The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-29
Mr., Adams as 4 Carpenter.

ne llttlS room In winch MI. ADAMS
works and even receives his friends for a
confidential chat Is moro like q lawyer q
or a doctors private consulting office.
There are no indiscriminate piles Of papers
and manuscripts or disorder. Two cabinet
files contain everything In the way of
notes and paper laid away as carefully as
by a bookkeeper. Mr.. Adams modestiy
points to these cabinets and the neat desk
as specimens of his own handiwork, In
which he shows more apparent pride than
in the books that have made him famous
Mr.. Adams begins work at 6 o'clock in
the morning and writes 600 or 200 words
before breakfasting at Z. He works steadily
through the forenoon until he has finished
a chapter by half past 10 or 1. Then he
dimes and goes to Boston on the electric
cars, walks about the streets for an hour
or two, pays a regular daily visit to his
publishers and goes home at O'Clock. He
says he seldom has business in the city,
but goes from habit and for exercise. Aft
er supper he reads for recreation or studies
some foreign language and retires at g or
0 O'Clock. On a table by his bed is Ger
man book, which he resds until drowsy,
when he lays It aside and goes TO sleep.
Il live IN my she'll" he says, land very
seldom go out to . reception or to make
an evening call"
An Accomplished LinSuist.
His mind and body arc in their prime,
and his conversation is bright and witty.
Mr. Adams is an enthusiastic iinguist and
will address his friends in German. French
or Spanish. At present Spanish is his
favorite. He long since mastered Spanish.
self taught, and went through Cuba and
Bermuda with the aid of it. He believes
that the study Of foreign languages is a
great stimulant TO the mind and awakens
new intellectual interests
Going from the little workshop into the
large library, with bookcases built into
the walls, you may see the compartment
containing all Of Mr.. Adams own books,
which I'LL six short shelves. This collec-
ton includes not only the Oliver Optic
books, but books and stories with the 9TH
er names which he assumed when he be-
gan 10 write, IS Theodore W. Arnold and
Warren I. Ashton. He did thi. partly be-
cause he did not want to put his cwn
name TO boys books and partly because
he wrote so many stories for one paper
that several names were necessary for va
riety Of authorship.
One OF his first books was "Hatchie the
Guardian Slave. a slsve tale of Missis-
sippi and Louisiana, published in 1889.
IL preceded = [ ncle Toms Cabin" BY sew
eral years and really inspired that work
Down the Rhine" was the most popular
Of The Young America Abroad Series"
Nine thousand copies were ordered before
&c was printed. and loo. coo copies Of {;
have bcea sold Several OF his other books
have reached that circulation. ard alto
eether g, 900, 900 copies Of his books have
been sold, more than OF any other living
American author.
Result Of . Busy Life
II never lad the tcn1e-ity 20 write bot
c,e novel" Mr.. Adams said as he took q
volume from The shelf, bearing the title OF
The Way Of the World, )" and opened II
With the air OF one who lays bare foible.
.-and is di6n { have anything like the sale
- hr.oks