davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

knew the skeletons and muscles of
animals 1 knew their equilibrium of
parts from actual study.
you went to nature?'
YES; and then 1 always had, some
way, an intuitive conception of what
animals would do under certain cir
cumstances. / could see them-See
them in groups. 1 knew nothing about
conventional composition, but L could
see my subjects, every gesture, intui-
lively"
'I reckon the intuition could be ac-
counter for on natural grounds. You
had always loved animals, and OBJ
served them unconsciously; isn't that
SOP"
He replied in one of those unique
phrases he uses when nothing but
hyperbole is capable of expressing the
fact.
Eyes, I always studied animals 1
could sit down before an animal and
drink him dry"
Can you account for the power?"
mo, only the Almighty gave it to
me- he said, with swift return to
solemnity.
But you hadn't seen the buffalo
Hold on, we're getting ahead of the
story" he said, and the humorous
look came back to his eyes. when
sold that group of wolves to the park,
naturally headed for the west. Oh
that tripi" He glowed with the mem
ory of it. 81 saw the buffalo. L am one
lof the few artists living who have
hunted and killed buffalo
| From this forward he proceeded
without interruption to tell me of that
wonderful trip. He told of the wagon
| train crawling slowly toward Fort
Leavenworth; he described the plants
as they seemed to him then; he told OF
his first antelope, of his first view OF
the Rocky mountains looming over the
! level sod, almost 200 miles away
cloud-like masse there in the western
sky he said, with a little catching OF
the breath.
1T came back to me with mighty
power
81 know. known l broke in.
THE Spanish peaks, and away to the
north-Pike's Peak. How long ago
was that?"
twenty-five years ago."
How l envy you that tripl 1 never
saw the buffalo. They were always
just a little beyond. The deer and an
telope and wolves we had, but not the
buffalo. Wen?"
Il found myself finally in the buffalo
country, but strapped for money and
HODOuy ~ lelp IIc Oul. L welt W one
hunting party just ready to go out, and
asked them what they'd take to let me
go along. What can you do?' they
asked. We'll, can cook a little, and
shoot little and play the banjo"
" Can you play the banjo? That set
| ties it. Come right along
ooh, we had a noble life! 1 was
happy now. Every night 1 had all the
animals 1 could use for dissection and
posing 1 used to sit around on a row
of hides after supper, and sing. The
boys always called for The Lady in
Grape They never seemed to tire of
| it."
q don't know that one. Sing it!
sing itp'
He snatched up the banjo, and gave
a few quick, characteristic passes
across the strings, and sang THE Lady
| in Grape" college ditty of delicious
absurdity. At the end he said with
quizZical smile:
Fancy singing that for a serious
production every night for six
months
He stopped playing abruptly. 81
Travelled with those fellows till 1 had
all the best of the plains animals
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
LETTERS FROM LITERARY PER-
SONS.
II. Payn in the Cornhill Magazine.1

II. Payn in the Cornhill MagaZine.1
Apropos of letters from literary per-
sons. they are, from a literary point of
view, seldom worth reading, chiefly
from their brevity. To paraphrase
famous line, '"Their worst they give,
their best they keep''-for printing pur-
poses. The demand for their produc-
tions from the public is too great and
pressing to admit of their favoring
private friends beyond a genial word or
two. Two genera tons ago this was not
the case. Dickens, indeed, wrote let
tiers as good as any of his books, and
comparatively long ones, but he had a
boundless store of ideas, and could af-
ford to bestow them in all directions,
and as it were, with both hands
George Eliot also wrote long letters
to her correSpondentS-the dulleSt in
the language; there are some unpub-
lished ones lying before me, artificial,
pompous, would-be philosophical, but
unspeakably dull. She had no gift of
letter writing at all. 1t is amazing to
compare her efforts for they are full
of efforD in this way. with the ease
and charm of an authoress like Miss
Milford. for example, with whom, of
course. in other intellectual respects,
there can be no comparison. But Miss
Milford belonged to a literary genera
ton which did write letters. Miss
Martineau. too, wrote good ones,
though of a very different sort. I
have scores of the letters of both in
my desk only alike in that they are
full of home kindness. Both these
maiden ladies were essentially mother
ly women.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
THE LEMURs OF MADAGASCAR.

