New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-12

Continent that loved. II II nam oee's ~ rsa
and for the sake of the Mater. too. OF course
d't th,nE should have pulled up sticks and be-
come one Of those expatriated hmericanS hd
Henry James used to write ABOUT 50 IA ~. is.ad
should never have known what iii. M.
"You are beginning to make me almost IKE
New-York." she said with smile. IN repy' ~,
"Oh. of course you'll like it. Your love II py
and by But don't see now people VINO SCI o Ky
ubat thev call the nice side OF New ork ne
ever can like it. 1t is so terripiy pIosaIc ~ spe
of all its interest. What could De more s.upeiS
ing than the blocks upon blocks Oh pro"hS'o"e
houses uptown" vi, couldn't
when first came TO New-forK IL coulun
believe that there was any Rome lie mere
He laughed and replied that he wasn't sur,
nrised But there really is plenty OF 1.-THE real
old article as real as the kihu 1hey na1s -
England. only more free ana cay ,,a tb'ni,
that all novelists would want TO come mere;
There's so much material so much IRE OF an
kinds and such fine bacKgfounn' . pre 70
of them" he went on with sign, prefer ~
write about what they don't know or what they
read" >, ~, ,a
But you believe in reading, don't you! sara
Evelyn prompted by her instructive BostoAiah-
ism. . TO-. aooa
"Oh. Of course. But not too much rs dead
ening Europe taught me that. When ! was III
Cambridge | thought that al, life mad Deen put
into books. Haven't you ever heard ABOUT the
undergraduate who said ne dislked the country,
he preferred reading about Nature TO STUDYING
Nature herself SO many writers know arc JUST
like that though they don't know IL. ihey We
spoiled themselves by reading too much The
deeper they 50 into books the further they get
away from life. Now, At always seems 10 me
that Oswald Webb is on. of these
But he-his is different. it's so peculiar
she demonstrated quietly.
Yes / know about IT, that is. / know what
they say and what observed myself when was
in Boston. Yet he is he very one mat mrs.
warned me against too much reading lie pointed
out the dangef 10 me when was In coliege'
did he reay% said Evelyn Then she Won
dered why she should have o-en surprised
He used to hold himself up to me as warn
ing" Ewing laughed. Webb takes himseIi very
seriously YOU know sometimes think II he
took himself less seriously he would nave accom-
plished more. He would have worked harder ana
bemoaned his lost opportunities less Do'' YOU
think so?" ,,,
'Oh. don't know. don't know" she replied
hastily. - ...
There never was a better fellow in the world or
kinder friend. But he always seemed 10 ne %
lacl<-well / don't know--the quality tnat makes
men get there in spite Of everything. NO" II ne
had gone on writing he would have become a
realst as as fate ,,
"Tm afraid he would" said Evelyn. thinking
Of his wife as she appeared that first day on the
You're afraid" Ewing cried. What, are you
going back on realism?
! "Oh no no / didn't mean that she ex-
planned Il was thinking Of his life-Mr. Weoos
II was $3.50 difficult"
Yes he. certainly knew some thing OF the terri
bic realities OF HE. wonder IL ne w any
~Oh I'm sure he will" she cried. and then she
fet ashamed OF her prophetic enthusiasm But
Ewing apparently didn't notice IT,
II hope So He had talent enough. But think
| Of the years since he's written fiction. He's iost
/ the habit"
/ She recalled this conversation many times after
ward Indeed for a time she fairly broodei over
/ IT, Oswald Webb and Clarke Ewing were so an
fercnt from each other and yet IN many ways
Ewings temperament that Webb lacked; that
might have been due to his age once she asksd
herself which was the broader OF the t"o' ai,u
| she had To acknowledge. almost against heT VIII
that the Younger was. though his observations
! lacked the keenness OF Oswald Webbs. Indeed
Ewings interest in life had the erect OF sul 1i,
| latIng her own In her walks with him he called
| her attention 70 things she had never observed
before; his quiet insight into details surprised her
and his sense Of beauty and Of the PICTURESQUE
/ made her feel ashamed Of her own. In Centrai
! Park where they sometimes walked late IN the
! afternoon. he pointed out thousand Things 'hdt
| she would have passed over but for hlm ne
| called her attention TO the purple haze in the
| trees and to the varying tints of the atmosphere
| as the winter advanced toward spring. and they
would watch the changing lights In the sunset
| as they shot among the bare boughs. once she
asked him why he didn't describe natural scenery
more In hts stories, and he told her ne had trled
to describe Il and had falled ne never coulu ~
prcss what he saw. And after all, he added
what people like 70 read about is other people
with the same interests and joys. and griefs as
| thelv own" Then after moment, he went on
with a smile yet scenery sometimes seems 10 me
more personal than people. I mean In It's efects;
! It tells one thing 70 one observer ana another
| thing 10 another. Now, the great charm 10 me
about writing "A play is that X appeals 10 the eye
as well as the UNDERSTANDING. and OF course
a story appeals only 10 the understanding
reach every one. and when man
writes successful play he has the salts,
faction OF knowing that ne reaches the heart Oh
the whole public. 50 many things IN novels you
| know are lost on most readers. That used u as
hearten me SO much at hrst-until Oswald WeoD
said something about it that l shall never
! forget"
What was thatr' Evelyn asked.
"Td written him letter about II just after
Social Parasites appeared | said people were
pralsng the very things in the story that didn't
! like that wished hadn't written. and ignoring
the little touches the most precious OF all he
wrote back that nothing was ever really lost III
a story That every one Of my points would
touch some reader. It's great consolation TO me
sometimes TO think ~ that.
Ewing must have been elated by the success OF
| his play. for deception continued To be given
In New-York TIL the LIST OF March. The critics
pronounced the run remarkable and said II
| showed that drama depending for Its success
chiefly on literary merit. on brilliancy OF dia-
logue. could succeed outside OF Boston. Evelyn
was sorry that her life In the fiat had come 10 an
end: but she didn't dread the road as she once
had done; she and Madge would still 1--we to-
sether and keep each other from being homesick.
Evelyns influence on Madge had somewhat SUB,
dued the spirit OF the soubrette. though IL s'.lI
| reading now and then. when she had nothing
else to do; but she pronounced the books Evelyn
liked rot" and gave attention only u sucn
novels as Airy Fairy Lillian" "Cometh UP as a
| Flower" Loved but Was Iured Away. Fair
| and False" "Moonshre and Marguerite" Her
| favorite author Rhoda Broughton. whose
| passion for the present tense gave her great de-
light. She said she thought Evelyn was awfully
| affected to read such dry things; that was be-
cause she came from Boston; everybody was
affected in Boston. everybody wanted TO be 1T
crary HISTORIANS didn't know what 1t was TO
! really enjoy anything.
From NewYork the company went 10 Butalo.
| and then worked out toward the West The sea-
| son was to close with four weeks engagement
| I'm Boston beginning about the middle of April.
! Contrary u the opinion of the New-fork critics.
! the metropolitan success of the play made IL
| successful on the road and II was everywhere
| praised. Ewing present at the first perform
| ancn ~ the nlece In Buffalo but he returned the