Omaha daily bee., 1895-10-06

| 1t was all alone. l was living at home,
| making a small and varying income at the
bar. My average earnings from my pro-
| fession during the first two years were very
| small indeed, but then one mustn't expect to
make much as a beginner"
HARD SEARCH FOR A PUBLISHER.
His next book was Father Stafford"
| This was written in 1890. Il hawked it
| about amongst the publishers for long time
in vain. At last Messrs. Cassell took it
| and brought it out as a 6-shilling book. 1t
| never did any good and was not a financial
| success, which shows that the other pub
| fishers were quite right in refusing it.
| then returned once more to the writing OF
| short stories and. contributed fourteen or
| fifteen to the Saturday issue of the st.
| James Gazette.
| Several of these stories," continued Mr.
| Hope, were republished together with an
| other in my volume entitled Sport Royal.
| Literature had now become a subsidiary
| source Of income and helped me in pleas
| ant way
MY next book was Mr.. Wits Widow,
| which l wrote in 1891 and published in 1892.
1t was very favorably reviewed and it sold
| fairly well 6-shilling book. But it did
| not in any degree improve my standing as a
| writer, for though the St. James Gazette
| continued to publish my stories, there were
other editors Of magazines who persstently
| refused my contributions"
STANDS FOR PARLIAMENT.
| In 1892 fate finally decided that Anthony
| Hope was to be a man who writes and not a
man who talks. He made great bid for
| pre-eminence as the latter. THAT year was
| occupied by my parliamentary can
| didature for the southern division
| Of South Bucks, which I contested as a
| liberal candidate against Viscount Curzon.
| | had visited the division in the autumn of
| 1891, preparing my candidature. The greater
| part OF the following year was similarly
| taken up. l remained in London writing
and working at law, and in the evenings
| would take a train down to Bucks, address
| some noisy meetings and get the last train
back to town. We had some very noisy
| meetings, but nothing striking or eventful
occurred in connection with this campaign.
| In the intervals Of briefs, which had then
| become rather more frequent, I wrote my
| stories. My defeat was a foregone concu-
| sion, and so / was not in the least surprised
when l learned that / had been defeated by
| a majority of 1000 votes. 1t was an in
| teresting experience and gave me many good
| friends in that part of England.
GA Change Of Air. was written in my
| law chambers at the Temple in 1898, and in
the same year published my novel, Half a
| Hero story dealing with colonial politics.
| 1t had only a small sale as two-volume
| novel, but has done well as a 6-shilling vol
| ume."
THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" AND THE
| DOLLY DIALOGUES"
| In the meanwhile Anthony Hope had struck
| out in an original line. Mr.. Oswald Craw-
ford was at that time editing the illustrated
| weekly paper, called Black and White, and
| had introduced as novel feature into this
| paper weekly story, told in the form of a
| dialogue. He relates that one day he re-
celved from writer such dialogue, which,
| when he had read it, convinced him that
| there was for this writer whose name was
unknown to him, very brilliant future In
| literature. He at once wrote to Anthony
| Hope that was the writer's name, and asked
him to continue sending contributions OF this
| kind.
| after had written Half Hero / wrote
| The Prisoner of Zenda, and history having
! fascinated me- i fashioned II in the form of
a historical novel, that Is to say, historical in
one sense, for It is really q modern story of
incident, the scene OF which is laid in an
imaginary republic. 1t was published by
Arrowsmith and at first went very slowly.
But the reviews were very favorable and did
very we'll for It, and once ie had got a start
1t went ahead. / think that there were sold
$4,000 copies In England and nearly twice
as many in America
After writing "The Prisoner OF Zenda" he
began contributing to the Westminster
Gazette 1.-The Dolly Dialogues" They were
SO greatly appreciated by the readers OF the
Gazette that the publishers Of the paper
Immediately reprinted them in book form,
and OF this book brought out a first edition
Of not less than 10000 copies.
HIS WORK PURE CREATION.
my dialogues are my pure creation"