TFrom the Cornhill MagaZine.]
The most abundant Of the forest ami
mails are undoubtedly the lemurs. Of
these creatures about thirty species are
in Madagascar. Some of them are
found only in the western part of the
island; others are confined to the east;
some live in the forest; one species the
ring-tailed lemur) inhabits the bare
rocky hills of the southern INTERIOR;
Others find their habitat among the
bamboos of the riversides; others,
again, make their home in the tall
rushes of the marshes; some roam over
a wide extent of country; others are
exclusively confined to particular To-
calities, but large number of them
have their habitat in the great eastern
forest.
To describe the habits of these crea-
lures on by one would be impossible, as
no careful observations have been
made on the subject. Besides, many
of the lemurs are nocturnal, rendering
it difficult task to learn their habits
in their native haunts. 1t is scarcely
necessary to say that all the forest
lemurs, like the monkey, which they
distinctly resemble, lead an arboreal
life, skipping from tree to tree with the
most marvellous agility. Some of them
TOdHl Ile lOreSlS SlHSIy, SUITE III pan .,
others are gregarious, wandering about
from place to place in bands of from
eight to a dozen.
1t is an interesting sight to see a
family of these agile, graceful crea-
lures f1inging theselves one after an
other from tree to tree in their forest
journeyings, the father or grandfather
of the family leading the way, the baby
1emurs clinging tightly to the long
thick hair of their mothers. Occasion
ally they may be observed Willing
away their time in mere play, evident
ly brimful of frolicsome enjoyment.
The lemurs vary considerably in size,
some species being as large as a good
sized monkey, others being no larger
than a rat
In some places the cry of the lemurs
may be heard almost continuously,
making the forest ring again A pro
longed melancholy wall is character
istic of one or two of the more common
kinds, giving the impression that the
creature is suffering from intense pain.
The cry of others is a mere grunt, fire.
quently repeated. One species occa-
sionally quacks like a duck The-na-
tives who live in and about the forest
can recognize the species at once by
their voices
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

woke me up. What are you doing
here? You have not done your work -
l didn't know what to do. l went back
to work like man sentenced to hang.
Couldn't see any other way out of it.
but suddenly l found myself on my way
to New York.
Reaching New York he was as far
apparently from his work as ever He
had to live and so (by great good for
tune) secured place as axeman on
the engineer corps of Central Park.
His life for year and half was very
gloomy. He suffered from terrible
headaches of a congestive sort, caused
by an accident some years before
which depressed the bridge of his nose
and interfered with the blood circula-
| ton in the nasal passages.
There he was, worst of all, working
for 81 per day with the ceaseless urs-
ing to do something, he had no clue to
what it might be.
The only thing which gave me keen
pleasure he said, was studying the
wild animals in the park. 1 had deter
mined TO keep working along at all
kinds of things hoping to strike the
right thing at last. 1 felt sure 1 would
know it instantly. At last it came"
This moment, which he then described
TO me in swiftly moving phrases
is one of the most marvellous in the
history of art. He happened to see an
old sculptor modelling the head ofs a
wolf. Quick as lightning came the
| thought came to him
Il can do that! l felt it for an abso-
lutte certainty. The old man laughed
at me, but it made no impression on
me. My fingers itched to get hold of
that wax
He then related, with wealth of de-
nf.f, III ,t.~l.% L.
carried his bunch of wax to his room
too excited to eat or sleep and there
modelled his wolf head with the jaws
open. The Old sculptor had been work
ing upon one with the jaws closed.
And then 1 sat down and waited for
daylight, in order to show my work to
the family. l wanted to be certain. 1
wasn't sure but my ina gination had
made me see VOLTS head in lump
of wax. l knew it was a critical mo-
ment with me-the most critical of all
my life. l went down carrying the
head covered with a handkerchief I
shook with excitement. / wanted it a
test, so l said, Now I've got something
to show you. If you recognize it, say so
quick. don't hesitate Then | jerked
the handkerchief away. It's a wolf
they said"
L realized the dramatic Importance of
l}ldL lnOliitHN, DuI SOHlSlllng IN MS
voice led me to understand he had not
reached the climax of his story
Il was wonderfully pleased but
was not satisfied. 1 went back and
modelled another head. l brought il
down just as before, and when l uncov-
cred it they said: Why. it's LAIR
Lap was their dog. That settled il. I
had come TO my own. l had struck the
TRAIL" he added with characteristic
resort to the venacular of the plains
to cover his deep emotion
"All this without Instruction.,
Nothing but study of the fact" he
said. 1t was magnificent to see him
now. He walked away a little and
turned.
He uttered himself broadly power
fully, as befits a great natural artist
He had no fear or thought of being
egotistical His strong hands spread
and clutched like an eagles talons. his
voice was full Of downward infections.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
GROUP OF BIAS RELIEF, BY KEMEys.

