The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05
II. BEssIE's CONFEssION

August 1St. The keeping of a diary
is silly fashion ard L am sure l
would not bother with one if my mem
DRY were good and If [ had not a great
object in view. However, 1 do not in
tend this book to be more than col
lection of notes that win be useful to
me when | begin my novel. The novel
is to be the work of my life and [ mean
to use every talent l may have
to make it unique and true to
life. L think the New Woman novel
is thing IL the past, and
Cnat the Tune has now come Tor a novel
OF the Ord sort, yet written with a f1del-
tty to lie such as has n5ver been at
tempted by the ord novelists. A painter
or sculptor uses a model while pro-
ducng a great picture or a great stat
ue. Why should not writer use a
model also? The motive of all great
novels must be love and the culminat-
ing point of a love story is the propos-
al In no novel that L have ever read
IS the proposal we'll DONE Men evil
IDENTIFY 90 not talk to each other about
the proposals they make, therefore a
man writer has merely his own expert
ence TO go upon, SO his proposals have
a sameness; his heroes proposed lust
as he himself has done or would do.
Women writers seem to have more
imagination in this matter, but they
describe a proposal as they would like
it to be, and not aus it actually is. l
find that it is quite an easy thing to
get a man to propose. i suppose l have
gift that way and besides there is no
denying the fact that | am handsome
and perhaps that is something of an
aid. therefore intend to write down in
this book all my proposals, using the
exact Language the man employed, and
thus Shall l have the proposals in my
novel precisely as they occurred
shall also set down here any thoughts
that may be of use to me as l write
my book.
August FL shall hereafter not date
the notes in this book that will make
it look less like a diary, which [ detest.
We are in Thun, which is a lovely
Place Humboldt, whoever he is or
was, said it is one of the three pretti-
est spots on earth. l wonder what the
names are of the other two. We in
tended to stay but one night at this
hotel, but I see it is full of young men
ana as all the women seem to be rather
ugly and given to gossip 1 think this is
just the pace for the carrying out of
my ideas. The average young man
is always ready to fall in love while
on his vdca ton. 1t makes time pass
50 pleasantly, and as l read some
who're that man as a general rule pro-
poses fourteen times during his life,
l may as well, in the interests of liter
allure, be the recipient of some OF these
offers. I have hit upon what think is
a marvellous idea. l shall arrange the
offers with some regard to the scenery,
just as suppose a stage manager does.
One shall propose by the river; there
are lovely shady walks ON both sides;
another up in the mountains; another
in the moonlight on the lake in one
of the pretty looking foreign look row.
boats uney have here, with striped
awnings. 1 don't believe any novelist
has ever thought OF such thing. Then
I can write down a vivid description
of the scenery il conjunction with the
language the young man uses. If my
book is not success it will be be-
cause there are no discriminating crit
les in England.
First Proposal--This came on rather
Unexpectedly. His name is Samuel
Caldwell, and he Is a curate here for
his health. He is not in the least in
love with me, but he thinks he is, and
so l suppose 1t comes to the same
thing He began by saying that l was
the only one who ever understood his
real aspira tionS, and that if l would
join my lot with his he was sure we
would not only bring happiness to our
selves but to others as well. l told
him gently that my own highest aspi-
ration was to write successful novel,
and this Mortified him, for he thinks
novels are wicked. He has gone to
Grindowald where he thinks the air
is more suitable for his lungs. 1 hard
ly count this as proposal and it took
me so much by surprise that it was
half over before I realized that it ac-
tually was an offer of his heart and
band. Besides 1t took place in the
hotel garden, of all unlikely Spots,
Whare we were IN constant danger OF
interruption.
Second Proposal-Richard King is a
very nice fellow and was tremend-
ously in earliest. He says his life is
blighted, but he will soon come TO