The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-04

her mother at Castle Hill Before going to
Virginia in the autumn he concluded TO
carry on his little campaign for the heart
of this beautiful and talented woman with
out any danger of interference from his
friends and relatives. At his club, the
Manhattan, he left orders that all his mail
should be forwarded to the Continental
hotel at Philadelphia At the Continental
he left his servant with instructions TO for
ward mail and kilograms to Gotham, Abe
marie county, Va, and to tell all inquirers,
If any there should be, that he did not
know where his master was. These and
other precautions Mr.. Chanler took to
avoid intermeddling on the part of any
one.
Mr.. Chanler spent three weeks atICastle
Hill, and before going away proposed for
the hand Of Miss Rives. He was not ac-
cepted nor yet rejected. The matter was
taken under advisement. Some notes
passed between them which gave sugges-
tion-a mere suggestion-for the notes
which appear in the story. He wrote in
one: "H you need me or want to see me at
any time you only have to telegraph Man.
haitian club. / will send you my address
If go abroad" This was a part of the
real as well as of the imaginative story.
So also was the ride to Charlottesville, the
famous ride in Wilhelm the story-Bar,
bara placed her hand on Jocks knee under
the carriage robe, and he, like the sensible
fellow that he was, took of his glove that
he might the better earess that lovely hand.
Whether or net this OCCURRED in real life, of
course I do not know. Nor do / know
whether the kisses which figure in the ro-
nance had their prototype in reality. Nor
do / care The point is that here and there
in substance and form, if not in details, the
story of Barbara Pomfret's struggle be-
tween her old love, the dead husband, on
the one side, and her new formed, but half
confessed affection for Jock, was suggested
by the courtship of Anelie Rives by John
Armstrong Chanler. Thai is enough TO
acquit the fair authoress Of the charge
which has been made against her of delv-'
ing in eroticism.
The story had its origin IN that which
was pure and noble. A guilty or improper
thought never entered into its composition.
Barbara was intense, hysterical and exag.
gerated; she kissed the cigar which Val
had left half smoked; she wept her eyes
out; she mosned herself asleep upon his
grave. But IL there anything so awful In
all this' Did she do anything that ma
ture like hers might not have done, and
still be as pure as snowS We might ques-
ton her good sense, even her sanity; we
might say that what she did was so wild
and unnatural that it was bad art in the
author to make her do SO. But the man
ner in which Amelie Rives has fallen
under the condemnation of the critics and
the harsh judgment of a credulous public
is not for lack of sanity in her characters,
nor for any offenses against art which she
may have been guilty of, but fer a sup
posed transgression of the laws of decency
for the writing of an impure book which
could only have come from an impure
mind. 1t is this form of criticism that
protest against. 1t is this which say has
been cruel and malicious and false.
The struggle which Amelie Rives had in
giving up her ideal was probably net one
tenth part as fierce and retching as that
which she made Barbara endure. But it
was probably enough of struggle with
herself to give her the suggestion for those
wonderful bits of realism by which she in
tensified and made graphic poor Barbara's
soul torture. | am not one of those who
believe that to the pure all things are pure,
but the realism of 1.-THE Quick or the
Dead" is as pure as the fair young woman
who made it. The man or woman who
can see anything erotic in that story or in
any of its incidents has dangerous imag-
ination and an objectionable sixth sense.
1t is as far removed from pruriency and
as the sweet and holy court
ship of any honest and manly man. for
tender imaginative woman. Amelie .Rives
simply had the genius to seize upon the
nucleus of an idea suggested by her own
wooing.
Barbara Pomfret held to her ideal. with
tears and travail she tried to give 1t up,
end could not. The heroine of flesh and
blood was more fortunate. Amelie Rives
was able to surrender her ideal, and am
sure she is glad she did. Ihave the best of
for saying that she is a>happy
young wife, and that between her and her
husband the sweetest sympathy and affec-
ton prevail. Mrs. Chanler will soon visit
her old home at Castle Fill, Albemarle
county, Va. 1t is a picturesque old place,
and there is nothing or no one that does
not love her-the horses, the cows, the
mules, the dogs, the cats, all the country
folk, black and white, great and small. !
All who are fortunate enough to be re-
Ceiyed as guests at Castle Hill come away
full of admiration for the beauty and rev.
erence for the genius and lovable character |
Of the author of 1.-The Quick or the Dead"
Mrs. Chanler is fervently religious. The /
Bible and Shakespeare have been her con- |
slant companions since she learned to |
read. There are Bibles and Shakespeare /
in every room at Castle Hill. The copies |
which belong more particularly to Mrs. |
Chanler are literally covered with marginal /
notes, all in her dainty, even and beauti-
ful chirography. In almost every line she
has ever written the influence of these two |
books may be seen, aud if one adds to
them her love of nature and almost con-
slant communion with it, the chief sources
If her inspiration, excepting, of course, her
OWN great soul, will have been described.
In a recent letter about Pacific coast
fear did an injustice to ex.
Senator Ccnness, of California. On the
of an old Californian | stated
hat the senator had figured in the Credit
Nobilier Scandals" and that he was lone
If the leading spirits in the Pacific railway
egislatlon." A friend of the ex-senator
ellis me the first OF these statements is an
rror. Seuator CONFESS did not figure in
he Credit Mobilier scandals. No suspicion
yer attached to him in that connection.
dy old friend, the Californian, must have
lad some other statesman in mind. As to
'laying conspicuous part in Pacific rail
way legislation, that is true of Senator
,Onness. But in doing all in his power to
ecure the building of the Pacific roads he
vas only doing that which his conSAtu.
nts expected him and every one of t2eir
representatives in congress to do. Mr.
,onness, / hear, still lives, having his