buffalo, antelope, cayote. It's curl
Gus thing, but I've always accom-
Iplished the thing I wanted to do and
that was best for me--without any
money as If Almighty Providence put
the things in my way"
This note he struck again and again.
In his marvellous life full of toll and
unrest, the fact of succeeding had been
so mysterious it seemed like predesti-
it was, who shall say
Nov just see," he went on Il want
ed to go to the mountains, but the
party was turning back. The very
night before they started east / fell
and broke my arm. 1 couldn't travel,
so they just left me there with my
partner. That night I became deliri-
Gus. When 1 came to myself l was in
the tent of an Omaha chief His name
was White Buffalo. and he became my
friend and helped me in every pos
sible.
so without any effort on my part I
was dropped into an Indian life. 1
seemed always to be following the
genius Of this new art whose home was
in the west. l thought of it SO much
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

Georgia, weren't you? He sat down
facing me and studied, me with return
kintentness.
Yes. but 1 came north when was a
Wild I'm Welsh descent. Kemeys is
pure Welsh.
so it is. I'd always, supposed it to
be German. It's another enc of those
typical American combinations, amt
St? Here's man born in Georgia of
Welsh parents, Of Welsh descent, be-
come our sculptor Of wild animals. Now
I'm going to confess that Pm here to
find out how that happened. l want
you to put me in possession of the main
facts. How did you begin?"
He did not speak for moment. His
head dropped and his face grew grave.
retrospect was not predominantly
en i think of the things I've been
-<r,ugh-'' He drew deep breath
St's as if some angel of life had said,
I'm give you gifts-but Eli give suffer-
ing too. / don't complain, understand,
hut rye paid with the blood out Of my
heart for all I've done. I've had to be
alone; I've had to do my work alone"
''I know what you mean. 1t is not
the first time parents have bequeathed
a great gift to son and then failed to
understand him.
Eyes. but l can't trace particle of
my power to my people. That's the
strange thing about it all"
1T might have been latent in 'em for
ell of that. But tell me of your early
iife.''
In few words de slketched his early
boyhood in Scarborough on the Rud-
son, where his father lived till Edward
wSs about 13 years Of age. His face
(e1Vasi sonlbre as he told of his home in
FNew York city and his school life
there, but at length his face lighted up.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

said, with curious intentness and
gravity. Il knew ye were near. Come
an"
stepped into his modest studio I'M
imposing in its walls but full of inter-
Aging things. Everything was of the
hi life. A miniature bronze grizzly
Red across a pedestal toward a 1.-the
b5aguar. Az Arrapahoe warrior in
clined in relief upon a slab. A king
buffalo calmly regarded some distant
object from height. Wolves, coons,
prairie chickens. elk, mountain sheep
looked out from bronze PLAQUES, or
casts of clay Splendid Indian orna-
an, It's, moccasins of chiefs, quivers,
and weapons of various kinds hung up
on the wall
From there l turned to the man him
self, an erect and active figure. He
was dressed in a sort of long frock Of
yellow and white linen and wore a
green velvet cap. He appeared to be
about forty-five years of age, hair
little gray, moustache clipped little
short. He looked bold resolute man
of middle age. His figure thin but sim
envy, was active as an Indians and as
erect.
Take a chair. Take that one on the
left. You'll find it easier" he said as
he started to cover clay head on his
easel.
Don't do that, want to look at it.
What is it?"
It's a bust of Duluth. I'm working
on an order for twenty medallions
for the Marquette building here. to in
clude explorers, coruiers de Bots, In
dams, etc.
The face of the old French explorer
was serious, intent, like one who had
$50 faced Gods mystery in the woods.
AS / rose to look at fine grim old
Arapahoe face on a PLAGUE, my ell
bow touched one of the curious horns
Of a mountain sheep and it fell with
/clatter Kemeys caught it and set it
Epp again carefully.
1.-THE old fellow wanted to be no
Eaiced," he said with smile. HE don't
kaKe to be forgotten. 1 never can go
sby him without hearing from him.
Same way with a big elk hide / have.
Always throws one down If 1 walk over
him without thinking Of him. When L
trip UP and say excuse me, the old
fellow smooths out again" All this
with quaint convincing earnestness.
"A banjo. Do you play?" 1 said as
we faced about.
"Oh. touch it up a little in my own
way" he replied evasively. Il carried
d banjo on ali my trips to the wilder
nSss.
/"That must be part of your south
.-ern Inheritance. You were born in
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

