Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-05
ABOUT AUTHORS.
The Latest News from the
Novelist Stevenson.
HOW BRONSON HOWARD WORKS
A Philadelphia Eisayisl in New York Oscar
WlIds New Play Recalls Two others
by Him Produced IN This
Country.
Wor T'he Sunday Gazotte.)

VI Vt LIE nuhNd9 NhH'AN'l
New York. March Upon the arrival
of every steamer from Samoa Ia San
Francisco lntely news is telegrnphed all
over the world that Robert Louis Steven
son is dying The latest Information OF
this kind was Published broadcast last
week. ! nave just received letter
from Mr.. Stevenson, aud lie seems TO
sign his maine with his usual vigor. and
says in closing his letter. AS for my
self i have gone and had the influenza,
but ] tell myself | ain done having II
now and mean To be abroad tomorrow
Nothing IN the letters received from
him by the latest steamer seems TO indi-
cate that he is seriously I'll or. that there
Is any anxiety in regard to ms health.
Speaking OF Stevenson paragrapher
In last Sundays New York Times prob
ably has more lies In a given space about
Mrs. Stevenson than has ever before been
published about II person of prominence.
The purUgrapher stated that Mrs. T.
l.. Stevenson is II portly, gray-haired wo-
man who was n northumberland looked
it-whcn She married her second hus-
baud. As n matter Of fnct, ten years
after her marriage Mrs Stevenson had
not q gray hair In Der head The para
gruphcr further states that her son
Lloyd, who wrote The Wrong Box
and The Wrccker' w. collaboration
with Mr.. Stevenson, was n middle-aged
mau before he began to write. This
statement Us the more humorous In rs
much cs Lloyd Osborne has many nc
quaintances in America, and the winter
Mr. Stevenson spent Ia the AdirOndacks
Osborne was around great deal Os-
borne was youth Of Is when lac cOllab-
grated on 1.-The Wrong Box" lie is not
yet % years Of age. One of the New
York magazines has n story by him
month or so ago. which he wrote him
self, and which Is one Of the best stories
TINT has appeared In u magazine In II
number OF years
IL is true Mrs. Stevenson Is grand
mother though she did not have that
honor when she married Mr. Steven
son. Mrs Stevenson was q grandmother
at very early age. She herself was
married when she was about 10, and her
daughter also married when about the
same age.
The parugraphcr goes on TO say that
she had no reputation for brilliancy IN
n very clever San Francisco set Tho
pnraHapher may be right about this
matter. as have no facts either way,
but II she had no reputation IN clever
san Francisco set, 80 much the worse
for the set
Mrs Stevenson Is n woman OF singular
brillinncy of mind. No one who ever
met her even casually can have any other
opinoin about her She has a very cx-
traordiuary individuality. She is the
author Of n great many short stories
which show that she is n woman OF
marked ability She undoubtedly
would have made her mark In lltera-
ture had she not devoted herself so exc
clusively aud unrcmiuiuWy TO the care
of her husband. and IL Is well known
fact that Mr.. Stevenson's comparatively
good health Is due in no small degree
TO her wise care Of him.
The most interesting event of last
Iua ttul NftHaf
OF the Theater of Arts and Letters. By
interesting, i do not mean that II was
good, but that IL was most amusingly
bad. i once heard a hardened thcUter-
gocr say that there were two kinds
of plays that he loved; those that were
of the first order Of excellence and those
that were as bad ms they could be.
However the play given was not alto
gethcr bad, il was simply 0yerWrOught
in its theatrical effects; so morbid that
its p0thos became wearsome and SO
oyerwrought that it's most thrilling situa.
tons tended to excite ridicule. II wns
the work OF Mr.. X. a, FaTclly, one Of
the editors Of "rhe World" Some one
has suggested that it would read far
better than IL acted and it was quite
possible that TO this fact was due itp
choice by the management TheGe is no
doubt however, that il has given the
ph2atcr OF Arts and Letters a blow from
e.
The audience, which was composed of
some of the best known people of New
York, received the production with IN
suppressed humOr and at times with
bursts Of laughter ! ann informed thar
az lcust one of the actors was so an
noyed by the ridicule that he had diff
Guilty IN going on with his part
| could nor help feeling as / studied
the effect of the play upon the audience
that realism on the stage could never DO
popular. II was altogether one of tho
most realistic plays that we have seen
The motive Is, however, old; that of the
man with the happy home con.
fronted with the spectre OF his past sins
N the shape of his discarded wife. But
this motive WINS given Il new twist by
Delng made protest against common
law marriages, aud by being treated In
TIE most piulessly realistic fashion. The
dlSc9fded Wlte appeared as woman
or tue vllest character given over To the
morphine habit Her appearance I'm
the house of the man whom She con-
sldered her husband and the scenes which
ensue were almost brutal In fact. thew
were SO brutal that they lost any eject
ana wore regarded with derlsion in spite
OF tne lRct mat the actors played with
considerable intelligence and force The
reception given 20 the piece will undonbt-
euly change somewhat the policy of the
management oi the Ihcatpr of hrts nnd
l.e4ers' ! heard h predicted that Mr..
Mcdowell upon whose shoulders thr
whole scheme rests, IuRy not he able 10
COLLECT another audience; but inusmuch
as most of the people present had bought
season tickets az a good round sum. Il
IS probable that IL viii flourish until. the
whole course of the performance Is
over.
Miss Agnes Repplior has been spend.
ing q few days In New York and has
been. teted as all authors of prominence
are ioted nowadays, whenever they ap-
pear M new fields. ] wish Tint some
one would write an article upon the effect
OF auulation upon the modern author.
IN the old days authors had 10 struggle
YIN scAnt incomes and scant esteem.
Now they receive good prices for their
work ana are so overwhelmed with social |
Courteales that | some times wonder
now they are able TO do any work. How |
ever, MISS keppller is not OF the Kind |
that Is likely TO be spoiled She Is pre-
emlnently y woman of common sense.
Il aM FOND of enjoyment" She said 10
me NE other day, land though | nm
Obliged 10 make my living by my pen. / |
prefer 70 DO less work and have moro |
run rather than 10 do more work mud |
nave less fun | think that this fact |
accounts Tor the extreme freshness and |
originality OF her writing. III she were
more rapid and more prolific she wonld /
doubtless lose much Of her charm. Those
VINO know her essays win be surprised |
10 hear that Miss Repplier Is not an ou- |
nlNerous reader. ''lt really takes me a |
long time TO get through n bookV she |
SAYS. II sDpnt several ,,,-aot.. 49,