The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13

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ter 1 worked with a slow bleeding at the
lungs, which was only kept in check by
external irritation. As l wrote on, this
trouble gradually disappeared 1 do not
know when or how 1 forgot 1t. I had no
time to be sick. When 'Retribution' was
finished the hemorrhage was gone. 1t has
always been a marvel to me.
said l: Was 'Retrbution' your first
story?' "Oh, no." was the reply; lin
1917 1 wrote half of a story called The
Irish Refuge and sent it to the Satur-
day Visitor, published in Baltimore, tell
ing the editor that if he liked 1t well
enough to want the rest, l would finish
1t. He did like it, finished it and he pub
hshed it in serial form. When l began
writing 'Retribution, 1 intended to fin
ish II in two chapters for the National Era
| found that l could not finish 1t in less
than three, and when had come to the
end Of the third chapter the story had
so grown upon me that I saw it might
make book. When It was completed I
offered 1t to the Harpers. Henry j. Ray
mond was their reader at that time He
reported favorably on it; they published
It and from that time on 1 have devoted
myself exclusively to literature"
Before that you had been a teacher?"
Yes; on leaving school, at IS, l imme-
diately began teaching In Miss Talbot's
Seminary, in Washington. 1 afterwards
taught at Upperville, Va, and also at
Springfield, o. Soon after married Fred
eric Southworth, and we went to WIscon-
sin, which was then In the far, far west,
and for two years I lived the life Of a
pioneers wife. My husband was in the
fur trade and l used to accompany him
on many Of his expeditions Later he
went to Brazil with Henry D. Wise, who
was minister to that country In 1857 I
began writing for the New York Ledger,
In which so much of my subsequent
work has appeared. Robert Bonner has
always been my most liberal publisher
and kindest friend. 1t was while the
Hidden Hand was coming out In the
Ledger that ] went to England, by in
vitation of English publishers. They
wanted me to test the international copy
right by writing a story in England,
which would be republished in American
papers"
1 expressed a hope that she Jared better
than poor Habberton, who says that, al
though 100000 of "Helen's Babies went as
lnnocents abroad, he never realized more
than $500 from the foreign sales
"Oh, yes" said Mrs. Southworth. "They
did better than that by me- The London
Journal paid me $50 number Ga number
is two chapters) for advance proofs of
story which was being published in the
Ledger. All they gained by this was two
weeks advance in time, and so soon as
story was out in the Ledger, it was stolen
without scruple by other English papers,
which paid nothing. And finally the Jour
nal gained nothing at ALL Since owing
to its immense circulation it was
obliged to print two weeks before date of
publication, while the smaller papers could
wait until the last moment and then get
the story to their smaller number of read
ers.
How did you test the copyright%
I'm this way: When 1 went to Eng
land, l left with Mr.. Bonner the manu-
script of 'Orville de Vile and it was
published simultaneously in the Ledger
and the court journal. After reaching Eng
land 1 rewrote the latter half of the book
and it came out in the journal, copyright
secured, l also sent it to Mr.. Bonner
Two papers in America were reprinting
the story each week. Just as soon as they
began publishing those chapters which
were written in England, we served an in
junction on them, stopped the sale of two
editions and prohibited the sale by book
sellers. They sued us for damage, and 1t
went into chancery and kept me in Eng
land three years. I could, of course, have
come away by giving bonds for my re-
turn, but that would have necessitated a
tedious ana expensive voyage for myself
and children; so 1 stayed. And the suit
was decided against us, after all"
The decrepid cottage on Georgetown
Heights seems to be peopled with host
of the charmingly improbable heroes and
heroines born of this wonderful wonans
eXhaustless imagination. In the cosy lit
tie library lined on three sides with books
seventy-six of which are her own she
writes almost continuously, for the habit
of lifetime has become second nature
She says that when engaged on a story
she lives i'm the work and can with difficult
ty transfer her attention to anything else;
and again, she confesses, there come days
and weeks when she can hardly compose
a sentence. Aside from her own person.
atty, the most interesting thing in a visit
to Mrs. Southworth's Is to get her talking
of days long gone, when old Georgetown
was slave market and the colored peo-
pie could not roam about the district after
nightfall without passes" from their own
ers, and the Georgetown aristocracy didn't
dream of associating with the dwellers in
plebean Washington. And of her acquaint-
ance with Lady Byron and James and Har-
iette Martineau, and Arthur Helps and
Charles Kingsley and other kindred souls
across the ocean. And of her first news of
the fall of Sumter received while in Eng
land, which seemed so strangely unreal
and impossible; and of the subsequent SER
vice as a hospital nurse after the second
battle of Bull Run, when our war became
a cruel reality. Fannie Brigham.