Evening journal., 1893-07-31

! never knew how a woman constructed
that strange and wonderful creation, "a
woman's novel. until accidentally over
heard the following conversation between
Mrs. Kate jenkins Shyster and Mrs Gertie
Dunderfield
40 you know, Gertie," began Mrs. Kate,
"Ive written a real novel at last. and it's
the dearest thing you ever saw I've got
the loveliest man in il. He's an artist and
awfully clever and very polite and nice"
I've put Mr.. Stems into my new novel;"
answered her friend. You know him
that awful prig who fell in love with me
when we were at the beach last summer.
Didn't wind him round my little finger
thought"
my hero" went on Mrs. Kate, speaking
Of her own book. meets lovely girl down
at the beach, You know how Mr.. Throck-
ton met Jennie Sturgis last summer and
airted her all aroundy Inever put real PEG
pie into books, but couldn't help thinking
Of her described those lovely moonlight
nights, and | made him kiss her on the sly,
which she never noticed Do you know,
saw Mr. T. kiss Jennie on the cheek and
she paid no more attention to IL than IL he
had been-been brushing of fly.
81 made Mr. Stems fall in love with Jen-
ME too You know she had Irritation with
| him before Mr.. Throckton and you came
down. IL was nothing but filtration. She
never let Mr.. Stems kiss her-no I can tell
you, though she made him want to so much
he could hardly stand it. don't think she
| is quite such firt as made her out in my
novel, but wanted a good. cold blooded
Irritation, and l had to, you know"
There was a slight pause after this. Then
Mrs. Kate went oni
| when / got through with them at the
beach, didn't know what on earth to do
with them meant TO keep them off and
on, you know, till the end of the book and
then make them get married, but had to
do something to amuse the readers in the
meantime. I've heard that II you put
certain number of people together they will
he sure TO do something. So at last
thought would introduce a lot of horrid
people and just fairly nice girl or two and
see what they would DO. So put in little
Fanny Baxter you know, and old Stanton,
who was so cross TO me, and Grandma ellis,
who whined all the time when we were over
at Long Branch, and that timid little WON
an who never spoke to anybody. 1t took
quite while to describe all these people,
but when / got them described simply
had to make them do something, and l
didn't have room. So 1 concluded to write
the thing all over and leave out a few"
II never have any trouble Of that sort, "
said Mrs. Gertie II always have six peo-
ple-two married, two engaged and two
who simply flirt First they fiirt with each
other, then with the married people and
then with the lovers They make them
break their engagement, and they make
one fall in love with one of the married PEG
pie, and that makes a scandal. Oh, have
no trouble with my plots at ALI
But my trouble comes in putting in the
moral conversation, you know, and talking
about politics and Bellamyism and the fu
ture of the novel in the United States ant
. lall that. never think Of putting that il
II the first time wrteit out until something
| clever happens TO come to me. But gener
! lally wait until I'm done with the plot o
the story, and then I ask some gentleman
~ know to give me some notes on the topi
] 1 | want, and / write up some discussion
u and put them in separate chapters. Ono
. / in awhile put it in the ordinary CONVEX
, sation, but don't like that because SOM
[ kpeople do not enjoy that sort of thing, an,
L if il is put in separate chapters they cal
/ skip it easily, while II it is in the middle o
nice love dialogue it makes them mad, 70
q they don't know how far to skip, and the,
: want to get TO the love, you know. I don
, blame them any, for should do Just tina
a myself il were reading a novel But pee
/ pie talk so you have to put that learne
1 ! stuff in. The newspaper critics are sure
/, / discuss it, and that advertises the bool
II too"
Il never could do that" replied Mrs
Kate. Il often regret it. People call m
= light and frivolous, and know I'm not
Il F.frs nd ha
y call you strong and virile. Oh, dear,
e wish could do i'll
. "But made my novel end In Just a love
a | " way. II all came about through a COW
She got frightened and threw herself in hi
! | arms"
u "Whof The cow didw
3 1.-THE girl, Of course. You needn't max
fun of me-"
Il was just wanting to give you a lesso
in English. You know the use of languag
: Ia a very important thing. I've studied
: awfully hard, and some of my gentleme
: friends usually look over my stories TO s,
: If I've made any horrid mistake in gran
mar or rhetoric. The newspaper men al
used to that sort of thing, you know"
: 81 wish | knew some newspaper men,
: cried Mrs. Kate dolefully. "All the poop
I'm acquainted with are nice folks-gentl
: men, you know"
IF my newspaper friends are not gentl
: men, then Pm not lady, and you had be
= ter get right out of here"
"Oh, | was saying wish | had su,
friends. 1t would help nae any amour
Only don't seem 20 have the tact to d
tract them"
: After this there was a long pause. TIT
Mrs. Gertie said medtatively;
Kate do you suppose we shall be {
nous after we die, like Thackeray and Sec
q and-Shakespeare? One gentleman to
= me he thought was the leading light
my age. And why shouldn't we Of this a
be Just as lannon's as those horrid men we
of the last agey When this gets to be t
last age, won't we be the big lights them
"You are perfectly sacrilegious, Gertie
exclaimed Mrs Kate Think of compar
voursslf TO Thackeray."
but you can never tell. I suppose a
of us may turn out immortal You c
never tell till after you're dead. Oh, dear
Philadelphia Press
Where Rose Terry Cooke Failed.
The late Rose Terry Cooke had an amt