The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-07


body. ever kept what might properly
lie called a diary. But we people who dip
a Quill in black ink and hope to see the
result in bread and butter, with an occa-
eional dab of jam, are very apt to JoI
down. in a careless sort of a way, some
thing about the pleasures that come to US
and Of the pleasant people we meet Il
is rather TO our credit we women who de-
pend upon our pens for the bread ana
butter and lam. that we seldom write in
any book that is to be referred to of the
disagreeable things or of the disagreeable
people. We can't afford to do this II we
did we would become so saturated with
desire for revenge, with continual bitter
ness. that the world would want none of
us. and the pen would be dipped in the
ink and there would be no result what
ever.
Recently I picked up a newspaper ana
read this heading to a column: The
Duchess is Dead" I didn't get out
Burko's Peeragc to see what duchess was
sufficiently antiquated or victorious to be
known merely by her title. Indeed /
gave no thought to anybody of so-calied
high degree, but I bent my head over my
desk and l said as if to somebody who
could hear me: God give her rest
Then I looked up the pages in the Book
of Life wherein this woman's name was
written not as it is written in the worlds
Book of Life, but in that smaller book
which pertains to me; and found letter
or two. a pleasant card. note OF thanks
and kind word of encouragement Then
I went back seven years and lived over
few happy hours-where. At st. Brenda S
in County Cork There is beautiful IRISH
home surrounded by a great garden that
runs way down TO the river and on Which
there are not only many rose trees ana
beautiful plants, but fruit trees, quarter
of an acre of strawberry beds, ana raSp-
berry and currant bushes without num-
Der But ! am not going to tell you apout
the home; ! am going to put down Just
what is written in that little old book
abOut the woman. She said to me at the
very first in the funniest sort OF way
yes they call me the Duchess, because
IL would be a physical imposslblhty Ior
me to look as any duchess does III hesh
and blood" AS she laughed there rose
before me the Duchess that Du Maurier
drew Big of bone, hooked OF nose, RED
of face and shockingly gowned; while the
woman standing before me was absolute-
" tiny; slight, but perfectly well formed.
Her hair was a pretty light brown IN
color and the great quantity she possessed
was knotted loosely on top of her mead
ana broke away into fascinating little
curls on her forehead. From under them
looked out two dark brown eyes with long
curling lashes that sparkled as II dellsht-
ed with all the world and all the people
in it The mouth was small, but deter
IL gcfn n n
face was that of a woman of wit, OF sweet
temper. and of goodness. Goodness never
shows in a face until 1t exists in the soul
don't believe any Duchess by birth ever
wore such a frock as did this little nos
tess OF mine; 1t was tea gown OF solt'
rich plush, of that shade OF brown you see
IN an autumn leaf, and about the wrists
ana neck were ruffles of rare old lace, while
the tiny feet, peeping in and out from un-
der her petticoat were in just such be-
Witching Louis Quipze shoes as Fhyl-
lis" or molly Bawn," or Lillian, or
Mrs Godfrey would have Joyed IN IN
deed, as 1 remember her, L think OF tiny
little statuette of Dresden; and yet how
brave she wasl She never told me of the
dark days that came to her. l heard of
them from other people; that she married
when very young and her husband died in
less than six years leaving her with two
tiny children TO be cared for. Some years
afterward she married Henry Hungerford;
and when this page of my book was writ
ten about her in 1892, she was the mother
of six small people, one a baby called
tom" who was only a year old. He
was one of the dearest babies l ever saw
the very kind the Duchess herself wrote
about. A white, bright, roly-poly fellow
ready to be played with ready to be Rugged
and kissed, and ready to be tossed about
for anybodys amusement and at any time
But l must tell you what the lady of the
manor told me about her nom de plume.
MANY years ago, just at the time l was
writing Phyllis, l stopped work for a
while and went to attend a tea at the
home of one of my most Intimate friends.
Just as l was going to enter the raWing
room my host saw me, came forward
waved the footman away. and himself an
nounced me to the guests as Her grace
the Duchess
He said this with great solemnity, and
as all Of US knew each other well there
was a great deal of laughter and fun
about IL. Then somebody took IL up and
said that the title well became me- be.
cause ! was a person of such august
presence l am exactly five feet, and at
that time was very slender II was prob
ably foolish, very frivolous, but we were
light-hearted, all young together and q
laugh seemed the very best thing that
could happen us. So this name was put
on the first sheets of Phyllis and these
sheets were sent across the water, where,
funnily enough, / am known by my title.
though In England ii is not used and not
recognized. l was IS years old when l
began to write regularly, and have never
stopped. / have written twenty-seven
novels and any number of short stories,
and have been glad If. in my own way,
] have managed to make the American
people understand that there is, in Ire
land, something beside a famine, some
thing beside the peasant; that there is a
gentry, blue of blood, kind Of heart, and
courtly of manner Nobody knows as
do that / have done nothing great. but
have tried never to write a harmful word
and have tried earnestly to make good
ness attractive" And she succeeded In
this You may be very toploftlcal, and
refuse to read any novels except those
written by learned people, who despise "A
plot but many a woman, willing 10 tell
the truth. will confess that dark hour
has been lightened by these simple little
stories written by this Irish lady. ana
that never one Of them left an unpleasant
taste in her mouth No woman could
have written as she did. who did not love
her home, and who did not love pets of
all kinds who did not love children Her
FIRST marriage WAS an unhuDpV one, 7