Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-18
THE AUTHOR OF TITUS"
An Interesting Chat with Mrs. Flor
cnce Morse Kingsley.


cnce Morse Kingsley.
In one OF the fine old manor houses OF
Staten Island, considerably back from the
village street. and deeply embosomed in
a very forest OF foliage, lives and works Mrs,
Florence Morse Kingsley. author OF those
two phenomenally successful books, Titus
and stephen"
1t was just at the close OF a golden
September day that l walked up the gravel
path to the broad piazza where Mrs Kings
ley. surrounded by family and friends was
watching the last splendors OF daylight fade
from placid Kill van Kull and the glowing
heights beycrd. As | approached Mrs. Kings
ley arose to greet me, and after briefly call
ing my attention to the extreme beauty OF
the view, graciously conducted me into the
more exclusive environment OF her library
and workshop. Here l found myself Wis a
Wis to charming woman, rather below
the medium height, with golden brown hair
waving gently from a fine high forehead,
beautiful arched eyebrows, and wide-open,
intelligent. kind eyes. There was flush
of color in her cheeks and when the well
moulded lips parted in smile, they but re-
vealed the further charm Of unusually firm
white regular teeth Her manners, too
were so genial, simple and sincere, that in
their easy atmosphere II seemed but mo-
meut before | was asking:
THE WRITING OF TITUS"
ing and experience previous to writing
'Titus?"
Nothing beyond the ordinary work OF the
average school girl" replied Mrs. Kingsley.
" Titus is the first story that l ever wrote
for publication. You perhaps know that in
1891 a publishing company offered prize of
$1,000 for the best story submitted to them.
embodying the life OF Christ. The largest
liberty was allowed as to plot, II being only
stipulated that the style should be simple
a nj Ia hat iYrNau ufrNar rba
acters should be brought into intimate rela-
tion with Christ and His disciples. This
Manuscript CALI was sent me by favorite
uncle. DR.. James II. Ecob, with the words:
You must write this scrawled across.
" oh, but that is quite out OF the ques-
ton l declared. as | glanced at the little
pamphlet, 1 could not write 1t anyway, and
besides l haven't the time and cast the
paper aside without further consideration.
| suppose. however that my subconscious-
ness must have gone Immediately to work
for thought OF 1t would recur to me from
time TO time when suddenly one morning
at O'Clock | awoke with the clearly CON
ceived plot of Titus in my mind. | had
begun with the thief on the cross and
worked backward to the beginning OF the
story. Where 1t all came from is perhaps
more OF mystery to me than to another.
The following Monday began and in exactly
eight weeks the book was inished:'
But did you have to do no preparatory
reading?"
II read enormously while writing, OF
course. But / can't help feeling that in
way Titus was an inspired book seemed
to vividly see the places I portrayed.
would often read chapters to my mother, and
In all sincerity inquire. Where does ii come
from| BY the way, l hardly know myself
how much | owe to my mothers encourage
ment. She wae so in sympathy with my
work and constantly exclaimed while read
That's the book! That's the bookr There
were 377 MSS. sent to the publishers, and
after several weeks of arduous labor the
committee decided in favor OF Titus"
And do you mean TO say that the 81 900
prize was all that you ever received for a
book which has had the unprecedented sale
of over 100000 copies?'
Yes; but that is all right II was a per-
fectly straightforward business arrangement
and, OF course, all the circumstances made
II q great advertisement for me and opened
the way for whatever else / may write.
| have now more demands from publishers
than | can possibly FILL"
METHODS OF WORK.
you have regularly adopted literature as
profession, have you not. Mrs. Kingsley %
1T would seem so. At least intend TO
always write every day from to u. Here
after, however, / hope to limit my work to
the nine months OF the year that the chill
dren are in school, taking my vacations
with them"
And your afternoons are devoted 10 re-
creation and research?"
Hardly. You know there is always house
keeping TO look after. and l am not sufT-