The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-12-17

ness, but with the husband. John
Smith lives and a cold-blOoded condem-
nation that shocks chiyalrous reader
1t is easy to see the sympathies OF the
author are entirely with the husband.
John Smith lives and breathes You
cannot help feeling that the author
must have known and loved the man;
must have painted him just as he found
him; must have watched, with throb-
bing heart, that struggle up the rugged
road of life Il
do not purpose to express an opin-
ion upon the moral tone of the story
nor to estimate it's artistic value 4
merely wish to answer those who are
saying that Graham West stands for
nothing but hard luck; that he found
fame ready when he CHANGED to meet
the man who, in the novel, is called
John Smith. Such persons do not
know what character study is, nor
what it costs! / fancy they are of the
sort that spends an evening with
ward detective, and pose forever after
ward as experts in criminology Gra-
ham West is different. When he makes
up his mind to study life in a certain
locality he goes there to live. He was
a regular denizen Of the East Side of
New York in the days when he was fit
ting himself to write John Smith,
though his income would have permit
ted him to live on the avenue.
first met the original of the now
famous character about two years ago
West was already deeply interested in
him, and was hiding him from the
most OF the authors whom he knew, as
a schoolboy hides cake But he did
not fear me, for he knew that / re-
garded the problem of human charac-
ter as entirely insoIuble. and the study
of it abSurdly unnecessary to Mrither.
Of course, the mans name is not
Smith, but l shall follow my friends
lead in that matter. West and I dined
together one evening, and then he pi-
ioted me to a saloon on the east side
of the BOWery, where, in a little back
room, we found seats at table, and
were presently Joined by Smith. Nj.
I Vests description of him fits him to
life.
He was a man incapable of rest.
either of body or mind. When he was
seated, he always advanced one foot,
which trembled on the floor, as if he
}onged to take another step forward.
His right hand quiyered with eagerness
for the work that it would do.
lie had pale-yellOW hair that started
up in little oyerhanging wave from
his broad and high fOrehead-a wave
that shook it's curling crest when his
thought was deepest, as if his spirit,
bending above him, breathed upon.
him. Such restless energy should have
Worn him thin, yet his we'll nodded fig
ure showed no sign of exhaustion, and
his face was full in the cheeks, though
it was always pale
could see that Smith regarded his
Interview with me as of considerable.
Importance. / was the first of Vests
friends whom he had met and he nat
urally wished to make good impress
ion. It is hard for any one to do that
who has to talk about himself most Of
the time; but there seemed to be no
alternative in this case He was, I'M
deniably, the principal object Of inter
est.
1t appeared that he had been EN-
ployed in a very humble capacity BY.
an electric lighting company, but had
been discharged. He told me this with
perfect frankness, appealing however,
with a rapid glance of the eye, to West
as a witness that he had not been to
blame. He had got UP an idea for an
ginevntion, and had incautio,lsly taken
it directly to the superintendent Of the
works, who had tried to buy it for Il
few dollars, and, falling in that had
Immediately discharged Smith. OF
course, Smith was almost fatally ham
pered in his attempt to so on with his.
inventive work by the loss of his OPP
portunity to observe and study electri-
cal machinery in action. He mad tried
10 obtain another position similar to