told of their games, of their life in the
tents.
They're fine as the Greeks, only diff
ferent, of course" he said. Il am
going to do a series of studies of them
at their games and their hunting.
Nothing finer in the world. They'd
make a superb frieze."
How did their life in general i'm
press your / asked.
GAS being very natural. They left
J. you free to do as you liked. They did
not suggest, but helped to do. 1 think
Il learned more there during that six
months than at any other time. And
right here let me say don't make too
much of my hunting. l was a hunter
| for purpose-to study men and ami
mails. / am sculptor of animals from
choice, not because it is easy. L expect
to do more and more in the way of
human figures"
OF this wild life and this mountain
region which we both love so well we
talked long.
''Well, now, you went back to New
York after each trip?'
His face darkened and he made a
gesture of defence. Don't ask me.
don't like to think of that part of it
Yes, I'd go back to New York and work
till 1 sold something and then-back
west again.
"They did buy things occasionallyY
Yes, 1 had friends who believed in
me-Theodore Roosevelt, Julian Haw.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

She modestly disclaims the possession
of any special power.
She is almost as remarkable in many
ways as her husband. Her marvellous
physique, her skill as hunter and her
energy and adaptability make her a
perfect comrade to him when they go
out into the wilderness.
We sat down before the open fire and
continued our talk. As the night fell
and the freight grew in power he
took up the banjo and sang snatches of
negro song and initiated the Indian
chants for me and told more of his life
with the Indians. A strange and won
derful people. A people of great dig
nifty and power, mixed with cruelty
and ignorance.
They are psychologist race. Put
any white man on the same environ
ment with the man that comes to dom
mate them in psychologist way-may-
be mesmeric-I don't know that 1 can
explain"
In everything he said there was a
deep earnestness and a curious dra-
matte intensity, such as he puts into
many of his groups.
He is religious man. Not in way of
creed. l do not think he has a creed
but he feels purposes and powers run-
ming all through nature, and through
his own life
"All things seem to come round to
me if 1 wait" he said. He spoke of
the things he wanted to do. To put
into bronze some of the splendid poses
Of American workmen.
Like that" 1 suggested pointing
toward the street
A mounted lamp-lighter came dash
ing up to the corner and lighted the
lamp almost at a gallop. He fingered
on the eye with supberb backward
twist We looked at each other.
There is one right at your door"
az know it, he replied. II watch for
him every night. I'll do him some
time
You must. And that mail clerk in
the mail car too
down to the splendid pose of a railway
postal clerk in a car door. He was
1 had called his attention on the way
dressed in thin white shirt and white
duck trousers. His neck was bare to
his breast, and his 1.-THE figure was
splendid to see as ne stood there lean
ing to catch a breath of air.
"There are a million subjects for the
finest artist right here and now" he
said.
What I like about your whole cam
paign, Kemys, is this. You've been
yourself, you've been American, you've
stood for original research all through
1t hasn't been 'cornmuck' all the way
but it's going to count in American
sculpture. Like Howells and Whitman
and Riley, you've taken things at first
hand. No doubt of that.
I've tried to- he replied. ''It would
be great pleasure to me if 1 could aid
the young sculptors to go ahead in
their own way and do the things that
are characteristic of America"
"Your example will do that, but it
will be all the better to let them know
by word as well as deed
He fingered a bit and his thought
was clear and definite He knows
from whence his success has come.
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

