, and all his stories
have a weird and ghostly background.
The latest contribution to the literature
Of the Father of Waters" is The Mis-
sissippi and its Fortyfour Navigable
Tnbutaries-a Descriptive, Commercial,
and Statistical Review, illustrated with
Three Diagrams" by Mr., Alex. d. An
'derson, author Of Mexico from the Ma
terial Standpoint"
Ferdinand J. Drecr, of Baltimore, has
the original copy of Campbells beautiful
poem What Haliowed Ground" also,
Leigh Hunts -Abou Ben Adhem
Among the treasures of his magnificent
collection are T. Buchanan Reads
Drifting" and ~Sheridan's Ride Mr..
Dreer has original letters Of Calvin. Eras-
mus, Henry III and w, of France, and
James l, of England.
Bret Harte became a novelist by acct
dent. 1t happened in this way: He was
the editor Of the Overland Magazine, and
failing to secure a story of California
hfe, he wrote one himself. 1t was The
Luck of Roaring Camp" which was re-
ceived with a storm of abuse on the Pa
cific coast. In the East, however, 1t had
an immense success, and was the COM
mencement of his literary fortune.
Mrs Harriet Beecher Stowe was very
poor when she wrote uncle Toms
Cabin " The last chapter was written
in the Office of her publisher in Boston.
1t was cold winter morning. and SHIT
arrived at the store half frozen. She
stood over the stove half an hour before
she was sufficiently thawed to hold her
pen. Three months from that time she
received check for $40, 900 as the first
payment on the sale of "Uncle Toms
Cabin
George w. Gable was a bookkeeper in
New Orleans cotton brokers' office,
working from morning to night, on a
pitiful salary, when he was discovered
by Scribner's Magazine, and his first
story of creole life was published in that
periodical. Previous to going into the
counting room he had made a miserable
failure in a newspaper Office, his religious
scruples not allowing him to 60 to the
theater to criticise play. He has, how
ever, bravely overcome these early
scruples, for he has since written plays.
George w. Childs has one of the most
valuable collections of autographs and Gu
rios in the United States. Itcomprises let
tiers of all the Presidents complete manu-
scripts of Sir Walter Scott, Dickens,
Thackeray, and Hawthorne, letters OF
Byron, Moore, Gray, Burns, Pope, Schil-
Ter, Lamb, etc. Mr.. Childss library con-
tains wealth of rare and curious books,
many of which are enriched with auto
graphs and notes. The walls of the
library are adorned by portraits of George
Peabody, Henry w. Longfellow, etc.
Donald G. Mitchell, who is perhaps
better known by his nom de plume of III
Marvel, has fine, clear cut, and decidedly
aristocratic features, reminding one of
an antique cameo He dresses in pict-
uresque style, is fond of gay clothes. and
looks like literary man. He has gath
cred at his home at Edgewood fine
library and some choice pictures and
beautiful things from many lands. He
has large family, for his reveries have
been broken in upon by 10 children, and
their mother is just the gentle lovely
lady that belongs to an authors home.