New-York tribune., 1896-11-27

have often heard her say that the greatest treat
that could be given her and her brothe: and
sister was afternoon in the housekeepe.s $ room
at Crewe, for Mrs Dickens was a famous story
teller and used to love 10 gather the chlioreh
round her and tell them fairy stories. The very
last time that Dickens himself dined out was at
nv fathers house when a dinner was specially
arranged to enable the Prince of Wales and the
King Of the Belglans to make his acquaintance
Even at that time. poor man. he was suhering so
much from rheumatic gout that he had 10 remain
In the dinng-room until the guests had assem-
bled so that he was presented 10 the Prince at
the dnner-table'
Concerning one of her fathers poems Mrs Hen
mixer repeats a story which he often used TO tell
He was visiting some friends in Ireland-he was
Nonckton Mines then-and the beat OF the horses
feet upon the road he drove TO the house
seemed TO hammer out in his head certain rhyth-
mical ideas. These ideas quickly formed themselves
into rhyme AS soon he got 10 the house he
went to his and wrote the words straight
out. 1t the well-known song. beginning
IL wandered by the brook side.
ard having the refrain
"But the beating of my own heart
Was all the sound heard
when he came down to dinner he showed these
verses TO his friends. Very candid friends; they
all declared that they were unworthy Of him. and
advised him TO throw them into the fire. How
ever he did not take their advice: the moment
they were published they caught tne ear OF the
public. They set TO music and they were
10 be heard wherever went. Indeed friend
Of his who sailing down river in the South
ern States of America about year afterward
leard the slaves they hoed In the plantations
keeping time by singing a parody OF the lines
which had by then become universally familiar.
OF William Morris Mr. Sharp says In THE At
lantic' that he gave an impression of exhaustless
vitality. He the very incarnation Of ceaseless
mental and bodily energy "Once he asked II
he were subject 10 that extreme despordency which
so often accompanies the essentially poetic tenn
permanent i dare say am he answered. but I've
never had time to think about II. so l really can't
say Probably of the few despcndent remarks
that Morris made was quite recently: when
told Of Mlllais's death he said. half jocuary. IN be
seeing the old boy before long
Morris a broad-shoudered. vigorous man
with the look of a sea rover. Dante Gabriel Ros-
setu was fond of calling him 'Topsy" account Of
hts bushy hair. He rarely appeared In literary
circles" hating all gatherings of blue-stockings.
What he liked was ito do something" and It fret
ted him to SIT long or even to listen long.
Mr. Anthony Hores new novel-the sequel TO
1.-THE Prisoner OF Zenda"-is TO be published as n
serial In The Pail Mall Magazine" An announce
ment which Will seem strange to Americans whose
leading men do not pay much attention to games
is that the Lord Advocate Of Scotland has written
an article Curling" for the January number.
Mr.. Zangwill has ceased e contribute a monthly
causerie to the Pail MAJ" his last paper being
published in the December number. These articles
have been ir sense remarkable. His successor is
to be Mr.. A. r. Quiller Couch whose comments and
criticisms lfe and literature will appear under
the title Of From Cornish Window
another Of the younger English writer's is about
to bring out book called "The Quest OF the Golden
(.tr1s fov tel