The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-01
LITERARY NOTES.

Inc Land Of the Castanet" Is the title
or II. c: Chatfield-Taylor's new book. II
l., rs,. CORRECTION OF sketches Of Spain. the
result OF observations made last winter
Mrs. Augusta Evans Wilson, the author
OF "Beulah." has been In feeble health
since the death Of her husband 1--WE years
ago She has left her country home. near
Mobile. Ala. and Is now living in that
city.
One OF the most engag ing bits of fiction
which Charles Reade gave to his contem-
poraries was his Peg wellington" The
sum he got for it and the persistency with
which he went on writing would go to show
that there is reason in the popular conten-
ton that starvation Of authors is good for
literature. For this little work of art
Reade received the munificent sum of s25.
Mr.. Howells has been busy of late, and
the Harper publications are to profit by
his industry. His novelette,, "A Pair of
zine" while his novel, Ragged Lady"
will run through the ''Bazar' in the latter
half of 80. His personal recollections of
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes are to be pub
lished in the December number of the
magazine.
Dean Farrar's long promised book on
THE Bible, its Meaning and Supremacy
Is now announced as being "in the press"
by the Messrs Longmans, who state that
the author, while supporting the unique
q -
Scriptures, points out the dangerous errors
which have sprung from their misinter-
probation and from humanity invented
theories as to the nature OF their inspi-
ration.
The other day 1t was announced that
Rudyard Kipling was to receive the very
handsome remuneration of Is. a word for
the new story recently accepted by Lon
don magazine. Boston must have heard
of this for we now learn, says the London
Mail. that two American editors of that
city. of culture have combined to take
$4,000 words by Rudyard Kipling at the
joint expenditure of $4,000. This makes
Is. a word. or double the sum paid by the
English magazine.
The Springfield Republican thinks this .
bad day for dramatists. Not only are the
novelists invading their field by the drama
tization Of such popular stories as "Trilby,'
"Pudd' nhead Wilson," THE Manxman >
The Little Minister" HALF a Hero" THE
Prisoner Of Zenda" and "A Social Highway.
man." but there is no way Of retaliating.
proved that there is no market for pub
lished play. The only way, apparently, to
get rich by the pen, Is to sell slush and
lots of it, to the syudicates. to sell a
novel to magazine. then publish 1t in
book form. and round out its triumphal
progress by putting 1t on the stage.
Mrs. Rebecca Harding Davis writes so lit
tie nowadays that the younger generation,
says the tribune, may De excused Tor 1or-
getting that the mother of the author Of
Princess Aline' is a novelist herself. Her
gloomy story Life in the Iron Mills" is a
much stronger piece Of work than Mrs. Bur-
nett's Lass o Lowrie's," but the former
has gone into the limbo of things neglect
ed while the latter has won it's way into
new editions. Both, stories, it must be adj
mitted are somewhat hysterical in tone.
Mrs. Davis has lately written a new novel
which the Harpers are bringing out under
the title of Frances Waldeaux." There is
a good deal of intensity In the story. in
which a mother who has spent years of
slayiSh devotion upon her only son sees
him beguiled into marriage by an adven-
turess.
The most prolific women novelists seem
to be as much given to marrying as to
writing. The indefatigable author OF
Phyllis and molly Bawn." popularity
known by her pseudonym of the Duchess.
having been discovered to be Mrs. Angles
confused her multitudinous readers by be-
coming Mrs. Hungerford. 1t is hard to
learn whether Mrs. l.. Il. Meade, who is
now Mr. Elijah, tn Thon as Touinin Snit
AIibone and The American Catalogue
| throw no light on the question whether
| she was born Thomas and married Mr.
| Toulmin, or was born Toulmin and piighted
| her maiden troth to Mr. Meade, or whether
| the IL. T. Meade" of her title pages Is
| merely a nom de plume. Miss Annie s
| Swan is Mrs. Burnett Smith. The name OF
Smith seems to be popular among
women authors as among otner women.