The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-06-06
YES, SHE WAS INTERVIEWED
MISS HARRADEN GIVES HER M
PREssIoNS OF AMERICA.
She Talks of Her "sbips" and Proves
TO BE Very Interesting, Although
She Does Not Believe In Interviews.
So She Says-A Lady Who Never Re-
fused Her Autograph.

| lTdlIS, ana WITHOUT moment y Heslld-
ton 1 approached her. AS If TO greet me-
she turned and looked full in my face,
with such glorious dark eyes that l ut
terly forget that a pair OF pincenez
| cleaned between us.
| May l speak TO you a moment"
asked. for 1 saw two people were stand
ing by her.
Yes! Yesr she said, taking a step
toward me. What have I done now?
| Anything wrong?"
mo. indeed. Are you Miss Harraden?"
I asked. Yes. am" she said in such
a sweet English voice. Then, 1 am Miss
Sheldon. l replied. at which our right
hands clasped. and she put her left hand
| in the friendliest way on my shoulder,
| saying. How very, very kind of you 10
come way here to see me! 1 have been
| doing the falls ever since 1855 this morn
/ ing. and nearly ruined myself, too, with
| the extravaganza, but 1 have not left
| spot unvisited that should be seem
And what is your verdict l asked.
"Oh, there is simply no use trying TO
| talk of them. They are too satisfying,
| too stupendous, too" and she shook
! her head and looked what she could not
| express in words. She said she had left
! the falls a. about IL o'clock 10 see the
| whirlpool rapids. and had then gone to
quiet INN" near the station for a rest.
I'm sorry you had TO dine in such
| forlorn little house" l said
| "Oh. ] didn't mind at all. I rather liked
| the unconventionality of it. and really
we didn't get a bad dinner for 80 cents,
and it was quiet don't you know. But
| to think Of you trying to find me when
! / wasn't there at the falls seems too bad.
| Here comes my maid; let us go into the
! sleeper and talk all we can before the
! train goes"
! As we left the station we were met
| ard assisted on the train by a saucy,
| pink-cheeked English woman, the
stout party" known to my friend the
| trainman, and were soon comparing our
| ages. / outranking her by few years,
| she not willing to believe it, she telling
me she was entitled to the degree Of Il.
A. being a graduate of London univer-
sity. etc.
When we were really quiet 1 spoke OF
| her book. and how / had bought IL
| through her recommendation of a news
| boy a southern train, who had told
| me ''ef We don't like it, lady, I'll give we
| back yer quarter" This seemed TO please
her and she said, Yes. the newsboys on
| the English trains sold il in the same
| way, which was very unexpected
1T has taken hold of the people"
suggested.
yes, so 1T seems; it was very difficult
| to get title for it
| w nlCn QlTlcultN YOU SQ1TnOunteQ most
gracefully. OF course, we feel compli-
mented in that you chose il from the
writings of our beloved Longfellow."
Yes, many people don't know that.
! however, so / am explaining 1t in the
| preface to the new authorized edition
| the PUtnams are publishing"
How did it happen that you were not
protected in America? | fear you get
nothing from the thousands Of copies
sold here?' 1 asked.
"Oh. l was very i'll at the time it came
| out and my publishers did not care,
| that is about the truth of it. / see there
is now a five-cent edition on the mar
| ket."
Yes, and it is sold in many places for
25 cents by retail dealers. The only re-
| compense Of the scent edition being that
! have been able to send many copies to
friends eager TO read it who could not
| afford to pay even 25 cents for it,
I'm 50 glad" she said, heartily, 'for
/ am very fond of Ships but l rather
think I hold to The Green Dragon as
my favorite."
THAT is in your volume of short sto-
ries, is 1t not?'
Yes. and that is protected. am happy
to say, as my new book will be-"
And that -"
"Oh. that is to be written in Califor-
mia. I'm going TO the home Of my friends.
the Kendalls, to whom l dedicated my
Ships you know. They unfortunately
emigrated here, and so 1 came to be
with them. Mrs. Kendall is going to
mother me, while l write I'd better
give you my address there?"
Yes, because l want you to know
some of my newspaper friends on the
coast l replied.
"Oh, thank you very much, should
so like to know them. but l never did
any newspaper work"
That's. no sign that you couldn't" 1
said.
We'll, I studied a great deal when in
college TO this end, but 1 never rewrite.
You newspaper people are great for in
terviews and l don't see the sense of
them. There was one in recent New
York paper headed with a picture in cap
and gown that did not resemble me-
When I left England I said good-by to
autograph writing and all that sort of
thing. but TO my surprise reporters be-
sieged the ship on arrival. DIR. White at
Tuckahoe did his best to keep me quiet
but a lot Of literary people wrote me.
Dear me. think l answered thousands
no, not exactly that, but scores and
scores Of letters, and 1 sent off no end
Of autographs. Do you know l am very
conscientious about that, and none can
say 1 have ever refused him or her"
do you know Tuckahoe?" she asked
abruptly Il loved Tuckahoe II was
so quiet there. and New York was such
a mad rush. 1t was out of the way, and
people had such a time TO find it, AS 1
described it, the bitches were filled with
those who had lost their way, and" with
a merry laugh, cit was so amusing to
see the people try to be polite, under the
circumstances. L did feel pity for them
for they We're really worn out"
As she had said Of Bernardine in
ships" when people did talk to her
they found her genial So L had found
her. and moreover, she resembled her
heroine in that she seemed to be surprised
that strangers cared to know her. She
was the incarnation of mOdesty, and de-
spite her "Ships" had reached its flf-
teenth addition, she yet rather wondered
at people wishing to know any one so
quiet and unaSsuming as herself.
| could not but wonder when she men,
toned the names of some of Gothams
smart literary set who had been chasing
after and wishing TO extend to her hos
FATALITIES she was unable to accept If they
value in such simple tale her
ships" had they received it first hand
Nothing succeeds like success, and l can
not blame her. with the fire well lighted
on her affairs that she turns from the
world with a sigh, saying, IT never
dreamt any one would come to see me
here in America or that 1 would even
be known and that my Ships should be
so popular has been a source of great
surprise"
A great deal of our visit was taken up
with talk of a more or less personal ma
ture. during which / could scarcely re-
frain from taking her in my arms.
think what deferred me was her very
startling resemblance to a prominent
young man in Buffalo. who has a beard
H.. T., 4frf-.-