The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-04
ANTHONY HOPEIN CHICAGO
Talks Concerning His Career and It's
Shocks.


Chicago, Dec. IA H. Hawkins,
Phroso, Dolly, the widow of Mr.. Witt,
the Prisoner of Zenda, Count Antonio
Princess Osra and some six or eight
other men and women OF delightful ana
sensational interest, trooped into the
Auditorium last evening. They We're
headed by broad-shouldered Eng
lishman- He was wholesome to look
upon, had alertness in every movement
and his remarkably long, Oval-shaped
face flashed an expression of Satisfac-
ton as he glanced at the magnificence
Of the surroundings. His complexion
was red, because red is the complexion
of the face of his race. He paid not the
slightest attention to the friends he
had brought with him. took pen in
his hand and in a black, cramped style
wrote on the regIster-Anthony Hope.
Mr.. Anthony Hope Hawkins was as
$ gned a suite of rooms for his company.
he took them all into the elevator with
MIN, and in very few minutes he was
lolling in big chair while his valet
was picking out black coats and run
ming White-headed buttons through
holes that had been made for them.
There was pair of empty shoes in the
middle of the room, bunch of collars
on the dresser, and an opera hat on the
WINDOW seat He was just in that
stage when no man can successfully
pose as hero. It was certainly a
shock to hero-worship to find that the
genius who can keep you up all night
or hold your attention until the fire in
the furnace goes out, IS forced now and
again to be very like ordinary men.
Dolly had pipe in her mouth. The
widow of Mr.. Witt confessed she had
been able to find nothing in America
she did not lilIe-eVen though the bot
tie on the table had an English label.
Count Antonio slipped so far down on
the diVan and crossed his legs so high
that his head and one foot were almost
plumb on a line.
Princess Osra laughed violently at
the suggestion that this snow storm
was a bad introduction for one from
the land of cypress and myrtle" The
prisoner of Zenda vowed he was aching
for night walk through this wonder
ful town with its wide reputation for
breathless adventures MI Hawkins
said very little
Mr.. Hawkins is the most tangible
member of the party. He is no less
agreeable than the others, but he is a
stranger in town. His people have been
coming here with regularity for four or
five years. They have done a good
business. Mr.. Hawkins IS quite free
to admit that he hopes he Will do as
Wei as they, be quite as popular after
he gets around. His face bears the
imprint of the companionship of the
splendid lot of characters who have
been his associates since he stopped be
ing prOSafc young barrister and be-
came novelist. There is an unmis-
taxable air of genius about him His
blue eyes are oddly arched with heavy
dark eyebrows. His mouth has a
pucker of humOr. HIS chin is pointed
and strong. His forehead is high and
his sparce hair seems to indicate that
it will be higher before long.
He is sick of the story of his life. He
has been telling it from the Atlantic
to the lakes and has yet several stops
to make in Canada. He is half con-
WINGED that half the people he meets
want to be novelists. They all ask
him how he does it, when he does if
and whether the men and women in
his books are the real thing or only
creatures of his head He denies what
in ha T1Ia
ne writes so accurately and so master
ly that he does not have to go back and
correct a word or line. He says he has
no rule Tor building stories. Sometimes
he puts them together like a man
makes a bOat-the plain frame first and
the filling afterward.
- "A man of Mark was the first one
he related, with a touch Of sadness. as
he told how he could find no one to read
II, even after he had paid the money
out of his own pocket to have it printed.
MY childhood was humdTum,' ad-
mitted Mr.. Hawkins My father was
a clergy man. started to school when
l was years old. l had the uSllal
number OF lights with my schOOlmateS.
but there was nothing HOmeric about
them / had no ambitions l never
once thought of running away to sea
to become pirate or to the woods to
become q highWayman. / Just wanted
to live a decOrOus life. L honestly
think, however. that I made a greater
hit in football than in my lessons
habit. never wrote verse of poet
ry, save for valentines I sent to my
sweethearts. Indeed, L rarely read DO
etry, since reading should be a reIaxa-
ton. Poetry is a task. I continued
to play football after I grew up. play
ing three-quarters back in the famous
All-English team which won the cham
pionship for BalliOl college in Oxford
also have medals for the 100-yard and
quarter mile run.
1T never occurred to me to write un-
til found 1 was getting no business as
lawyer. The critics had a great wor-
ry about my first book. but not half as
much as 1 and the publisher had. No
body helped me. I was fighting single
handed. I hawI1ed Father Stafford
for a long time and could not find a
buyer. Mr.. Wits Widow had as hard
time. There were several others
equally helpless to me. It was five
years ago that the first thing took. The
Prisoner of Zenda' started the thing
The work since then has been steady
A character novel takes time; incidents
come quicker; Dolly was introduced
through articles for Westminster Ga
zette at odd hOurs.''