Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-01-12

i Trimmed by Land Crab.
"Well, no. Pm not passiouately fond
of reporters particularly the American
variety, but come on in, and I'll have 20
with you anyhow
Such was the greeting with which Rob
trt Louis Stevenson received the announce
! ment of my name and business as we met
| IN the broad veranda of his island home.
far back in the hills of Upolu the land of
the southern cross and the sacred hen
/ There was dim suspicion of smile in
| the depths OF his big black eyes as he ex
| tended his hand-a long thin, cool, patri
clan hand which huttered for Il moment
in the palm of my large, moist paw Then
/ he withdrew "A step, hitched up his trou
sers and eyed me with the air of Il man
who could read the thoughts of another
better than he could express them himself
] started in to explain that my business
was not to misrepresent or garble the state
ments of earth s greatest living novelist.
"That's all right, ~ he said, laughing
Come in and see what there is to be seen
and ask us all sorts of questions Then
/ run riot with your pen, and when the pa
per comes I'll read the article damn till
the air is blue, and everything will be all
| right.
Reassured by this cheerful view of the
future, | followed the marvellous man of
/ letters into the house. where ] had what
| I've since tried TO persuade myself was an
| interview with him. But, after carefully
reviewing the hour we spent together, !
am impressed with vague, uneasy
/ suspicion that he interviewed me. How
ever, we exchanged large quantities of
words of an uncomprising nature, inter
/ spersed with beer and anecdote While
| extremely cordial in his manner. the nov
elist talked guardedly and WAS careful
not to commit himself on any vital point.
He steered wide of politics and all other
matters pertaining to the islands
He sat directly in front of me- viewing
! the ceiling in retrospective manner. and
holding IL homemade cigarette in his right
hand. On Il table within easy reach stood
ii can of tobacco, from which he rolled
fresh smoke rs soon as the old one gave
out. His attire consisted simply of Il tieht
fitting, sleeveless under,hirt. cut decolctte
and which set of his sparsply settled lig-
IRE in startling relief. 4 pair of black
trousers, rolled mp half way To the knees.
completed the toilet of this eccentric ge-
MUS of the south seas His feet were bare.
While talking he rested his right foot
across his left knee 1t was Il symmetrical
foot. long and slender, and beautifully
arched, and as he talked he gently toyed
among his shapelv toes with his Olsen
gagged hand. Somehow it occurred to me
while noticing these peculiarties that any
man who would describe Robert Louis
Stevenson as half clad when he was fully
two thirds covered was taking II mean adj
vantage of the authors hospitality.
In stature Stevenson is n little above he
medium. but woefullv thin and pale. His
face is gaunt and haggard and wears an
expression of continual WEAKNESS. In fact,
he is i'll most of the time. but is uniformly
good natured in spite of his Affections
Callers are numerous at the big house in
the hills dropping in at all hours of the
day and on all kinds of business. but the
novelist is al ,.ays ready to meet these so
cial obligations
He arises Mt q o'clock i'm the morning,
eats breakfast shortly after and works I ill
noon At . O'Clock in the afternoon he
takes up his pen again and labors diligent-
ly till o'clock. Sometimes he works toe
hard, and nervous prostration follows. 1t
is then he seeks rest and recreation i'll IA
sea voyage, generally to sydney and back,
and the journey does him good.
The Stevenson household consists of the
novelist, his wife, and two stepchildren,
Lloyd Osborne and Mrs. strong. Osborne
assists stevenson in his literary labors.
"Nailima, which in the Samoan tongue
means fine waters, Is " hat tho novels.
calls his combination residence and fiction
foundry 1t Is an ideal spot for the dream
err and ii home for the poet and student OF
u nature. In the middle OF green plateau,
: slopng gently toward the sea, stands the
T. house, low, rambling, two story struc-
e ture of dull drab color, and with an iron
roof painted Il glarlng red. Deep Nerandas
, encompass the building round about, from
Z the upper one OF which the Iaclnc ocean
. can be seen stretching away to the north
{ At the back the Green mountains tower
Il to height of 5000 feet above the sea Sin
{ hundred feet above the level was high
enough for Stevenson, so he cleared a spot
in the wilderness of palms and tangled
wood, where he pitched his tent and lives
in peace.
The house is nearly four miles from the
beach and is accessible only to birds, foot
passengers and sure footed native horses
All provisions and supplies are carried
from the beach in huge iron panniers lash
ed TO the back of "A gigantic white Per
cheron horse With whisllers ON its feet