his words came like gusts of mountain
wind.
About this time 1 woke up. No
more indecision. began to feel my
wings expand. 1 felt l could do any
thing, anything in sculpture. All
needed was subjects. That night l sat
down and made a list of the things
must do"
'.Of what character?"
"All Wild Deer fighting panther,
wolves fighting buffalo, and that sort.
The first group did I sold to Phila-
delphia for the park-A group of
wolves. The second thing / sold in
England for 81 100. and the third group
carried me into the Salon at Paris
1 clasped hands in enthusiasm.
GLORIOUS! All without Instruction. p
1 wished to emphasize the point.
Absolutely. 1 never had an hours
instruction from any teacher"
That's royal That's the power
which creates"
"But 1 always studied animals -
he went on. Il knew the facts. 1
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

|outside-insde the presence of the
sculptor is everywhere.
In little hall as you enter are his
trophies. Over the mantle a mountain
sheep, opposite a huge black buffalo
glows, under the corner is the head of
grizzly bear, the hero and almost the
victor in battle with the sculptor.
A beautiful bronze prairie clock
brought back my days on the farm in
spring. A mountain lion in a beauti-
full and singularly gracious pose looked
down from a stand as if from high
rock.
In each room bronze reproductions in
frames decorated the walls. Indian
ornaments. heads, arrows, pipes. in
all abound
The chief ornament of his home is
his beautiful wife, his actual comrade
and helpmeet. Mrs. Kemeys is also
sculptor and works with her husband
each day. She superintends the re-
production of his work and aids him
in a manual way when she is not
studying. She hopes to be able to take
up his art and become his fellow artist
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
). 1 had lovely friends there;

thorne. 1 had lovely friends there;
couldn't have lived without them
when did that trip abroad come
?' l asked, recalling him to the east.
I'm 1877. l went abroad to see what
they would think of me over there.
My friends all said 1 must do it. I
didn't want to go and l nearly died
when 1 did go. Homesick all the time
miserable! Lost flesh. 1 don't know
what 1 would have done without Haw-
ithorne. I went to England first and l
held an exhibition there. Then l went
Ito Paris. L stayed there until I put
the buffalo and wolves into the salon.
oh, but l was homesick When l
found myself on shipboard with my
nose pointed for America, 1 could have
turned handsprings all over the deck
Since then, to make a short story of
1T, I've had my studio in the east, but
at every opportunity I've made pill
grimages to the wilderness 1 don't
know that I've told you the things you
needed to know"
Now you must come nome with
me-" added the sculptor, laying his
cap of green velvet and his apron of
linen aside.
Mr.. Kemeys has located in Chicago.
I'm a thousand miles nearer my
work." he smilingly said. His home is
on the south side, near the Bryn Mawr
station. The cottage is not noticeable
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

said, with a curious intentness and
gravity. Il knew ye were near. Come
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09

1 came to make a personality of it. /
felt I must seek her in the mountain
fastness of the west. wanted to go
to the very heart of the wilderness and
then come to the mountains. 1 went
all through them. 1 met the mountain
animals; 1 killed them-grizzlies, sheep.
wolves. The Indians brought me spec
linens also. Their interest and criti-
cisnl would make many white man
ashamed of himself. They made no
mistakes about men or animals.
went to the hearts core of our Ameri-
can wilderness. 1t yielded up its most
carefully guarded secrets to me-
AS these scenes came crowding back
upon him he became tremendously
dramatic. He dropped into the sign
Language, ne dramatized the Indians
and spoke their dialect. He told stories
of their hospitality, of their horne life,
of their treatment of him, almost in
variably kind. 1 drew out that he had
lived with the Crows, the Omahas, the
Brule Sioux, the Shoshones, the Arapa-
hoes and several other tribes. He
The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-09
BY Hamlin Garland.
tCopyright. 1894, by S. S. Mcclure, Linn
tied I

tCopyright. 1894. by s. S. Mcclure, Linn
ited.l
Edward Kemeys is mystic. His
mysticism is not of books, it arises
rather from a knowledge Of words and
wild spaces-from a love of mountains,
from the breadth of the plains. Like
the American Indian he has come to
feel nature as something very close and
very sentient. The phase of his char
acter Chalf jocular in its expression)
is perceived first of all.
In answer to my knock his light
rapid walk approached the door; it
!. opened a bit and his impressive face
HSoolsed forth moments space in sill
ence Theu his hand extended, his
gray eyes expanded. Il felt ye," he