Middletown transcript., 1896-03-07

Scotchman and spending all her OIL
ing life in the United States, she hi
mixed largely with men and women {
different nationalities and races.
Strong, religious feeling and stron
character drawing are the distinguish
ing qualities of Mrs. Barr's worl
Faith Harridee, godly Joris Van Heen
skirk, Samuel Yorke. gentle frien
Olivia and many others are admirabl
figures, full of vitality and human na
ture. The literary career of Mrs
Barr is an example of the success tina
attends nat ural gifts united to extraor
dinary power of work and busines
habits. She was five and thirty whel
her husband died, and she passed from
aff1uence to poverty. She had neve
written. when, for her children's sake
she made up her mind to try literar,
work as means of earning a livelihood
Before many years had passed she wa
one of the most popular and best pait
writer's of her day.
THE SOURCE OF 1867.
Her married life was spent at Calves
ton, Tex, where her husband was q
merchant. There she saw many un-
familiar types-among others, Indians.
Mr.. Barr had great influence over the
redskins, who trusted him and, also
looked with friendliness on the "white
lady" his wife. They would creep
round the house to listen to her as she
sang her husbands favorite ballads.
The yellow fever broke out with ex-
traordinary violence in Texas in 1867.
The terror of the visitation is still re-
membered. People died on every side.
The Indians, especially, fell like flies
before the poisoned breath of the pesti-
lence. The panic spread, and all the
white folk who could abandoned the
devastated district.
Mr.. Barr refused to leave, for the
Indians trusted him, and took from
his hand medicines which they refused
to touch from another. The doctors
and nurses all died or left, despairing
to cope with the -malady. Still Mr..
Barr stood his ground, and his wife re-
mained by his side. His gallant eff
forts are honorably mentioned in the
official reports of that terrible vista
tion. Mr.. Barr literally laid down his
life to save theirs. Before the pesti-
lence abated Mrs. Barr had lost three
sons and her husband. Three daugh-
ters still remained to her. and for them
she resolved to live and work.
MRS. BARR's FIRST WORK.
She came to New York with an
introduction to Mr.. Bonner, the well
known editor Of the New York Ledger.
He took, from the first, an interest
in the brave woman, who showed such
an undannted spirit in her calami;ies,
He put work in her way. At an age
when successful writers have usually
made their mark Mrs. Barr was strug-
Cling with the initiatory drudgery of
the profession.
She wrote advertisements, circulars,
verses, etc: She spent
hours daily in tia Ait>r Library,
studying the secrets of her craft, gst-s
ting up materials for descriptive ar
ticies and historical stories. For a long
time she considered herself rich if a
note stood between her and
the future. The precious ,t,s wer
deposited between the leaves of Bible
with tarnished clasps, which still lies
on Mrs. Barr's table. Oae of the inti-
dents that she and her daughter, who
is her devoted companion, oftsn recall
is of night when thieves broks in aud
stole all they could lay their h.nis on,
breaking open the desk and tlking the
trinkets that had bssn - )sitsl tl-r.
for safety, but the Bible that lay rear
it and that held all the famiiy's for
tune Was left unit ,lchsd. II, s4crai
volumn had provei a bet Ar storing
place than an iron safe.
The stress of that time of struggle
and plivation was lighteued when Mrs.
Barr's FIRST serial story appeared in the
columns of the Ledger. From the
irst her novels began to attract alt.n-
ion, and she become ere long person
Ility in the American literary world. |
When "Jan Vedder's Wife" appeared |
Ter reputation was defnatsly estab-
ished.
HER HOME LIFE.
Mrs. Barr's study in Cherry Croft,
,ar hapoa (n,,,