The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-24

mances. But / cannot tell what the great
public will think. / know so much rs
this-that the story will either make the
authors fame, and so his fortune, or else
it will be q dead failure
Not long after the story was published
in installments, and before many chapters
had been printed it was made plain that
in the United States at least il was to win
great popularity. 1t is the story now SO
widely known as a Gentleman OF
France, and the author is Stanley Wey-
man, who is today probably the most
popular writer of historical romanceS in
Great Britain. Like Conan Doyle and j.
NJ. Barrie, Weyman took up story writing
as an incident TO vocation that was in
tended TO DC his lifcwork. Doyle was a
practicing physician while writing for
some 10 years with some success.
Weymaa has of late had the experience
that befell many writers whose successes
come after some seeming failures. At all
the watering places and summer resorts a
novel Of his is meeting with great sale,
and it is supposed 10 be new tale, just
written. But the fact is that The Story
OF Francis Ciudd" is not a recent work of
Weyman's ;, but was written some years
ago and published obscurely. Nobody
read it. Nobody seems ever to have heard
of it. But when Weyman gained fame
with A Gentleman Of France" and again
with Under the Red Robe, then there
came great demand for anything from his
pen, and 30 the forgotten Story of Francis
Cludd" was republiShed. IL is having
one of the great sales of the summer.
Those who have read it wonder that it
FL a. L. l.
Wcyman is now so prohtably employed
with his pen that he finds no time for pro-
fesSional work. His success confronts
those who have been saying that the day
for the historical romance is passed and
that what the great reading public wants
is picture realistic and almost photo
graphic Of COntemporaneOus life. 1t Is also
a serious setback for the realists, who
have been claiming that modern fiction
should be an exact reproduction of those
characters who live about Us.
Those who depend upon the summer
time for their light reading, or even for
the reading Of exciting romance, would
find the material very scant were it not
for the English writers. Weyman is I'M
doubtedly the great favorite this summer,
as Sarah Grand was last year. The sale
Of the Heavenly Twins has this year
fallen of almost as suddenly as did that
Of Robert Elsmere" which dropped
from a thousand one week to almost moth
ing the next.
DIR. Conan Doyle, who is coming to the
United States in a few weeks, has written
short story soon to be published, and
did ii, the publisher says, within three
days. Doyle, however, is very rapid
writer, as are Barrie and Weyman, whereas
CUTLER Couch like ". d. Howells, is very
slow. Marion Crawford, whose ''kath-
Tine Lauderdalc' is one of the very sue
cessful books Of the summer Is a very
rapid writer. easily turning out a novel in
from four 70 six weeks and often doing
his best work more rapidly than any other
parts Of his stories.
Il i Mr.. Howells' idea that good work
is slow work, and il may be that he j. Of
that opinion because he works slowly,
turning out not more than 600 words a
day. Yet the most successful writers o.
this year are all very fast workmen with
the pen, "a was Dumas, who was often
able 10 write novel Or romance in a week,
and who wrote his two greatest stories,
The Three GuaTd-men and The Count
Of Monte Cristo, within = months. DR..
johnson wrote ''RasSelas'' ia a very few
days, that DE might raise the money 20 pay
the expenses Of his mothers funeral. and
though 80 quickly written il is a elias
-ic. Walter SCOTT Wrote some 81 his best
in SIX weeks, and one OF them
IN les. than q month.
But the summer reading list contains
some new books that are Of great interest
and upon which great toll was put. Miss
Nurtrec : latest story is one Ot the pJpG-
lar books Of the season. and DR. Oliver
Wendell Holmes voices a common opinion
when he says, a. Dee I'D recently. that she
!, one Of the most artistic and successful
D. American u8vell>r--
Professor Bee-s u Yale college has Just
collected and published a volume contain
nc some ~ bis S1oT- stories and they are
meeting with ~uccss- unusual fo- com
1ilar.ous q sb1-5 tales. Many q those
Who have read Pr5i,--or Becrs sketches
have feii tempted 20 say that q creat nov
.li-t j. lot in the college r-ufessor.
Had John ID Barr story \ Dauch-
- cf Thsspl-. now running in the Mex
crs Tribune ben finished ia tiJae for
publication II hook form Thu. summer. r.
would have been sure % attrac- = ido and
lyrhaVS critical comment. and very likely
lay, gained v.de-l al Popularity. The
aDsattCr q last year. ships That PAS
10 the Night. DIDO. 49, Yellow A.
~ and a >ure-tilols Woman have
lsd their Day ard have been Lttle called
% during the prs-eut season
K J. EDEAEDs