The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-06
MISS WILKINS AND HER PRIZE
STORY.

She Wrote II in Ten Days-NeW York
Herald Edition Urged Her TO It
About Her Home Life, Her vacations
and Her New Novel what an Aunt
Thought of Her as n Little Girl.
Mabel Warren Sanford has a pleas
ant. gossipy article in the Boston
Record about Mary E. wilkins and
her prize story, telling the story of the
inception of the latter a little differ
emily than it has been told before and
giving some familiar glimpses of Miss
Wilkins home life at Randolph, Mass.
AS to the story it is stated that some
time this spring the literary editor OF
the n. Y Herald waited upon Miss
Wilkins to ask her if she would not
write story in competition with
others, in the detective style. Miss
Wilkins was astonished to find that
the man was in earnest, for it seemed
incredible to her that any one VINO
knew her work at all should imagine
she could assume a manner so foreign
to her genius. The editor, however,
was persistent and offered to pay her
$500 for the story, if only she would
consent to write it, whether 1t secured
the prize or not.
Miss wilkins was not much impress
ed with the proposition at first, but
gradually it dawned upon her that 1t
would do no harm to try an experl
ment. She set to work collecting
material
She read detective stories that have
! become famous, and made herself
| familiar with the celebrated law cases
in which the mystery of crime has
never been solved.
And finally the inspiration of the
story dawncd upon her.
She began TO work out her story
about ten days before the prize stories
were due, and as the time drew nearer
and nearer at hand when her work
should be required Of her she resolved
to send her material to j. +. Chamber |
lin, always one of her kindest friends |
and ask him to criticise and revise the
work Mr.. Chamberlin divided the |
work into chapters, suppressed some of
for final Judgment,
Its not true that Mr. Chamberlin
helped her write the story except in
this way said Miss Mary Wales, the
friend and adviser of Miss wilkins,
with whom she lives.
Il have heard people say that Miss
Wilkins furnished one chapter and
Mr. Chamberlin the next. Then some
say that she wrote to him for plot
and he gave her this one. None of
these stories are true.
Its just as | havc.told you,
WAS Miss wilkins surprised at her
SUGGEST | asked
well. of course she was, because
she had written it more for fun than
anything else, | guess Just for the
practice in doing it.
Il rather think that story of her
sharing the proceeds with Mr.. Cham
berlin arose rom a remark of her own
when she said, before she knew
whether she had the prize or not. that
Mr.. Chamberlin had done so much for
her he ought to have half of the
is Miss wilkins pleased with the I
notices of her story:'
Yes she has a great many pleasant
letters and press notices. but she al (
ways has them with every new story, ,
YOU know, and don't suppose now
that she is specially pleased with what
she's had about The Long Arm. -
There's not been a single unkind
word said about it that | know of, and
if there is one, it hasn't reached her
vet, and hope it won't. =
Miss Wales went on to say that all
Miss wilkins energy at the present
lime was going into the new book shei
is writing and which she hopes soon to
publish. She works ON it every day
'egularly and is getting fatigued with
he strain upon brain and imaginative
power.
She takes little vacations of day or
wo every once in Il while, SO that she
nay resume her work with fresh en-
rgy.
One of Miss wilkins neighbors who
las known her intimately from child
ood days when they played dolls to-
ether, and who. to use her own words, |
knows Mary better than she knows |
erself, tells quaint remark of one
Miss wilkins aunts concerning the
uthor Randolph is proud to honor.
Miss Wilkins as child, was con-
tant puzzle to her practical relatives,
lasmucn as she did not care for do
lestlc work nor for the simple social
,ys of the people about her
Il often wonder'' the good lady 1
sed to say, shaking her head solemn
:, what the Lord made Mary for: to
ut L suppose he knows and he won't r
~ "'' ""sf M sun L GdIl | Stt Ntldl -
le's on earth to do. n
The Lord was pleased to reveal his =
urpose regarding Miss Wilkins too
tie for the venerable aunt to know u
hat it was, for she died before her u
lece had awaked to find herself
Imous.
One wonders just what would have
cen the good woman's comment upon
lie work which Miss Wilkins has
'und to do. that unique work which.
its own way, is inimitable and in
,mparable
Which would have made her open
n eyes the wider, the artistic por-
ayal OF her own neighbors and the
,ternals among which they moved, or
e new line of invention which Miss
llklns has so recently discovered !"
thin herself:
As | wandered down the stilL shad
" lanes of Randolph town through
e whole of midsummer day. see =
g scenes that flashed before me so
any of the pictures of Miss Wilkins