The morning times., 1896-05-03

system Of work alone, outside the genial
chcerfuiness and serene good temper she
practices, s well worth imitation by am
bilious young authoresses.
All the year round she lives in a pretty
house. well known as Cherry Croft AT
WALTON the udson, set we'll up on the
hill overlooking the loveliest stretcn OF the
river. Here she has found that the calm
and quiet of the country give her proper
surroundings for her best work Now.
when there is book to be written, plotted
and completely covered from cover To
cover, Mrs. Barr gives herself almost
wholly to the duty in hand. Unlike most
authors she never writes at night. ard
prefers the very early morning for de-
Gliding the fates of lovers, working out
graceful counterparts and rounding out
strong situations, so that long before the
most conscientious of milkmen starts ON
his early rounds she is up and doing.
BY O'Clock she has breakfasted on the
veranda, il the weather permits; for, like
Queen Victoria, the author OF Jan We'd
ders'' wife dearly loves to eat in the
open air. The breakfast Is a modest neal
OF dishes easily digested and accompaui uied
by fruit and coffee, but the real morning
hracer, for the long hours of desk work, is
a cold plunge bath taken directly on rising.
Winter mornings the ice is often broken To
permit OF this constitutional, and while
the sun is com flg up over the opposite
shore of the river Mrs. Barr is at her manu-
scripts. arrayed in an easy gown. and al
ways without the, confiuing clasps of any
stays. -
They impede her progress, she says,
both in thinking and writing; but this
lady is no dress reformer, she dearly loves
good clothes, wears splendidly. handsome
costumes on occasions, thinks 1t rather
stupid and unwomanly not to devote a
great deal OF consideration To ones toilet
and the good offices Of the stOutest corsets
are invoked when the writer leaves home,
or takes her pleasure.
Now it is a well known rule in Mrs.
Barr's household that from breakfast, until
l . O'Clock dinner is served, she will spend
the hours i'll her study. over its door is
a motto, OF the mistress ChOo sing. setting
forth the virtues Of work and pleasure.
The room itself is airy and comfortable,
its wide windows look out on the blue
stretches of the Hudson but she has es-
tabIished no specially stern laws against
Interruptions.
There was once a consulting dramatist,
who proposing to turn one of Mrs. Barr S
novels into a play and closeted with the
authorcSS, StOrmed and sColded. when The
| daughter of the house, With the calmneSS
born OF habit, popped her head in the door
| 70 ask her mother whether vanilla or
lemon flavoriug should be used in GER
| tain dessert.
| 1T is vanilla, always, my dear" an
| swered the lady gently, firmly assuring
| the enraged dramatist that to have the
| dessert properly Favored was quite as
| important as deciding the next movement
| of a character, all of which made it plain
| that between literature and housekeep-
| ing Mrs Rarr's heart is equally divided.
| In the more homely province she was
once a gifted figure, but since bookmak-
| ing has become her profession, the do
mestic end of affairs has been rendered
! into her daughters hands, and when the
hour Of IL strikes the pen is laid aside
| for the important meal of the day. Her
! light breakfast and hours OF steady work
have wakenedi sharp appetite, and after
| dining literally Mrs. Barry goes off 10
bed At least, there is always nap two
hours long following dinner, and then
another brisk, cold plunge is in order.
| : After this all the work OF the morning
Is carefully typewriter down by the au-
| thors own hand, She never allows any
| one 10 handle her manuscripts, and after
| about three hours work over the ma
| chine, labors for the day are done. Late
4 in the afternoon comes tea and callers,
! perhaps, but no matter what guests or
| enga gements the family may have. by
9 O'Clock Mrs. Barr is off TO bed. Her
| radiant health and superb virtlity are
the envy, and admiration Of all who know
her This careful routine Is followed un-
til the hood is ready to be put In the
publishers hands, when its creator gives
herself up to rest and recreation for a
! season, while for q month or two in sum-
mer a complete vacation is taken and
almost invariably spent in England. Yet
after every spell of hard work Mrs. Barr
| visits New York and while stopping at
one of the smart hotels is always made
much of by the distinguished men and
| women of the town.