The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-28
THE NOVEL Of WOMAN.
Secrets That Are Now Revealed TO
the Public for tho First
Time
A Conversation Between Two
Women Who Had Written
as Many Books.
How to sscuvs Characters and Carry Them
Through-Love, Filtration and Joal-
ousy the Ingredients.

1 never knew o a woman constructed
that strange and wonderful creation, "a
woman novel" until / accidentally over
heard the following conversation between
Mrs. Kate Jenkins Shyster and Mrs. Gertie
Dunderleld:
"Do you know, Gertio," began Mrs. Kate,
"I've written n real novel at last, and it's
the. dearest thing you ever saw I've got
the ~loveliest man in It.. He's an artist and
awfnlly clever and very polite and nice"
I've put Mr.. Sterns into my new novel;"
answered her friend. you know him.
that awful prig who fell in love with me
when We were ut the beach last summer.
Didn't I wind him round my little finger
thought"
MY hero" went on Mrs. Kate, speaking
Of her own book, meets u lovely girl down
at the beach. You know how Mr.. Throck-
ton met Jennie Sturgis last summer and
4iirted her all around? Inever put real peo-
pie into books, but l 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, I
saw Mr.. T. kiss Jennie on the cheek, and
she paid no moro attention to 1t than il he
had been-been brushing off a fly.
Il made Mr.. Stems falAin love with Jen-
ME too. You know she had a filtration with
him before Mr.. Throckton and you came
down. 1t was nothing but q Irritation. She
never let Mr.. Storms kiss her-no, l can tell
you. though she made him want to SO much
he could hardly stand it. don't think she
is quite such a flirt as l made her out in my
novel, but l wanted a good, cold blooded
Irritation, and ! had to, you know"
There was q slight pause after this. Then
Mrs. Kate went on:
when l 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 I had to
do something to amuse the readers in the
meantime. I've heard that if you put a
certain number Of people together they will
be sure to do something. So at last I
people and just a 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 Gillis,
who whined all lifetime when we were over
at Long Branch, and that timid little wom-
an who never spoke to anybody. 1t took
quite a while to describe all these people,
n when / got them described l simply
had to make them do something, and I
didn't nave room. So l 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 n two
who simply flirt. First they firt 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 peo-
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 flu
ture Of the novel in the United States and
all that. never think Of putting that in
the first time l write it out until something
clever happens to come to me. But gener-
ally l wait Until Pm done with the plot of
the story, and then ! ask some gentleman
know to give mo some notes on the topic
! want, and l write up some discussions
and put them In separate chapters. Once
in awhile l put 1t in the ordinary CONVEX
sation, but I don't like that because some
people do not enjoy that sort of thing, and
if it is put in separate chapters they can
skip it easily, while if 1t is in the middle of
anice love dialogue 1t makes them mad, for
they don't know how far to skip, aud they
want to get to the love, you know. Idon't
blame hem any, for l should do just that
myself if were reading a novel. But PEG
pie talk SO you have to put that learned
stuff in. The newspaper critics are sure to
discuss it. and that advertises the book
too"
II never could do that" replied Mrs.
Kate. II often regret it. People call me
light and frivolous, and | know Pm not a
bit more frivolous than you are, and they
call you strong and virile.' Oh, dear, |
wish | could do it'll
But l made my novel end in just a love
ly way. 1t all came about through a COW.
She got frightened and threw herself in his
arms"
"Whos The COW did"
1.-THE girl, of course. You needn't make
fun of me-"
II was just wanting to give you a lesson
In English. You kno the use of language
Ia a very important thing. I've studied it
awfully hard, and some Of my gentlemen
friends usually look over my stories to see
II I've made any horrid mistake in gram
mar or rhetoric. The newspaper men are
used to that sort of thing, you know"
II wish l knew some newspaper men,
cried Mrs. Kate dolefully. "All the people
I'm acquainted with are nice folks-gentle
men, you know"
IF my newspaper friends are not gentle
men, then I'm not a lady, and you had bet
ter get right out Of here"
"Oh, | was saying | wish l had such
friends 1t would help me any amount
Only ! don't seem to have the tact to at
tract them"
After this there was a long pause. The1
Mrs. Gertie said meditatively:
kate, do you suppose we shall be ia
nous after wedie, like Thackeray and Scot
and-Shakespeare' One gentleman tolt
me he thought l was the leading light o
my age. And why shouldn't we of this ag,
be just as famon as those horrid mel wer,
OF the last agey When this gets to be tn,
last age, won't we be the big lights thenS''
You are perfectly sacrilegious, Gertiel'
exclaimed Mrs. Kate. Think of comparin,
yourself to Thackeray."
But you can never tell. I suppose any
of us may turn out immortal. You cal
never tell till after you're dead. Oh, deari'
philadelphia Press.
VUn,--- n..a n-- --I.- n